The HyperX Quadcast is an ultra-reliable USB microphone aimed at other units in the sub-$200 price range. Despite its technical limitations, it can record podcasts, streams and other vocal-centric applications in a far cry from professional recordings. A red light also clearly indicates when you are live and when you are not.
The microphone is shaped like a hairbrush bristle and is held by a tilting stand with a sturdy dual-shock mount. There is a gain dial on the bottom of the capsule to increase or decrease sensitivity, and a knob on the back to swap pick-up patterns. If you are not sure what to do, the following will guide you through the process.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]When you first plug in the microphone, both the sound output and the microphone input default to QuadCast on your computer. This is to route the computer’s output through the 3.5 mm headphone jack on the back of the unit. You will probably want to use your own set-up, but the option exists if you need it.
The Quadcast S is very convenient, very stylish and sounds great. It’s hard to imagine how it could be better without radically changing the design of this product. However, this raises just a small problem: HyperX has designed a microphone that is ideal for people who want to start a hobby or side business like streaming, but when that hobby gets too big, there isn’t much room for upgrades without a lot of additional expense.
Professional-grade audio equipment uses a more complex set-up that includes an interface, possibly a pre-amp and (in the case of portable set-ups) a recorder. Such equipment almost always uses XLR microphones. Furthermore, these mics tend to avoid built-in processing, which makes devices like the Quadcast S sound good right out of the box, but makes later editing and custom processing difficult.
The HyperX Quadcast has a lot to offer, but it is far from perfect.
One of the factors we often look at is resolution. Its two aspects are sample rate and bit depth. The sample rate is the number of samples the audio is transmitted through, measured in kHz. A high-quality condenser microphone will have a sample rate of at least 96 kHz and a bit depth of 24 bits, whereas the HyperX Quadcast is inadequate, at 48 kHz/16 bits, as found in low-end condenser microphones.