Logitech has designed a lot of gaming peripherals, and since then have developed into one of the most recognizable peripheral manufacturers in the market. With the recent acquisition of audio company BLUE, the company’s next step is in developing and improving the currently existing audio technology, starting with the highly-praised Logitech G Pro X gaming headset.
The next step the company has taken in partnership with BLUE is the release of the Blue Yeti X microphone. You might recognize the Yeti name as one of the standards in podcasting, streaming, and hobbyist video productions. Well, the easiest way to summarize the Blue Yeti X is, “I didn’t know that microphones now had RGB, but apparently, I need this.” It’s good. Like, really, really good.
My standard of comparison is the Blue Yeti Blackout microphone. The design of the Blue Yeti X has been upgraded with a new outfit, giving the microphone a much more premium appearance. While the Blackout is a matte black all around from head to toe, the Yeti X is highlighted with some chromed accents near the top of the microphone and an illuminated ring whose colors can be customized. The gain adjustment knob also has a ring of lights that change depending on the intensity of the noises being captured. It’s a way to check and see how your voice is doing during a live read without having to stray too far. It’s a unique touch that not just adds flair to the Yeti X, but it’s a useful touch at the same time. You can customize the lighting using the Logitech G Hub app, which updated recently with Yeti X support.
Something that I enjoy about this headset was in the ease of setup. This headset, out the box and after being plugged in, requires very little changes to sound decent. For the vast majority of people, these initial settings are plenty sufficient to improve the quality of your voice cast. With the G Hub app, the customization goes much further, and within the app you have the capabilities of adjusting and hearing your voice feedback right in the app instead of having to launch a third-party program to hear your changes. Look, I have no problems telling you the numbers that this microphone has inside of it, like 24-bit/48kHz on the Yeti X compared to the 16-bit of the Yeti Blackout kit I have. While that stuff is all interesting, the real kicker is that the sound difference between the two is significant, with the Yeti X emerging as the clear winner.
Another factor of consideration with regards to the quality of the sound is that you need to realize that this is a plug-in and play USB microphone. Honestly, if I had to be realistic, I’d take a quality loss and trade it for the ease of access and use. A lot of people have budgets, and it’s the holiday season fast approaching as of the time of publication, so budgets are definitely going to be a consideration. The audio quality that I got out of this was fantastic; I know that people who have heard my voice on this were commenting on the clarity of my voice and wondering what kind of expensive setup I’d purchased. This microphone also comes in at a price point of $170, and at the end of the day, the decision comes down to whether you think the upgrades to the microphone are worth the price increase.
My end result is that yes, the audio changes are significant enough where I’d like to have this. I think that even for gamers, it adds a nice touch with the RGB flair and offers unprecedented quality found in a USB microphone. Would I enjoy the $170 price point? When you look at the standard Blue Yeti coming in at retail $149.99, this $20 increase seems like a steal and well worth the price of admission. The Blue Yeti X microphone is a strong addition to Logitech and Blue’s product line, and with some time I am confident that the Yeti X could become the next standard in USB microphone setups.
