HyperX Duocast review: Plug-and-play paradise

Looking to get into streaming or podcasting? The HyperX Duocast might just be your next microphone, as a fantastic budget plug-and-play option that is perfect for beginners.

Looking to level up your audio? Sometimes a gaming headset just doesn’t cut it. Whether that be if you’re looking to make your own podcast, or if you are looking to get the best possible recordings, without all of the fuss of picking up an XLR-based solution. Luckily, the HyperX Duocast manages to deliver in droves, without breaking the bank for a quality piece of tech.

Key specs

• Microphone type: Condenser (Cardioid and Omnidirectional)
• Bit-depth: 24-bit
• Sample rate: 96Khz
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 20Khz
• Weight: 240g
• Connectivity: UBC-C, 3.5mm
• Features: Low-profile shock mount, tap-to-mute functions, 3.5mm output jack,
• Price: $99
• Where to buy: HP

Included in the box: HyperX Duocast mic, stand, boom adapter, USB-C to USB-A cable

Design and setup

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The HyperX Duocast is enshrouded in matte black plastic, with perforations throughout the body of the device, which is suspended by a shock mount to allow you to not have disrupted audio if you were to bump the microphone during a recording, or when you are using Discord.

The HyperX Duocast also has a sharp-looking RGB ring around it that you can customize through HyperX’s NGENUITY software, which looks fantastic. Branding is kept to a minimum with a small HyperX logo that you’ll hardly notice, below the circular shock mount.

Around the back, you will find a 3.5mm jack to output your audio, in addition to a knob that allows you to control the gain of the microphone, and also serves as a button for a mode switch, which allows the microphone to switch from Cardioid to Omnidirectional patterns on the fly. Around the back, you will also find the USB-C port, which allows you to connect the device to your PC.

Up at the top, there is a mute function, that can be enabled simply by hovering your hand over it, so as to not disrupt your recording, which is a pretty ingenious solution, we found. The HyperX Duocast also comes attached it its own plastic stand, where you can adjust the angle of the microphone, in addition to being able to completely detach it from the stand, and place it on a boom arm of your choice with the adapter provided in the box. The included stand also allows you to thread the USB-C cable through it, for a cleaner look on your desk.

It looks sleek, and we found that although it’s all made out of plastic, not a single bit of the microphone felt low quality, or cheap, despite its low asking price, compared to competitors.

You can use the HyperX Duocast straight out of the box with no additional trimmings, though you can also install HyperX’s NGENUITY software to tweak a couple of features if you so choose to do so. It looks smart on your desk, has handy quality-of-life features that were downright impressive in this price category, and stands a cut above competitors like the JBL Quantum Stream.

Recording and audio quality

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We tested the HyperX Duocast in a number of scenarios, through a raw recording on Audacity, in addition to compressing the audio and sending it through to our colleagues over Slack. The cardioid mode sounded great in our testing samples, and it managed to deliver bassy, clear, and crisp audio without any hitches whatsoever without any tinkering with the settings. You can switch between the polar recording types on the fly, too, just in case you want to switch from a ‘Radio’ sounding voice-over to something that manages to pick up sounds around your room in Omnidirectional mode.

The volume control also worked flawlessly and would come in really handy if you needed to make yourself a bit quieter for whatever reason during a recording session. The microphone was instantly picked up in Windows as soon as we connected it and also worked absolutely fine over OBS, in case you wanted to go live with it.

There are cheaper devices out there, but you will also have to deal with the complexity of setting up an XLR solution, which can get complicated and messy. However, for the quality of audio that you are getting here, in addition to the flexibility of the recordings, the HyperX Duocast managed to impress us quite a bit, and might even become our go-to microphone for recording and streaming.

Is the HyperX Duocast good for streaming?

The HyperX Duocast is made for streaming. It’s a dream to just quickly attach to a boom arm and get going, though we did have some instances of the microphone blowing out when we performed particularly powerful plosives, you can easily mitigate this by setting up your own pop filter in addition to the included internal one. If you’re like us, you can just put an old sock over the microphone.

It was picked up by all of our software almost immediately, and within seconds we were able to start recording and streaming ourselves within seconds. You might want to stick with the cardioid mode while streaming if you’re solo, as the mic will pick up additional sounds from your room, like computer fans very easily while in omnidirectional mode.

There is very little to distinguish which mode you’re actually in, which is slightly disappointing, and there was the odd occasion where getting close to the mic meant that we were accidentally muting ourselves. You have to get pretty close to the mic mute button for this to happen, but it’s still possible.

The optional NGENUITY software by HyperX is also very simple, and only allows you to tweak a couple of basic functions, but other than that it’s pretty inoffensive. The HyperX Duocast manages to carry the majority of the weight here, with great-sounding audio without breaking the bank.

Should you buy the HyperX Duocast?

If you’re just getting started with streaming, or want to record your own podcast, then the HyperX Duocast is a fantastic entry-level option that will perform brilliantly for most people. It’s not going to beat out a decked-out XLR input system, but in this segment, where ease of use is paramount. It’s difficult to fault the HyperX Duocast, which manages to cram in a good feature set, alongside excellent audio quality without any of the hassle.

8/10

We wish that there were a couple of more premium trimmings in the software, but aside from that complaint, you won’t be disappointed with the HyperX Duocast in any way.

The HyperX Duocast is available for purchase now.

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