Do you want to invest in studio equipment that can offer the best quality/price ratio to get your streaming project off to a good start? Above all, you intend to acquire a high-performance dynamic instrument , easy to use and equipped with complete functions.
Would you like that this micro recorder can capture voice without the need to use an external sound card, Phantom power, or any other type of external power? You therefore want to be able to have an effective , efficient and powerful that can be directly connected to a computer via USB interface , without any hassle.
If so, I invite you to discover the Blue Yeti X and all the potential it hides. So, by reading this review and test , you will know everything about the characteristics and functions of this studio microphone for gamers and streamers.
Blue Yeti X Microphone Overview
The appearance of the Blue Yeti X is naturally reminiscent of its older brother, the Blue Yeti microphone , so popular with gamers, streamers, and YouTubers. This new version of microphone with USB port will only benefit from a completely revised design with complete and more intuitive control options.
With this type of microphone, we will also have the possibility of accessing a whole range of additional functions which we can especially personalize via Logitech's G Hub software . Note (in passing) that this brand bought Blue.
From now on, the Blue Yeti X appears in the list of microphones compatible with this famous Logitech Software . On the design side, we'll look (together) at the different aspects that the Blue Yeti X shares in common with the original Blue Yeti.
Access to its intuitive and dynamic USB interface remains versatile to meet various purposes of use: streaming, podcasting, interviewing, recording, broadcasting, monitoring... The Blue Yeti X USB microphone is delivered in a cardboard box and covered. The pre-assembled assembly, that is to say the microphone fixed on its stand, benefits from shockproof foam protection inside this box.
The packaging itself being minimalist, only comes with a 2 meter USB cable and a dedicated user manual (which seems a bit of a shame to me). The manufacturer could have equipped its condenser microphone with a dedicated pop filter. Let's now review the entire ergonomic and design aspect of this Blue Yeti X microphone:
The new Blue Yeti X microphone (almost) resembles its predecessor Blue Yeti. However, we see serious improvements in terms of design, because the Blue Yeti X microphone has a very avant-garde appearance.
With its clean lines and less imposing dimensions, the Blue Yeti X has a futuristic and more sober design which tends to move away from the retro and vintage look of the original Blue Yeti . Note, however, that the Blue Yeti X is slightly larger than the Blue Yeti Nano . This is also Blue's most compact microphone model.
For the moment, this new microphone model is only available in one color, black. Obviously, the Blue Yeti X looks great with a much less rounded appearance than that of its charming older brother Blue Yeti. If you are a gamer or streamer, this is the best gaming and streaming microphone, perfect for enhancing your broadcasts in a recording studio.
As for the design of the microphone, it remains more or less faithful to the design of the original Blue Yeti microphone. To this new Blue Yeti
Above all, this will allow you to limit unwanted sounds due to handling noise . The Blue Yeti X has a circular base to provide perfect stability and more grip. The underside of the microphone stand is surrounded by a shiny metallic rim whose finish adds a touch of elegance to the whole.
The Blue Yeti X stands on two arms leaning back and acting as a pedestal. Of course, you can always position this microphone at various angles or take it apart altogether so that you can use it as a boom mic.
The Blue Yeti
Although the Blue Yeti X has undergone a serious overhaul in terms of its design, the imprint of its older brother Blue Yeti remains very present. The integral structure continues to benefit from a perfectly robust , but we still notice a slight difference between the two microphones.
Indeed, although the Blue Yeti X is more compact than the original Yeti, it has a slightly longer , but more discreet than that of the old version. The front of the microphone continues to bear the Blue brand logo and also includes a wheel via which it is possible to adjust a certain number of direct settings.
On the old model, this option is only possible for adjusting the headphone output volume. To adjust the gain, this adjustment also had to be made via a second dial at the rear. On the new Blue Yeti X microphone model, you can operate most of all the settings from a single dial.
Thanks to a light indicator with a lighting rendering that is 100% customizable , you can even monitor the status of your audio capture in real time. By default, the Blue Yeti
The goal is to stay in the green zone to avoid the risk of breaking the ears of your audience. By pressing a single button (once), you can stop sound capture. By pressing the same dial and holding it (this time) for a second, you can manually adjust the sound gain .
By pressing this same dial and holding it for two seconds, you can adjust the monitoring directly from the microphone. If we hold it longer, we can easily manage the sound balance between audio and voice.
You can therefore see that the Blue Yeti X is more practical to use for streaming than the previous Yeti version of Blue. The Blue Yeti The Blue Yeti
The light indicators greatly facilitate the control of sound capture by providing a direct overview of the real-time sound rendering of the broadcast (i.e. the stream). At the back of the Blue Yeti X there is of course a second button. You will certainly ask me what this one can (still) be used for.
Note that this second command allows you to configure the polar pattern of the microphone through four choices of different directivities: cardioid, omnidirectional, bidirectional and stereo. This is what makes it much more versatile than large diaphragm condenser microphone models like the Neumann TLM 102 pro mic for example (and I'll come back to this right after).
We end this part with a closer look at the Blue Yeti X microphone on its base. Below, we find a connection for a USB cable. This allows you to have the microphone connected to your computer.
All without having to resort to the use of any sound card or external phantom power. This is not the case for condenser microphones and coil microphones
The bottom of the Blue Yeti X microphone stand also has a 3.5mm jack for connecting stereo headphones. A large screw thread occupies the central part of the underside of the microphone. This will certainly make it easier to attach to a pole or an articulated arm. The aim is to avoid vibrations to limit handling noise as much as possible.
Zoom on the technical specifications of the Blue Yeti X microphone
The Blue Yeti X condenser microphone incorporates 4 capsules to obtain better audio recording focus and sound pickup clarity . This USB microphone for gamers ideally meets the needs of streaming, podcasting and broadcasting videos on YouTube.
The Blue Yeti This greatly helps in monitoring and controlling voice sound pickup quality in real time. That is to say in full recording, in full broadcast or in full stream.
From a single button , the Blue Yeti
During the entire broadcast of your video live on YouTube or Twitch, you can therefore concentrate 100% on your stream. You will also be able to interact more easily with your audience while controlling how your voice is recorded live. All without sound saturation as with most shots requiring the use of an anti-pop filter with a condenser microphone.
Aside from the ease of access to a rich and complete adjustment panel via a single dial, you can also optimize and personalize the sound effect of your voice rendering, in full broadcast. To do this, all you have to do is download Logitech's G Hub software.
From then on, you will have access to a range of sound presets designed and developed by professional sound engineers. Some of these customizable condenser mic presets include:
- « Broadcaster 1 »
- « Broadcaster 2 »
- « FM Station »
- « High Voice – Soft »
- « Low voice – Loud »
- « AM Radio »
- « Crisp and Modern »
- « Warm and Vintage »
Aside from the possibility of controlling the quality of sound capture through the LED lighting of the Blue Yeti X microphone, you can also personalize it according to your wishes. Above all, this will allow you to add a personal touch to your microphone and therefore improve the presentation of the video that you are going to broadcast live on Twitch or on YouTube.
The must with the Blue Yeti X professional microphone also lies in the great possibility it offers to configure the polar diagram according to four directivity choices. Depending on your needs, you will easily be able to switch between:
- Cardioid directivity : ideal for streaming, monitoring or broadcasting.
- Bidirectional mode : ideal for interviews.
- Omnidirectional mode : ideal for ambient sound recording.
- Stereo recording mode : ideal for more immersive sound recording.
In addition, you can also consult our comparison guide between the AKG C414 XLII microphone and the Neumann TLM 102 . This guide gives you a complete review of each microphone, as well as the advantages and strengths of each.
The different directivity modes
As I just mentioned, just a little quickly above, the Blue Yeti X has the enormous advantage of offering the possibility of making several types of recordings in a home studio . In the case that concerns us, the USB microphone model provides four different directivity modes:
Cardioid:
This is probably the type of polar diagram you will use the most if you plan to do video streaming , podcasting, broadcasting, or voice-over recording. In this directivity mode, the Blue Yeti X omnidirectional microphone only captures sound waves coming from the source positioned in front of it. That is to say in front of a microphone of this type.
Bidirectional:
This directionality setting remains rather practical for voice recording during an interview . In this case, we will directly place the microphone in the middle of two interlocutors. This is so as to only capture the sound that goes towards the front and the sound that goes towards the back of the microphone.
Omnidirectional:
This recording mode allows vibrations coming from several sound sources and placed at various angles to be captured in a balanced manner. This configuration is greatly useful when you want to record ambient sound . Simply place the Blue Yeti X micro-USB in the middle of the soundstage to ensure great recording fluidity.
Stereo:
To guarantee richer and much more immersive sound recording quality, the Blue Yeti X also offers a specific directivity preset in Stereo. The aim above all is to capture the sound as faithfully as possible to its source.
By the way, you can also check out our guide to the Rode PodMic . This guide offers you a complete test of this dynamic microphone with a review and some usage demos.
Zoom on the sound quality of the Blue Yeti
The Blue Yeti Which gives it more versatility. This microphone also offers a USB connection to provide great ease of use.
To perfect sound recording or broadcasting, you will not have to connect it to any amplifier. And likewise, you won't need to resort to using a mixer or a Phantom power supply to make it operational. This mic optimally picks up speech sound at a 24-bit bandwidth stream .
The choice of polar patterns that this microphone offers also makes it possible to broadcast or record richly qualitative sound according to 4 directivities: Cardioid, Omnidirectional, Bidirectional and Stereo (high fidelity).
With a frequency response between 20Hz and 20kHz , this microphone is essential for any gamer, streamer or broadcaster wishing to succeed in their broadcasts, presentations and podcasts. Apparently, the Blue Yeti X picks up voices and high, mid, and low frequency sounds equally well and perfectly.
Being able to withstand a sound pressure ( SPL ) of up to 122 dB , I can tell you that this little microphone is truly formidable. At this threshold, this microphone could also (well and truly) meet instrumental recording needs, whether for acoustic or electric instruments.
With such a capacity to withstand acoustic pressure and a signal/noise ratio of 100 dB , this microphone can be used perfectly to record the sound of most percussion instruments.
These could be drums, cymbals, snare drums or bass drums. And the same for the instrumental take of acoustic guitars and basses. But also for that of a double bass, a violin, a cello and most acoustic brass instruments to name only the saxophone, the trumpet, the trombone and the clarinet.
Now, let's take a look at the software part. Here in fact, and following the acquisition of Blue by Logitech , the new Blue Yeti X microphone is now part of the gaming microphones compatible with Logitech's G Hub software.
Blue Voice options , you will access a wide range of settings to configure the sound reproduction down to the smallest detail. These advanced options will above all allow you to personalize the audio interface according to your wishes. Access to this wide range of settings via Logitech's G Hub software also offers two choices of settings.
On the one hand, you can opt for predefined settings offered by the manufacturer. This gives you the possibility of choosing, among the sound effects offered, the one that best meets your wishes and preferences. Among the presets offered, you can opt for one of the following effects:
- “Broadcaster 1” and “Broadcaster 2”: to ensure podcast , broadcast , or stream presentation.
- “FM Station”: to guarantee broadcasting of quality equivalent to that of a real radio presentation.
- “High Voice – Soft” and “Low Voice – Loud”: to give a beautiful personalized and realistic effect to your voice-over recording .
- “AM Radio”: to give your voice a vocal timbre (almost) identical to that of a real radio presenter .
- “Crisp and Modern”: This choice of preset vocal timbre can be suitable for audio recording of voice-overs, podcasts, lead vocals and rap lyrics.
- “Warm and Vintage”: This choice of effect (quite versatile) remains ideal for vocal recording of radio broadcasts and solo singing. This effect also makes the Blue Yeti X one of the best mics for rap . It offers a very useful effect for vocal recording and vocal recording in a rap studio.
On the other hand, and in addition to having access to these pre-configurations, you can also adjust the sound reproduction of your voice recording manually. The interfaces are rather intuitive and easy to use , because you just need to make a basic recording which will, in a way, serve as a matrix.
Once this is done, you can reuse the same recording to give it the desired sound effect or fine-tune it manually to match your requirements. Among the options offered, we find:
- A vocal equalizer (to personalize the sound rendering of the voice according to preferences and according to its requirements).
- A high pass filter (to control the treble at its peak).
- A noise reducer (to limit or even eliminate any background noise likely to disturb hearing).
- A compressor
- A limiter , etc.
Please note, and if you're not completely sure you can control all of these effects, just point the mouse at each function! From then on, you will see tooltips appear to find out a little more about the main functions of each option and each setting.
As we go through the options, we will also have the possibility of limiting the capture to a certain sound level to control the capture quality . This option is very useful when streaming or making a live podcast.
By accessing these options, you can also eliminate some of the external noise. All without the need to invest in the purchase of specific panels (in honeycomb, for example) to insulate yourself from external noise.
Access to a wide range of personalized effects setting options for voice capture via the Blue Yeti X and from the G Hub software is one thing. But in addition, you should also know that you can configure the lightning LED effects setting according to your preferences.
With complete ease, you will be able to choose the LED color of your choice while you record your broadcast and in particular to take care of the presentation of your streams. These lighting effects adjustment options (completely configurable) will even allow you to assign a specific color to each function to be controlled.
This is particularly true of: gain adjustments, microphone volume adjustment and sound mix. If you want, you can even customize the lighting color of each icon that surrounds the dial on the back of the Blue Yeti X.
The technical characteristics of the Blue Yeti X microphone
- Type: condenser microphone
- Style: gaming microphone
- Connectivity: USB, USB 1.1/2.0/3.0 compatible
- Power requirement: 62mA – 203mA
- Frequency/bandwidth: 48 kHz, 24-bit
- Capsules: 4 Blue capsules of 14 mm (proprietary)
- Polar Patterns: Cardioid, Omnidirectional, Bidirectional, Stereo
- Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Maximum sound pressure (SPL): 122dB
- Impedance: 13 Ohms min, 16 Ohms typical
- Output power (RMS): 72mWrms per channel
- Noise signal: 100dB
- Microphone dimensions (extended): 110x122x289 mm
- Microphone weight (without pedestal): 519 g
- Total weight of the microphone (with stand): 1.28 kg
System requirements:
- WINDOWS: Windows 7, 8.1, 10
- MAC: MacOS 10.10 and all later versions
Our Overall Opinion
Overall Sound Quality
Value for money
Global mark
Our opinion on the Blue Yeti X microphone
In terms of efficiency, design quality and performance, the Blue Yeti X and the original Blue Yeti (first of the name) are a match. I just want to note that the Blue Yeti X is much more suitable for people who want access to more customization options.
This is the case, more precisely, with the sound rendering of voice capture, the personalization of sound effects and the personalized settings of lighting effects. For ease of handling, I also recommend that you opt for the Blue Yeti X.
Indeed, I would like to remind you that almost all of the presets essential for voice recording or broadcasting can be done directly from the microphone and by pressing a single button. For the rest, and given that we are dealing with a professional microphone, handling it still requires a certain amount of time to adapt.
Priced around €180, the Blue Yeti However, from what we were able to see in the tests and after having discovered all the potential that this microphone hides, its purchase can only constitute a good investment (in my humble opinion).
This purchase is all the more advantageous if you don't want to bother with a Neumann-type XLR microphone to perfect the sound quality of your home studio recording. Likewise, you won't have to plug a mic into a preamp or mixer with the Blue Yeti X.
Please note that purchasing this USB microphone can also be an excellent alternative to purchasing a dynamic Rode nt USB microphone or a classic Blue Snowball. It is also wiser to buy it to guarantee its proper use in the long term and above all to avoid having to buy several lavalier microphones (in reserve) following an unfortunate blackout incident.
Blue Yeti X Demo
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