We can all agree that the global pandemic was a difficult time, but there were some good things that came out of it too, such as working from home and the rise of streaming and content creation. This has also led to a huge demand for good microphones so that we can all sound professional. The HyperX ProCast Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic is definitely one such microphone, and it’s a unique beast. Unlike most XLR microphones that are dynamic, the ProCast is a condenser microphone with a massive gold diaphragm condenser that’s hard to miss through its grill.
It retails for $399, which is a lot considering that you don’t even get the necessary XLR cable in the box. This means you’ll have to spend another $200 or more to get a cable and the XLR interface for it to work with your computer, making it less accessible to all but the most dedicated creators. I suppose the Procast stands for professional broadcasters or podcasters.
All that said, once you have it all put together, it sounds amazing right out of the box and is one of the better-sounding microphones I’ve had the pleasure of using to date.
HyperX Procast Review
Unlike HyperX’s other premium microphones like the QuadCast, the ProCast has a more mature and non-gamery design, which means no RGB. It still has the signature black and red colorway and the HyperX logo that would still look acceptable on stream.
The most notable thing is the aforementioned gold diaphragm condenser, which is at the heart of capturing your voice with great precision and depth. You won’t find controls on this mic since you’re expected to have those on your XLR interface. But that means you can’t control the gain or even mute the mic directly, which could be a pain, though there are two knobs on the back to manage low pass filtering.
Obviously, you can control these on your XLR interface which, by the way, has to support 48V phantom power as the ProCast will not work otherwise.
Built into the mic is a shock mount and a 1/4 thread for mounting to any standard boom arm. Additionally, HyperX includes a magnetic pop shield to guard against spit and gusty breathing into the mic, which is a nice value add.
Setting up the ProCast is as simple as plugging the XLR cable into the XLR interface of your choice (the Elgato Wave XLR is mine) and you’re good to go. There’s no unnecessarily complex software to fiddle around with like Rode’s Unify.
I was more than happy with the quality of audio coming out of the microphone, and you can listen to the sample below. The ProCast uses a cardioid pattern in front so you speak straight into the front of the mic, unlike the top with dynamic microphones. I’d say this makes positioning it a lot easier, though the mic is still pretty sensitive at picking up sound behind it.
The sound signature isn’t as warm and bassy as dynamic mics, but it’s still very natural-sounding and pleasing. I didn’t have any background hiss or distortion in my voice. You get 24bit 96KHz output, which is plenty of headroom to adjust the sound in post too.
Verdict
I’m very pleased with the HyperX ProCast XLR Microphone. It’s a no-fuss, easy-to-use microphone that puts out great sound with very little user effort. I’ve used it for a number of voice-overs for my content as well as all my video calls with great success. However, I’m not convinced that it needed to be an XLR mic.
It’s not the most accessible format, and the added expenditure on top of the already high price makes this a hard sell for most people. Had it been a USB Type-C interface, it would be an easy recommendation. If the price and XLR are deal-breakers for you, the HyperX QuadCast is a perfect alternative, but if you already have an XLR interface, then this is definitely a great microphone.
