Elgato Wave 3 USB Mic Review / Test (Compared to Snowball, Yeti, Quadcast, Seiren X, & more)

Today I review the El Gato Wave 3 USB Condenser Microphone. This mic also includes a digital mixer allowing you to capture 5 additional sound sources and mix them for your stream. The sound is balanced, although a little lacking in the low end below 100Hz. I compare it to the Blue Snowball, Rode NT USB Mini, Blue Yeti, Hyper X Quadcast, Razer Seiren X, SM7b and More.

Buy the El Gato Wave 3 (Affiliate)

00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:30 - Setup for Tests
00:50 - What’s in the Box
01:12 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
02:36 - Specifications
03:07 - Polar Pattern Test
03:32 - Distance Test
03:45 - Plosive Rejection Test
03:54 - Background Noise Test
04:11 - Treated vs. Untreated Room
04:24 - Desktop Stand Demo (Why Not to Use It)
05:26 - Boom Arm Bump Rejection Test
05:42 - Desktop Stand Bump Rejection Test
05:54 - Microphone Mute Button & Click Wheel Noise Test
06:41 - High Pass (Low Cut) Filter Test / Demo
07:09 - Clipguard Demo (Never Distort While Screaming)
07:54 - Noise Floor Measure
08:45 - Comparison to Blue Snowball
09:25 - Comparison to Audio Technica ATR2100USB
09:45 - Comparison to Rode NT USB Mini
10:07 - Comparison to Blue Yeti Nano
10:31 - Comparison to Samson C01u Pro
10:56 - Comparison to Blue Yeti
11:20 - Comparison to Hyper X Quadcast
11:45 - Comparison to Razer Seiren X
12:04 - Comparison to Beyerdynamic Fox
12:35 - Comparison to Audio Technica AT2020
12:57 - Comparison to Blue Ember
13:30 - Comparison to Shure SM7b
14:06 - Comparison to Neumann U67
14:30 - Latency Test
15:27 - Music Test (Electric Guitar / Acoustic Guitar / Singing)
16:38 - Software Rundown / Explained
20:06 - Pros & Cons
21:43 - Overall Thoughts
23:58 - Recommendation
25:20 - Outro

NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): If you purchase an item using my amazon link, it provides me a small referral fee. For more info check my FAQ page links below.

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[DBHOD]

Literally the most in depth review of a mic I've ever seen. Very impressed. And i love that an actual musician had the thought to test a mic with guitars. Well done!

[HighBrowComedy]

THIS is the review I was waiting for. Podcastage is probably the best reviewer on YouTube

[jeremygunkel]

El Gato on the big marketing push...so many reviews in the last week
Yours is obviously the best.

[JosephHerzog]

Love that you compare back to the CLASSIC Yeti Snowball (as that is what I currently own) so smart to put them side by side. Night and day difference!

[voidbunny]

Just wanted to say thank you for turning me into a microphone enthusiast. I watch your reviews even if I don’t want the product just because your analyses are so entertaining.

[thinkfaster]

Oh wow, that U67 is exactly what I need for my stream. *Quietly adjusts budget from $160 to $7000*

[themrjuring]

This the best comparison ever. I love how you emphasized how Elgato sounds like compared to each microphone. It's easier for us to compare directly with that method.

[JohnGlasscock]

I'm not a fan of USB mics but I got to say I am impressed. The built in clip-guard is a brilliant feature

[thejasontlewis]

I'm actually really impressed. These are all features I want nearly every time I stream. In fact, I could have really used them last night.

[gruntzone]

Great review! Really REALLY wish more people took advantage of time stamping their own video like you did. Went straight for what I needed/wanted to hear the most

[kabloom]

I’m more impressed by the quality of this content more than any microphone on the market. Really comprehensive high quality guide.

[GoldenUnlimited]

Hi Podcastage, I'm such a big fan! I love watching your reviews
1.) You're a really funny and interesting guy
2.) Your videos get right to the point in different sections
3.) You do whatever you can to make your reviews the best it can be
4.) There's many reasons but keep doing what you're doing! :)

[FoxtrotUniforms]

This is the best review I’ve ever seen. Thank you for taking the time.

[mckaylamarie]

This was the exact review I was looking for! Thank you!!! Most people who reviewed it only talked about it in the context of streaming, but I'm so glad that you brought out the guitars and vocals to test, as well. I'm interested in streaming, as well as music recording, so this was great!

[curtisjudd]

Meow - HAHAHA! 😂 ClipGuard is surprisingly effective. Wow. I didn't expect much from this mic, but definitely shows that they worked with Lewitt.

[ToobeyAmbi]

That Clipguard is definitely a big selling point. It works really well.

[BigMac]

I bought this mic immediately. I'm financially very frugal, I already have mic's, I didn't *need* a mic.
Clip guard + intuitive simple software just made the decision for me, so simple, smartly done. They just did a bunch of stuff that makes so much sense. I haven't gotten it yet (still shipping) but man.... so glad to hear it was as I suspected. Glad to see it held up on podcastage, I was sweatin' having bought something so untested.
Hearing such a glowing review from Podcastage made me real happy. I was waiting for him to cut it down (I expected the plastic thing to be a noteworthy negative) but feeels
It *does* have a unique sound pattern I can't quite put my finger on (my ears aren't as good as others) but man, it's hitting above its weight class, not on par with say a blue ember setup right or a few others but man. I'm so psyched.

[Felipe-hlnh]

Ok, this was the most comprehensive review of this mic I've seen
Pretty much all streamers understandably focused on the software mixer because it feels like a game changer for streaming
It's good to see so many testing done

[SueUTube]

I watched a whole SlapChop ad for you. That's respect.

[VanillaPlays]

From the Philippines with LOVE <3 recently picked AT2020 + Scarlett Solo 3rd gen <3 Thanks Podcastage! Also, This USB Mic is beast <3