If you’re a content creator, you know that a durable and sturdy mic arm is as important as your microphone. Why? If the arm doesn’t properly support your mic, then it won’t be useful to improve your setup. So for quality and efficiency, we’ll discuss one product for you here in our Elgato Wave Mic Arm review.
Elgato released the Wave Mic Arm which is ideal for people searching for premium audio solutions. The company is known for providing everyone with gold-standard products, and this mic arm is no different. That’s because the Wave ecosystem is engineered with podcasters, streamers, and every computer-based professional in mind.
So today, we’re getting hands-on with the product in our Elgato Wave Mic Arm review. We’ll see just how good it is and if it’s worth including in your setup.
Elgato Wave Mic Arm Packaging
Let’s begin our Elgato Wave Mic Arm review by checking out how Elgato presented the product. We’re also looking at what other items they included with the product.
First off, it came in a very simple-looking flip-open cardboard box. Its cover, or the top, displays an illustration of the product that takes up most of the available space there.
The upper-left corner displays “Wave Mic Arm”, Wave’s logo, and what the product is all about. There wasn’t really anything else left for us to see. So we went ahead and opened the box to see the product set securely in its place.
Other than this, you’ll find a couple of thread adaptors, a counterweight, a riser extension, plus an Allen wrench. We appreciate the inclusion of an Allen wrench since not everyone has this on hand.
Generally, it’s a straightforward product that sports extensions, making it one of the most versatile mic arms available today.
Elgato Wave Mic Arm Review – Design and Functionality
This is where our Elgato Wave Mic Arm review discusses the mic product’s build, design, style, and functions.
The Elgato Wave Mic Arm sports a matte black finish which gives off a premium look and aesthetic to it. Its build is durable enough to withstand continuous use. So, you don’t have to worry about it suddenly dropping and damaging your mic even with multiple instances of repositioning.
Its counterweight is made entirely from metal, thus, making it a solid piece. Although tough, it comes with padding inside which gives it a nice touch.
When it comes to the included desk clamp, it sports a wide footprint. With that, you don’t need to worry about it damaging your desk. The riser it comes with is easy to attach, especially when you want a lengthier stand for your mic arm.
Now for the mic arm. Its rotating parts are made from plastic but despite the material, it looks premium and is durable. For its main arm, it’s made from sturdy metal.
We like that its clamp comes with a warning sign that states “Caution: Spring Loaded”. So, you must exercise caution when opening it to avoid any unwanted accidents.
If you’re planning to use a lightweight microphone with the Wave Mic Arm, you can utilise the counterweight for it. Doing so will prevent the product from flinging up. Plus, it will be easier to adjust the mic, keeping it in one spot.
There are little adapters as well which lets you use any microphone of your choice. These will help you adjust the mic arm’s springs.
We like the hidden cable channel that’s present since it helps keep everything neat and organised. No wires sticking out and everything is set in place. To note, the material used for the cable channel is rubber.
Key Features of the Elgato Wave Mic Arm
Continue reading our Elgato Wave Mic Arm review to see what this product has in store for us.
Works with a Wide Range of Mics
You can attach 3/8, 1/4, and 5/8-inch microphone mounts to the Elgato Wave Mic Arm. It also works adequately with microphones weighing between 250g and 1,000g.
Ball Head
With the ball head, you can precisely set your mic’s position. You can place any type of mic on it. Or, you can also use it as a camera stand.
Adequate Balance
The included counterweight locks down the centre of gravity when attached to the mic arm. If you’re using a lightweight mic, you can attach this to the product. That means, your mic stays in place even when you adjust its position.
Adjust With Ease
The Elgato Wave Mic Arm is fully adjustable with its 360-degree arm rotation. It’s absolutely flexible so you can position your mic exactly the way you want.
Aside from the arm rotation, it has a ball head for positioning the mic with precision. Plus, it has an adjustable padded clamp so you can safely attach this mic arm to your desk.
Our Elgato Wave Mic Arm review won’t be complete without us talking about its specifications. It’s essential for those who need more detailed information about what makes up the mic arm.
Specifications
The Wave Mic Arm’s horizontal reach is 780mm, while its vertical reach is 750mm. Its riser extension offers an additional height of up to 150mm which we think is pretty convenient. For the upper and lower arms, both of these measure 400mm long.
The desk clamp is expandable up to 60mm, so you can easily attach this to almost any table. When it comes to the counterweight, it weighs 260g. And, it can handle mics weighing between 250g and 1000g.
Next on our Elgato Wave Mic Arm review, we’ll share our hands-on experience with this mic stand. We’ll talk about the setup process and how well it performed.
This section will help you decide if this product is worth including in your streaming equipment.
Hands-on with the Elgato Wave Mic Arm
Setting up the Elgato Wave Mic Arm was simple. All we had to do was place the arm in its holder. We attached the riser extension to increase the product’s height so we could place it over the monitor.
Doing this also made repositioning the mic easier.
Do note that it isn’t always necessary to attach the riser extension. It will all depend on your preferred placement.
Once attached to our desk, we started setting up the mic. We had different mics that varied by weight, so we tried attaching each of these to the ball head.
When we linked the lightweight mics, we used the counterweight that kept the mic arm in place. It replaced the weight that our lightweight mic didn’t have, and it effectively kept everything steady. With the heavier ones installed, the mic arm remained steady without the counterweight.
What we liked about the product is its built-in cable channel for cable management. Thanks to this, we didn’t have to bother with cable ties on the mic arm. It allowed for a neat and organised setup that looked more presentable when we streamed.
Moving the cable channel up and down to hide the cable was quite tough. But it wasn’t much of an issue since setting up is only done once. That’s unless we decide to change our mic.
It’s important to note how the product worked. So, let’s look into that next in our Elgato Wave Mic Arm review.
We were impressed and surprised that the Elgato Wave Mic Arm was steady after setting it up. It stayed wherever we positioned it, and its quality felt like that of a real studio-level mic arm.
We were able to easily make adjustments: moving it up and down or sideways. It also felt durable and didn’t feel like it would break anytime, so we didn’t have worries.
What we liked about the mic arm is that it utilises an incorporated spring-load system rather than a hydraulic one. This is because spring-loaded systems work best for any kind of stand with movement.
In addition, the Wave Mic Arm offered 360-degree rotation no matter what type of mic we used. It rotated properly even when we attached heavier mics. This 360-degree rotation is a unique feature we loved since a lot of similar products can’t do this.
Plus, it didn’t feel like it would break and cause your mic to drop. We appreciated having less worries while using the Elgato Wave Mic Arm.
Elgato Wave Mic Arm Review Summary
The Elgato Wave Mic Arm is a versatile mic arm that you can easily position anywhere. It’s user-friendly so you can easily achieve the optimal set-up and enjoy comfort when you go back to creating.
Its price may be a little expensive for a mic arm. But despite that, it’s on par with other similar products on the market. This Wave Mic Arm from Elgato is quality-made and will definitely serve its purpose.
With that, the Elgato Wave Mic Arm has the potential to be a top product for streamers today. We were also satisfied with its quality and performance, so we’re highly recommending it.
To get your hands on this item from Elgato, you can purchase it from the company’s official website.
