Guru3D.com
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • Channels
    • Archive
  • DOWNLOADS
    • New Downloads
    • Categories
    • Archive
  • GAME REVIEWS
  • ARTICLES
    • Rig of the Month
    • Join ROTM
    • PC Buyers Guide
    • Guru3D VGA Charts
    • Editorials
    • Dated content
  • HARDWARE REVIEWS
    • Videocards
    • Processors
    • Audio
    • Motherboards
    • Memory and Flash
    • SSD Storage
    • Chassis
    • Media Players
    • Power Supply
    • Laptop and Mobile
    • Smartphone
    • Networking
    • Keyboard Mouse
    • Cooling
    • Search articles
    • Knowledgebase
    • More Categories
  • FORUMS
  • NEWSLETTER
  • CONTACT

New Reviews
EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 FTW3 Ultra review
Corsair 5000D PC Chassis Review
NZXT Kraken X63 RGB Review
ASUS Radeon RX 6900 XT STRIX OC LC Review
TerraMaster F5-221 NAS Review
MSI Radeon RX 6800 XT Gaming X TRIO Review
Sapphire Radeon RX 6800 NITRO+ review
Corsair HS70 Bluetooth Headset Review
MSI MEG X570 Unify review
Scythe Ninja 5 air cooler review

New Downloads
3DMark Download v2.16.7117 + Time Spy
Prime95 download version 30.4 build 6
Crystal DiskMark 8.0.1 Download
Corsair Utility Engine Download (iCUE) Download v3.37.140
ReShade download v4.9.1
GeForce 461.09 WHQL driver download
Intel HD graphics Driver Download Version: DCH 27.20.100.9126
HWiNFO Download v6.41–4345 Beta
MSI Afterburner 4.6.3 Beta 4 Download
BaseMark GPU Benchmark v1.2.3 download


New Forum Topics
[SOLVED] RX 580 - Overheating after applying new termal paste :( Looking for a Guru to view BSOD Dump files. How to play RAW video recorded using Afterburner? Vulkan does not work , help please. Equivalent to Control Panel Frame Limiter in Older Drivers? System Requirements for Outriders for PC Announced Core i9-11900K CPU-Z benchmark result leaks? Premium Z590 motherboards to become brutally expensive, one mobo even passes 1500 EUR Review: MSI MEG X570 Unify ASUS ROG-STRIX-LC-RX6800XT-O16G-GAMING Instant crash under load




Guru3D.com » Review » Elgato WAVE:3 review » Page 6

Elgato WAVE:3 review - Final Words & Conclusion

by Hilbert Hagedoorn on: 06/18/2020 02:06 PM [ 4] 8 comment(s)

Tweet

Final Words & Conclusion

Bluntly stated, the WAVE:3 we briefly tested today is a feature-rich MIC for a very specific audience. Less bluntly we argue that it's perhaps one of the better units available towards that very specific crowd of 'creators' and ' Streamers'. Fair is fair though so it needs to be stated, I do not have a basis of comparison. That said we feel that the WAVE:3 offers good quality in all its bases, the audio quality is good thanks to the underlying hardware. The cherry on top of it all is a small software suite that brings you the ability to mix and control the available audio sources on that PC of yours, and that is fairly interesting as a feature to have as you do not need expensive external hardware that bypasses and routes audio with a real mixer for example. So you can perfectly tune your voice with gaming volume levels or even background music and do all though with the comfort of your mouse.

 

Your browser does not support the audio tag.

 

So yes, no benchmarking but we can offer a little limited testing. But if you click the audio file above, a high-quality MP3 will load up so you can listen to the audio quality of my voice (I know i know, it's like listening to to voice of an angel), mixed in with some music. Aside from manually activating the (play the audio file, the volume control of my voice, and separated on a slider, the music you can mix together audio at a set of a preference. Quite handy during a live stream, and remember, that mixing can be re-rerouted, you can separate system, game, music streams from your PC, and mix that with that angelic acoustic you send towards the WAVE MIC. You can set up quite a bit, that functionality also can make it a little confusing configuration wise. The audio sources need to be pointed to the WAVE:3 for example that will require you to load up your windows audio applications and point it towards the Wave:3, once you get a hang of it it's a one time job that is easily done, however for a novice user to get playback software to be difficult. But much like a real mixer, your source needs to be connected to it, and then the mixer forwards it all to your receiver:

 

  

So if 'Lister' is the playback software (device) for say MP3 playback, in windows configuration you need to select the Wave Link stream, then it's connected to your software and you can mix it in. Once you get a grip on things, it's all easy enough. Another note that I need to make, 2 days prior to this review going live Corsair came back to us mentioning that Wave Link Stream Deck integration is now also available. This requires Stream Deck 4.8 which should be available pretty soon. Once the Stream Deck software is installed, click on ‘More Actions…’ at the bottom right of Stream Deck app to open the plugin store and search for ‘Wave’ or scroll in the list and look for Wave Link. Click on Install.

Once installed there is a choice of installing a pre-made profile. This profile automatically populates keys based on channels in Wave Link.

Available Actions:

  • Toggle Monitoring
  • Mute Input
  • Set Input Volume
  • Adjust Input Volume
  • Mute Output
  • Set Output Volume
  • Adjust Output Volume
  • Microphone settings
    • Adjust gain
    • Set gain
    • Adjust output volume
    • Set output volume
    • Adjust Mic/PC mix
    • Set Mic/PC mix
    • Toggle Enhanced Low Cut Filter
    • Toggle Clipguard

Now all aspects of the Wave microphone and Wave Link can be controlled by Stream Deck, this certainly is handy. 

 

Concluding

The Microphone market is a bit of a niche, especially the target demographic for what Elgato aims at and offers is very limited towards the streamers out there. The WAVE series is clever though, it's a good MIC, and then some. The icing on top of the cake is the software suite that allows you to mix in audio sources at volume levels of your preference. Overall the WAVE:3 did not disappoint in terms of build- and audio quality, however, some sort of noise-canceling for background noises probably would have been a desired welcome.  The looks are nice as well, very subtle and classy classic even. The sound quality is top-notch, we can see why this is the mic could become a choice of a lot of podcasters and streamers. Being USB based these microphones are suitable for gamers, podcasters, and streamers alike. Coming from an oldster and non-stream it's a bit subjective to objectively make a conclusion here, but yeah I can see the positives of this product and albeit there is a very narrow audience for it, I'd say the price tag of 160 USD is steep, but warranted and as such we can recommend it. Overall, a great fairly low-profile microphone that's easy enough to use and sounds good as well without a need for an external device due to mixing audio sources. Recommended.

Recommended  Downloads

  • Sign up to receive a notification when we publish a new article
  • Or go back to Guru3D's front page
 Hilbert drops da MIC, boom ....
 




6 pages 1 2 3 4 5 6



Related Articles
Elgato WAVE:3 review
And now, we broadcast something completely different. Aimed at the broadcasting community and streamers with a demand for high-quality audio and functionality, meet the Elgato Wave:3...

© 2021