I like to talk a lot during my gaming sessions or on Discord. As such, I need a mic that can focus on my noise while canceling out the background noise. I don’t need something a singer on a stage will need.
When it comes down to it, the choices I have to made were between Razer Seiren and Blue Snowball. This comparison review from will be from my need and perspective.
The main difference between Razer Seiren X and Blue Snowball is in the quality of the audio as the former is able to produce a cleaner and deeper voice. While the price on the Razer Seiren is almost twice of the Blue Snowball, it does have a better quality finish and design, on top of having better quality sounds.
Other physical differences that are worth highlighting:
- Weight: The Blue Snowball weighs heavier than the Razer
- Design: The obvious winner is Razer Seiren. The Blue Snowball is just bulky looking. See the image below.
- Packaging: Opening the packaging for Razer Seiren X feels like opening an Apple product. It is sleek, has plenty of protection and just gives you that “value for money” feel.
The overall conclusion that I can draw is you pay for quality. If you don’t need quality, buy the cheaper Blue Snowball. (Click here to check prices on Amazon)
If you want a mic that feel good to use and look at, go for the Razer Seiren X.
Below are more specific considerations I had to make.
Which mic is best for noise canceling when streaming or discord?
This was the most important consideration. I don’t mind paying a higher price as long as I sound better or clearer when I am online.
With the Razer Seiren X,
- your voice will sound crisp and cleaner, even when you are screaming
- you will get less background noise without any additional filter.
- you will have a deeper bass, which sounds great for a guy
For the Blue Snowball, the quality is also acceptable but the background noise is more noticeable. At loud levels, ie. when you are screaming, the audio will suffer. Blue snowball is by no means bad but if you are particular about your recording, there is some differences audio-wise.
There is also an interesting design that helps the Razer Seiren to have better noise cancellation.
By the fact that it is shorter in height, you can place this in front of your mouth directly without blocking your face. This allows the mic to pick up only your voice and nothing else.
A blue snowball, on the other hand, is taller so it will block u if you place it directly in front of you. As a result, you will tend to place it at the side, which results in the mic being able to pick up other background noise such as your keyboard typing.
Which mic picks up the least vibration
Another important factor that can affect your recording is the vibrations from the desk. This is pretty common especially when you are using your keyboard for game playing.
In this case, the tripod legs of the blue snowball are stiff, resulting in them picking up more vibrations than the Razer Seiren. To remove these vibration sounds, you will probably need a shock mount.
The Razer Seiren has less issues with vibration noise due to:
- A thicker and softer padding on its base
- Build in shock mounts that absorb a lot of these vibrations
- Noise cancellation is better
Which mic is easier to set up
Another important consideration was the ease of setting up. For youtubers or gamers who need to record frequently, a mic that is plug and play is a godsend.
Razer Seiren X has exactly the plug and play set up. You basically connect it using a USB cable and it is done. One minute of set up and you will be recording live.
It also comes with a headphone jack, for you to listen to your own voice in real time.
For the Blue Snowball, it has no usb port. In additional, it is also missing a headphone jack.
Things that can be improved for the Razer Seiren
Despite its many positive qualities, there are certain things I wish can be improved on:
- Reduce the brightness of the recording light. If you are using at night in a dimly lit room, the green lights can show up pretty clearly in your videos
- No stereo support: The Blue Yeti has an option of recording the voice is left or right channels or stereo. This is can be pretty useful if you intend to play some other music to accompany your voice. This mic doesn’t have such support yet.
- A longer or adjustable mic stand: While a short mic stand means the mic can be placed in front of you without blocking your face, there is only inconvenience. It is much harder to plug the usb cable that is position under the mic. As an improvement, I would suggest either having an adjustable stand or have the usb connection being somewhere more accessible.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a mic for game streaming, I would pick Razer Seiren over the blue snowball even though it is more expensive.
It has better audio recording, block more background noise, and just looks so much nicer in design.
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