Razer's New Seiren Microphone Offers Studio-Grade Quality For Streamers
Razer's got a new microphone built especially for streamers on YouTube and Twitch.
When we got the official word that Razer announced a microphone capable of recording at studio-grade quality, we couldn't help but snicker a little bit, but after examining the materials, we're more convinced that this might actually be a very capable product. Meet the Seirēn, which is pronounced "sigh-ren."
The microphone looks like a high-end studio microphone, featuring a black anodized aluminum body and a large aluminum desk stand. It also has an LED-lit Razer logo that faces away from the user.
Razer also separately sells a filter to reduce hisses and pops when certain letters are spoken, along with a shock mount that reduces the noise brought into the microphone from external movements in your furniture.
The microphone has three 14 mm condenser capsules, and it responds to frequencies ranging from 20 Hz through 20 kHz. It has a sensitivity of 4.5 mV/Pa at 1 kHz, and it has a maximum SPL of 120 dB with a total harmonic distortion of no more than 0.5 percent at 1 kHz.
For monitoring, the microphone also comes with a built-in headphone amplifier. This one has an impedance output of 16 Ohms and a maximum power output of 130 mW, and it will play frequencies ranging from 15 Hz through 22 kHz with an SNR of 114 dB.
The microphone is powered by a USB interface, and it has a 192 kHz sampling rate with a bit-rate of 24 bits.
The microphone has four different controls: a microphone mute button; a button to change the recording polar recording pattern (with cardioid, stereo, omnidirectional, and bidirectional options); a microphone gain control; and a volume knob to adjust the playback volume of the headphones.
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Razer aimed this product at streamers, hoping to appeal to the YouTube and Twitch communities. Whether this microphone will live up to the standards of professional musicians remains questionable at best, but it should certainly be more than adequate for streaming applications on YouTube and Twitch.
"Platforms like YouTube and Twitch are a big part of how people experience their media today, and they shape how we interact with each other," said Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. "Tuned for a professional-style setup and able to be assembled and transported quickly and easily, the Razer Seirēn is a microphone designed specifically for streamers and YouTubers."
Pricing sits at $179.99 for the microphone alone and $229.99 for the bundle that includes the shock mount and pop filter. The two accessories are available separately for $49.99 each.
Follow Niels Broekhuijsen @NBroekhuijsen. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.
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jase240 Anyone else notice the similar design to a Blue Yeti? I think Razor is trying to copy a popular condenser mic, and charge people double the price.Reply -
chicofehr Exactly like the Yeti pro minus the analog XLR input. Rip off LOL but at lease there some one else trying to make high end USB microphones. As youtube gets more competitive, getting the best sound is more important then ever.Reply -
jjb8675309 For that price you can get an audio interface and a real condenser mic. This is a failure of a product.Reply -
Lmah I seriously have my doubts with this product, Razer needs to stick to making Deathadders and leave audio equipment to the professionals.Reply -
Bondfc11 Looks fantastic - and I mean it LOOKS great. However, this is a crap product at that price and would not replace my Yeti. Although it is sexy as hell.Reply -
TechyInAZ A bit expensive, but if it's the best of the best for gamers then that would make sense.Reply -
jjb8675309 Reply14790345 said:I seriously have my doubts with this product, Razer needs to stick to making Deathadders and leave audio equipment to the professionals.
Agreed. I have a Deathadder and its great, running solid for about 3 years or more of clicking. They make nice mouse pads too! -
Jay Liu I prefer Yeti, both looks and price/performance. Razer can suck a fat one, I've not had a single piece of their product that didn't disappoint yet.Reply -
Cons29 if for a usb condenser mic, get a yeti or an AT2020 or other better choices. I am not saying that this will suck (hey, we have yet to test it right?), but it is at the price of well known mics.Reply
and i do hope that this is compatible with other shock mounts so buyers can have a choice.
as much as i would like to have a deathadder, i have many friends that had the mouse and it failed, too early. nice mouse but it breaks too often than others