Closer Examination

Since the Elgato Wave:1 is almost identical to the Elgato Wave:3, I have no choice but to rehash many of my impressions from the Wave:3 review while pointing out all the key differences between the two. Of course, the following photos are those of the Elgato Wave:1.


The Elgato Wave:1 is a fairly compact microphone. Compared to my "main" microphone, the Rode NT-USB, but also models like the Blue Yeti X, it's noticeably smaller and lighter. While it doesn't offer the same "heavy duty" feeling we usually associate with high quality in the world of audio, its size actually has some benefits. First and foremost, it won't get in your way as much while you're streaming. Secondly, it's much easier to lug around should you want to use it as a portable solution for high-quality on-the-go recording or broadcasting.


One potential problem of a light(er) microphone is that the spring tension of certain boom arms could be too high for the microphone to stay in place. I had this happen back when I was testing the ASUS ROG Strix Magnus microphone (reviewed here) with the Rode PSA1, one of the most popular higher-quality boom arms on the market. As soon as I let go of the boom arm, the Magnus would be launched into the air. With that in mind, I'm happy to report that the Elgato Wave:1 doesn't suffer from such issues. It's not too light for the Rode PSA1 boom arm and manages to stay wherever you put it. Elgato kindly supplied a boom arm adapter, which you'll have to use to mount the microphone in this manner.


If you're not ready to invest in a boom arm, although that should be the ultimate goal for any serious Twitch/YouTube streamer, you'll be happy to find that the Elgato Wave:1 comes with a solid metal table stand. The stand is heavier than the microphone (310 grams; the microphone alone weighs 245 grams) and does a good job of keeping it in place. The microphone can swivel freely, which is good as you'll want to face it towards your mouth to get the best performance out of the built-in condenser capsule. The table stand has a padded base, which is a nice touch since it will absorb noise potentially caused by your table.


When designing the Wave:1, Elgato opted for a very unassuming aesthetic. The color scheme is black on black, and the only items disrupting the sleek design are the company logo on the steel grille and a dial on the lower plastic half of the microphone. The entire contraption is very smudge-resistant and generally feels extremely robust. What it doesn't offer in raw weight, the Wave:1 compensates for with excellent build quality.


The dial has two functions. By default, it's used to adjust the volume of headphones connected through the rear 3.5-millimeter audio jack, which is used for direct, lag-free microphone monitoring. If you don't use microphone monitoring, the function of the dial can be changed to microphone gain adjustment in Wave Link, the accompanying software. Finally, the dial can be pressed as a button in order to mute the microphone. When the microphone is muted is easily figured out as the glowing ring surrounding the dial turns red. In comparison, the Elgato Wave:3 is muted via a capacitive button on top of the microphone, and its dial has one additional function—it lets you crossfade between the mix of real-time microphone monitoring and audio played through the headphone output. While certainly practical, this is hardly an essential feature, so you're not losing out on much by opting for the Wave:1.


Both ports on the Elgato Wave:1 are on the back. First, we have the 3.5-mm headphone output. The purpose of this port isn't to replace your sound card's headphone output, but for direct microphone monitoring. This is where you'll plug in your headphones if you want to hear whatever is being picked up by the microphone in real time, without any perceivable delay. Next to the microphone monitoring port is the USB-C port used to connect the microphone to your computer. The microphone is powered through the USB-C port too, so you don't need to plug in anything else.


The supplied USB cable is rubberized but not too rigid. I had no issues using it with the boom arm or table stand. It's 2.5 meters long, which should be enough for most streaming setups. Should you need a longer cable, replacing the supplied one with any other USB-C cable will do the trick. Elgato didn't experiment with the implementation of the connector, so just about any aftermarket USB-C cable will work.