Logitech G Yeti Studio Active Dynamic XLR Broadcast Microphone
design
Let’s be clear from the start here because when I say same, I don’t mean similar – the Logitech G Yeti Studio is the Logitech Blue Sona with a new name. It’s still the same wonderfully unique looking microphone with the same clever design touches throughout.
Available in black or white, The Logitech G Yeti Studio rocks a genuine sci-fi weapon vibe. It’s the kind of thing that wouldn’t look out of place popping up in The Expanse hanging off the side of a ship. The curvaceous rectangular body is supported by a solid, equally curvy mounting arm with the XLR connection bolted on underneath ready to receive another cartridge of railgun rounds.
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Every part of the Yeti Studio’s body, bar the clip-on windscreen, is crafted with a smoothly textured metal which is nice to see but also realistically something that’s to be expected when you’re paying this much for a microphone. Logitech includes your choice of two interchangeable foam pop filters in the box, an understated black or aggressively cherry red, and this time I will give them full credit for not making these a paid add-on. Whichever colour you opt for, they’re easily swapped out and feature a hidden, gentle magnetic connector that clips it neatly into place – something even other premium microphones like the Shure MV7+ don’t have.
There’s a surprising amount of heft to the Logitech G Yeti Studio but that bold, curved bracket offers excellent flexibility when it comes to mounting positions. In testing I found it worked equally well either hanging off or standing proudly on a mic arm, which you’re going to need as like the MV7+ there’s no included stand. It’s a personal taste thing, but I prefer keeping my microphone off screen when live streaming and so ended up with the Yeti Studio mounted on its side where it remained happily floating in mid air throughout testing.
It’s often the little details that can leave a really great impression with top-price gear and that’s true of the Logitech G Yeti Studio. Like the clever magnetic connector, there’s a second hidden feature neatly integrated into the microphone body. Tucked away on the end of the Yeti Studio is a secret panel, a magical trap door initially given away only by a helpful sticker. A little push on the Logitech G logo (changed from a Logi logo on the Blue Sona) pops a magnetic panel off to reveal the onboard EQ switches. It’s a really clean, clever solution that is becoming a bit of a Logitech calling card as there’s a similar implementation on the bottom of the G502 X Plus gaming mouse.
performance
There’s no getting around it, the Logitech G Yeti Studio is very expensive and at $349/£299 expectations are naturally high. Microphones are already a busy industry to try and compete in and the Yeti Studio has a lot to live up to if it’s going to compete with other options in that lofty price range. Thankfully though, this is where the expertise of that Blue connection and the history of the Yeti name stands tall.
Overall I was seriously impressed by what Logitech have put together with the Yeti Studio. Audio performance is strong across the areas that matter most for streamers and podcasters, and it’s clear that most of the tuning and considerations have been focused on driving in that direction.
The result is vocal performance that’s super clean, even in home studio setups that aren’t designed for delivering pristine audio. Admittedly I have a couple of Elgato Wave Panels on the wall in my streaming room which offer some minor acoustic treatment, but there’s also a wooden floor and a lot of hard surfaces to bounce off too so it’s far from perfect. I found the Logitech G Yeti Studio did a great job at making my voice the star and still had enough margin for error to deal with even more challenging environments. Throwing the gauntlet at the Yeti Studio my voice stayed strong and clear through, I tried adding distractions like a tower fan, aggressive mechanical keyboard typing and deliberate knocks on the desk which were either filtered out entirely or muted at most.
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Style wise, by default the Logitech Yeti Studio delivers a pretty balanced sound that felt like a nice balance between what I sound like in person and that produced, broadcast version of my voice. There’s none of that overly intimate, late night radio host closeness you might find with other mics but even as a dynamic microphone there’s no hollowness either.
Logitech offer some tweaking options onboard as tucked away behind that magic panel are two onboard EQ toggle switches. Whether these will deliver much value is going to vary from one voice to the next so it’s worth playing around with them, but for my voice and situation I found the changes a little harsh and overly impactful and ended up keeping both of them off.
It’s worth bearing in mind that despite the current trend of microphones offering dual USB and XLR connectivity, you’ll only find the latter on the Logitech G Yeti Studio so you’ll need an audio interface that’s capable of delivering phantom power. Despite the near £300 price point it’s also a BYO XLR cable situation, clearly Logitech’s generosity ended at a pair of windsocks, for my testing I used the Elgato Wave XLR and a cable from RODE.
summed up
New without being new, the Logitech G Yeti Studio remains an excellent choice if you can stomach that top-end price tag. As far as streaming microphones go, the Yeti Studio delivers some of the best vocal performance that I’ve tested with little to complain about.
The $349/£299 price point is a factor though, particularly for those who’ll need to grab an interface and XLR cable, and in a crowded marketplace there may well be other options like the Shure MV7+ or RODE PodMic that deliver equally good results while keeping some money in your pocket. If you can find one on sale or manage to nab a clearance Blue Sona branded version, go for it, the Logitech G Yeti Studio won’t disappoint.
