Hands-on review: Razer Seiren X microphone

If you've been on a live video session recently, you will know that the built-in microphone on most laptops isn't up to scratch.

This external microphone is sensational, whether you're competitive gaming, podcasting or jumping into live sessions.

It supports both Windows and Mac computers, with a simple USB-A port. For me, I plugged it into my external monitor, which in turn was plugged via USB-C into my laptop.

In the box comes a 1.8 metre braided (so its more durable) cable that plugs into a Micro USB port on the bottom of the microphone.

Also included is a base that enables you to change the angle of the microphone in all directions.

The microphone itself is 50 mm high, and the whole unit is 140 mm high when the desk stand is attached.

It's made of durable plastic and available in matt black, mercury white or quartz pink. There is an upgraded model which includes a small screen behind the microphone grill to shows emoticons (although I only tried our the basic model).

It's also quite light at just 383 grams, but it sits solidly on the table without any chance it could be easily knocked over.

On the front of it is a mute button as well as a volume control. The mute button glows green or red depending upon whether it's muted or not. Just under the front is a headphone jack and this volume control actually adjusts the volume of your headphones, not the microphone.

I'm not super technical with sound engineering, although experts tell me it has an ultra-precise pickup pattern which filters out unwanted noises.

The unit is also shock resistant thanks to its internal shock mount; this helps to dampen any vibrations or knocks while you are recording.

It has a sample rate of between 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz with a bit rate of 16, and it can record clearly up to 110 decibels.

I hadn't realised how weak my laptop's microphone was until I swapped to this beauty. Now others can hear me so much clearer in my recordings and live sessions.

It's also part of the Razer Broadcaster Studio, which includes cameras, headsets and video capture hardware. While Razer is famous for gaming accessories, this can be used by anybody who appreciates a simple to operate quality sound recording.

I can recommend it and its superior audio clarity. You will not regret this quality purchase.