The Elgato Wave Neo is the streaming company’s latest microphone, following in the footsteps of very good mics like the beloved Wave 3 and Wave DX. While the Wave brand has a powerful reputation for high-quality mics, the Neo line aims to provide more affordable and simpler solutions.
In that context, the Wave Neo is priced at $90, making it the cheapest Wave mic to date, but there are some sacrifices to be made to get to that price point.
The Neo series is greeted by a thoughtful box made of recycled cardboard that contains only what you need. In this package, you get a braided USB Type-C (device side) to Type-A cable, a microphone stand with some cable management, and the Wave 3 itself. The microphone has a built-in pop filter.
This is really all you need to get started and have solid speech recordings right away.
Wave Neo Specifications
Capacitors: 1
Directional patterns: Cardioid polar pattern
Frequency range: 20 – 20,000 Hz
Recording Sample Rate: 24bit
Controls: Dumb
Price: $90 | £90 | AU$149
The included stand is pretty good, but I admit it’s a bit odd. It has a solid 8cm round base and a standard ¼ screw connector accessible from the bottom. The first half of the stick simply screws in and has a cable holder on the back to keep everything in line. The second half is attached to the microphone by another smaller screw connector, offset to the side. This slides directly into the first stick with a solid internal metal piece for reinforcement and a tab connector. If that sounds confusing, they actually only connect one way, so it’s not all bad.
The stand raises the microphone to a perfect speaking height, but it doesn’t lock in place so that you can’t lift it. You’ll find that out the difficult way if, like me, you pick up the microphone and the sturdy base falls right on your foot. At least there are plenty of ways to mount this microphone, whether or not you exploit the included kit.
The Wave Neo microphone can be rotated forward and backward to different angles and will hold that position well. On the back, you’ll find an aux port for monitoring audio and a recessed USB Type-C port, which the braided cable is designed for. However, you can exploit any Type-C cable if you prefer. The front is where the condenser microphone is for speaking, and it has one of the largest and brightest condenser touch-mute LEDs I’ve ever seen — but we’ll get to that in a moment.
Overall, and especially considering the price, voice recording is pretty good. If your environment is silent enough, you should be able to plug this mic in and immediately have some really decent voice recording capabilities. The sound isn’t as crisp and punchy as the Wave 3, but it’s toasty and clear, which is probably what many will want for streaming, gaming sessions, or meetings.
It even works out of the box when connected to other devices, like my phone, which is a nice surprise. With no controls other than mute on the mic itself, if you need to tweak something or make changes, you’re out of luck without some software.
The Neo works with Wave Link software, which is great. Since I have a lot of computer fan noise in my room, and these mics are quite sensitive, this can be a huge problem. Instead, I could go in here and just turn the gain down enough so that it doesn’t pick up on that. Of course, you have plugins like Elgato’s own noise cancellation if you need more facilitate, and as a plus it allows you to keep the gain higher for louder recordings. All of this works well with Elgato’s Stream Deck too, which can facilitate alleviate the lack of control on the Neo itself.
Back to that blinding LED mute sensor. It’s so huge and brilliant that when Elgato’s Wave Link software gave me the option to turn down the brightness, I was relieved. But that’s what ultimately bit me in the aux.
The button is a bit less apparent when dimmed, so I didn’t realize I had accidentally muted myself while recording until I thought I had finished. I still didn’t know how to mute myself, so I did some testing on the sensor. It turns out that it’s much larger than the LED panel, so it’s uncomplicated to touch and trigger without even thinking you should be near it.
Buy if…
✅ Looking for a good plug and play microphone for meetings and conversations: The Wave Neo comes with everything you need to record regular speech with virtually no effort on your part. It’s compatible with most devices and is plug-and-play.
✅ You choose the Neo set: Elgato offers bundles with its Neo hardware, which lowers the overall price of the hardware.
Don’t buy if…
❌ Instead, you can afford to upgrade to the Elgato Wave 3: While pretty and toasty, the microphone lacks the clarity and power of the Wave 3 and other mics in its price range. Not to mention the on-device controls. For streamers and content creators, I definitely think the extra money spent on the Wave 3 is worth it.
❌ You can’t afford to accidentally mute: This mic has a huge mute LED that hides an even bigger sensor underneath. I’ve had this thing accidentally turn itself off, either by the cable, other device cables, or maybe even a ghost. It’s a huge problem, especially for streamers who may not notice until it’s too slow.
In a later recording, I kept my hands away from the microphone and still got muted out of nowhere and just couldn’t figure out what I was doing. After some more testing, I figured out that the braided cables carrying the power supply could trigger it if they brushed against it, including my own. Even after doing everything I could to remove the hazards, I found myself muting the device when I wasn’t sure why. The huge size of the mute sensor seems like an oversight, but the fact that it’s so uncomplicated to trigger is kind of devastating about this device.
This is also the main reason I wouldn’t recommend this mic to streamers or content creators. Finding out you accidentally muted yourself in the middle of a stream and no one noticed or simply didn’t bother to tell you is the worst. This mic treats me like I’m a 12-year-old boy in the Xbox Live lobby at least once a day. It also just lacks a bit of the sharpness and definition, as well as the controls on its huge brother, the Wave 3.
By the way, the Wave 3 is available for regular sale for around $120.
The $90 Neo is much better suited for meetings or conversations thanks to its uncomplicated setup. You’re also more likely to quickly notice if you’re muted during a meeting.
The Elgato Wave Neo is a seriously solid-sounding microphone at this price point that will add a touch of warmth to your content, but when it comes to recording quality, it won’t be knocking out our top picks for budget mics or even our top picks for mid-range mics anytime soon. If the Neo’s convenience has won you over, just make sure you leave that mute LED nice and dazzling.
