HyperX DuoCast

 HyperX's midrange mic suffers from middle child syndrome

- GUY COCKER

THE HYPERX QUADCAST microphone has to go down as one of the best peripheral debuts of the last few years. HyperX had no pedigree in the market when it launched in 2019, yet seemingly overnight that iconic red mic seemed to be popping up in every gaming-related YouTube video and livestream going. The $160 multicolored QuadCast S arrived the following year, allowing full RGB lighting control, as did the $60 SoloCast option, which was smaller and only had one recording pattern, rather than the QuadCast’s four (the clue is in the name).

Which brings us to the $100 DuoCast, which sits in the middle of the existing range, both in terms of price and stature. It looks closest to the SoloCast, given its compact size, but the mic is shaped more like the cylindrical QuadCast. It also has features similar to the QuadCast, such as two polar patterns, a wired headphone port for monitoring, plus a splash of RGB lighting around the center. It also comes with a desktop stand and shock mount, a new USB-C cable, and an internal pop filter to reduce the impact of plosives directed at the microphone.