The Blue Icepop is a $ 50 mic designed for select Logitech gaming headsets

Not content with conquering the market with its USB microphones, Blue’s latest product, owned by Logitech, is a detachable mic called Icepop. This is a $ 49.99 upgrade that can replace the default mics included with the Logitech G Pro X Wireless Gaming Headset, G Pro X, G Pro, as well as A40 headsets. of Astro.

Logitech promises that the Icepop will deliver enhanced “broadcast quality” performance with its 10mm electret condenser microphone. It has a built-in pop filter that aims to eliminate harsh “b” or “p” sounds that may be a sign you’re using a lower mic, and its unidirectional cardioid mic is supposed to eliminate background noise and focus more. on your voice.

Installing Icepop is as easy as plugging it into one of the 3.5mm microphone sockets on compatible headphones. Logitech sent in a G Pro X Wireless for testing, and no firmware or software update was required to make it work.

Image: Logitech

Now, you’re really not a podcast host, so I don’t have any preferred voice settings locked for when I need to get into a voice chat. But to illustrate how the recording quality differs between the Icepop and the default mic that comes with the G Pro X Wireless, I’ve recorded several samples to show what they look like with and without the special Blue Voice features built into the G Pro X Wireless. G Hub software from Logitech. If you are using the Astro A40, you will not be able to access the Blue Voice features.

The first is a clean stream from the G Pro X Wireless default mic with no special voice presets via Blue Voice. (My voice sounds a bit lackluster with this mic, and it’s relatively easy to hear my air conditioner running in the background once my voice stops near the end.)

This is the default mic again, but with Blue Voice enabled and the “Broadcaster 1” preset enabled. (The background noise has been muffled, and my voice has a lot more depth, although it’s still not particularly warm.)

Now here’s how Icepop sounds without any modification:

Finally, here’s how Icepop sounds with the same “Broadcaster 1” preset enabled in Blue Voice:

After listening to the samples over and over again, the difference in quality between Logitech’s default mic and Icepop, while noticeable, is not as noticeable as I expected given its $ 49 cost. , $ 99. Of course, it’s not reasonable to expect this add-on to compete with the more expensive stand-alone microphones, and there are some things I like about it.

The Icepop better captures what my voice sounds like in real life, replacing some of that shrill effect from the default mic with warmth. And those “b” and “p” sounds sound good, as advertised, although I was surprised to hear it fumbling around a bit when I made the “x” and “s” sounds. It could be my slight lisp or it could be a mis-tuning or limitation of the mic. Enabling the Blue Voice feature resolved most of my complaints, but I expected a bit more of the raw stream captured through Icepop.

Since vocals have so much range and hearing is, of course, subjective, I recommend giving it a try if you are curious and already own one of the compatible headsets. Depending on how you like your voice to be heard for chats, feeds, or podcast appearances, you might be able to get a solid performance with Icepop.