There’s a lot to be said about convenience when it comes to equipping a home studio or content creation suite. Today’s media environment moves fast – and to that end, your setup needs to be responsive, easily understood, ergonomic, and ultra convenient. At a moment’s notice, Rockstar Games could surprise-release one of the biggest video game trailers of the decade. Your deadlines are typically tight, so you need loving content creation companions that can be deployed at a moment’s notice, whether that’s to hop on a live stream, record a podcast, or voice a TikTok explainer. To that end, the newly-released Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone Streaming Set is an incredibly useful friend.
Recording setup
The Streaming Set package comes with a standalone Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone, as well as a sturdy mount that easily attaches to desks of all sizes, with an adjustable clamp. The stand has multiple points of articulation (six major joints) and slots to hold the microphone cable, to ensure a clean and easy setup. Notably, the base point of the arm has free-flowing articulation, so that it functions as a swing for you to easily guide your microphone back and forth.
For my particular desk setup, the articulation and swinging mechanic worked like a dream. When not in use, the microphone easily swings into a desk corner, allowing me to retain my space, while also having the microphone attached, and ready to go when needed.
The stand is also very strong, which means this setup barely needs adjustment at all. Once I had my positioning sorted (the microphone has front-side audio pickup), the stand sturdily retained this choice. In addition, the setup is so robust that tremors of all kinds – bumping a desk, shaking the stand – does not impact the microphone at all. Even after a sudden shock, it barely bounces at all.
That convenience of design extends to the microphone itself, which is a solid and compact receiver that just about fits into the palm of your hand. It’s not only sleek, it’s also very simple to use – with just three setting knobs and one button to contend with.
Deceptively simple
When setting up the microphone, you don’t need to know anything about audio recording, which is a major boon for anyone looking for their first microphone, or just something simple to keep audio recordings sounding crisp and clean. The main button on the microphone is a mute with a clear colour warning for convenience, and the knobs control a simple array of settings – headphone volume, audio mix, and gain control by volume (aka voice volume).
The gain control is probably the most useful of these knobs, as it allows you to adjust the volume of your voice, with a yellow warning light popping on if you’re too loud (although you really have to shout to annoy this microphone). I found the middle setting perfect for audio pickup, based on my distance from the microphone, but easy adjustment means you can ensure your voice is always being picked up at the right volume, and with the right emphasis.
The mixer button didn’t figure into my plans much, although I can see that it would prove useful for those needing to balance audio tracks. It’s designed to balance your microphone with plugged-in device audio, and would work neatly for those planning to stream or chat to friends using the device. For my purposes – aka recording TikToks for GamesHub – the mixer didn’t get much use, and was firmly set to prioritise microphone recording over device input.
Wonderfully, the learning curve here was practically flat. You plug in the microphone via USB-C (and I did have to swap laptops for this, as my work laptop doesn’t have USB-C input), play around with the settings, select the correct audio input, and you’re good to go.
My first order of business with the Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone was to record a TikTok review Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR – and I was fairly blown away by how crisply my audio came out without needing to tweak anything, or even put on a pop filter.
Sound quality
Before getting my hands on the Sennheiser Profile USB for review, I was recording TikToks using an iPhone 14 Pro Max, as a matter of convenience. Audio often came out sounding grainy and tinny, and my voice lacked bass in a way that made it sound slightly higher and (to my ears) more annoying. I knew this to be the case, but aimed to sacrifice audio quality for time convenience.
The Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone solved this issue entirely. Audio recordings with this mic are completely crisp and free of background noise, with excellent isolation of user voice. It’s not overly boomy (explosive-sounding), even in close proximity, and it largely ignores the pops and hisses of ‘sss’ noises as you talk. As a result, you get clean, crispy audio with minimal fuss – which is rare for an out-of-the-box microphone.
Using devices in the past, I’ve always needed a pop filter and a wind muff to ensure sounds are accurate, but you can seemingly get away with not using these additional accessories with the Sennheiser Profile USB. You may want to use them for added surety, but in my time recording with the device, I never had an issue with too-loud voice hitches or pops. It’s great at balancing dialogue, with a level volume produced in recordings.
If anything, its bassy tones aren’t as impactful as they could be, and its noise isolation could be more focussed on voice to reduce the slight echo of recording in an open room – but these are nitpicks in the grand scheme, and didn’t overly concern me. For a microphone of this entry-level price point – it’s around AU $239 | US $129 standalone, and frequently does down to around AU $190 – its audio is simple and superb. (The Streaming Set is priced around AU $269-349 | US $179.00, for reference.)
Convenience rules
When recording your content, the most appealing feature of any setup is convenience and affordability. The Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone Streaming Set marries these features with a strong dedication to quality, making the entire package feel very worthwhile.
It’s cheap to claim a device can change your life, but I can certainly see this microphone making my life much easier, with its handy recording setup now allowing me to make TikToks faster, and far more conveniently. In a world of rapid-fire content, having that advantage is key.
Five stars: ★★★★★
The Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone Streaming Set is out now at all good technology equipment stores.
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$119.95
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A Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone was provided for the purposes of this review. GamesHub has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content. GamesHub may earn a small percentage of commission for products purchased via affiliate links.
