The PC gaming peripheral market started simple enough, with mice and keyboards marking its beginnings. Then multiplayer, and with it, communication within such games, grew in importance, and with that, gaming headsets started cropping up. So it was probably only a matter of time before brands see a connection between gaming and streaming, so microphones started being added to the catalogue. For SteelSeries, it was the Alias and the Alias Pro.
Before we go further into this review, let me just say that I am perfectly comfortable not making that jump, and indeed, not every gamer is expected to then become streamers later down the line. But for those who are, a standalone microphone is going to be a major improvement to your audio output, especially once you have more than just your close gaming buddies as your audience. Of course, the extent of the jump that you wish to make will depend on the kind of mic you should get.
What Am I Looking At?
The SteelSeries Alias Pro, then, is probably the one to go for if you’re really serious with streaming, or even if you’re contemplating starting or being in a podcast. While the base model comes with a USB interface, you get XLR connectors with the Pro model. On one hand, this means you’re lacking in flexibility a tad as you’re very reliant on the physical audio interface, dubbed the Stream Mixer, that comes in the box. But on the other, it does mean that your audio output quality is top-notch.
This additional block is what you use to convert your analogue inputs from the SteelSeries Alias Pro into digital ones that your PC can understand. The Stream Mixer has two USB-C ports so that, should you choose, you can have one mic output to two different PCs. It may not be intentional, but the set we got for review demanded that the main PC be plugged into a specific port, and won’t work properly if plugged into the other one. Not a huge enough issue to be worth mentioning in the later section, so I thought I’d get it off my chest here.
For better or worse, the Stream Mixer that comes with the SteelSeries Alias Pro is about as simple as it gets. In front, you have two big buttons – one that mutes audio input from the mic, and the other to mute output if you have headphones plugged into the 3.5mm jack on the left side. Similarly, the smaller dial on the left adjusts your input volume or mic gain, while the larger one on the right is for the output of the plugged-in headphones. There’s also the obligatory RGB lighting here, but not on the mic itself, which is somewhat refreshing.
Then there’s the SteelSeries Alias Pro itself, which is a 25mm cardioid condenser capsule. This samples at 24-bit 48kHz, with a 50Hz to 20kHz frequency response range, and a maximum SPL of 120dB. On one hand, it doesn’t come with a boom arm even if it comes with an adapter for it, so if you need that, it’s a separate purchase. On the other, depending on your ability to squeeze things into a small space, the shock mount and the included stand works well enough.
What’s Good About It?
Having never tried anything in between your average built-in mic of gaming headsets and the SteelSeries Alias Pro, easily the best thing about the experience in using it is the jump in quality. While testing, those on the other side of Discord voice calls report much greater clarity of my voice being delivered, so much so that the Krisp Noise Suppression actually made things worse when left on. There’s also noted to also be a greater presence to the voice, with more depth to it as well.
Not immediately obvious that the SteelSeries Alias Pro also naturally filters out plosives, which negates the need to get a pop filter separately. In the same vein, since it comes with the Stream Mixer, a shock mount and a stand, you get almost everything in a single package. As mentioned earlier, the only major thing missing is a boom arm. Everything else is easy to physically setup – just plug things in where they intuitively fit and watch them work their magic.
Of course, we can’t end this section without discussing the Stream Mixer itself. Once again, the simplicity here is much appreciated, with two big buttons that state clearly what they do, and two dials which functions are clear after minimal messing about. The buttons light up when when their functions are activated, so it’s almost always clear when they are in effect. Steelseries also gave the left dial an LED indicator of your audio input level when it detects sound, starting from green, moving to yellow as it gets louder, finally hitting red when it peaks.
What’s The Catch?
This time around, there’s only one real catch, with the rest really falling either way. This includes the sensitivity of the SteelSeries Alias Pro itself. Being a cardioid condenser type, it’s supposed to only pick up sounds in one direction. Which is where things get a bit weird as people on the other side of voice calls report being able to hear dogs barking in the neighbourhood, as well as the keyboard that’s behind the mic, but not the fan that’s the same distance away as the keyboard.
On Discord, fixing this means turning the Krisp Noise Suppression back on for a slight quality hit. Otherwise, it’s going through the SteelSeries GG Sonar software and tweaking from there. Which brings me to said software, which I’ve voiced my issues with in the past. The long and short of it is the audio output clutter, which may be a boon for actual streamers, not so much for everyone else.
The Stream Mixer of the SteelSeries Alias Pro is another one of those things that could go either way. On one hand, the simplicity means that you know where everything goes during the initial setup, minus maybe the USB-C cable as mentioned earlier. The downside is, should you need to use another XLR mic, you can’t, since there’s only one port for this. Also worth mentioning that you need a PC before you use it with anything else, so no console-only scenarios.
Finally, there’s the only real catch with the SteelSeries Alias Pro, which is the asking price. At the time of writing, the brand’s official store on Shopee lists the mic with an asking price of RM1,959, though it was listed at a lower RM1,799 earlier in the year.
Should I Buy It?
The SteelSeries Alias Pro sets a pretty high barrier to entry with its asking price. On one hand, it’s a near complete package on its own, assuming you only need a single microphone for your audio setup. Setup is simple, so you save yourself a lot trouble in between buying the thing and using it.
On the other, it doesn’t come with a boom arm, which can be important depending on the space you have for the setup. And if you need it, it’s an additional hit to the already heavy initial investment. The simplicity of the setup also makes it so that, should you need to expand said setup, you’ll need another mixer.
All that being said though, it’s difficult to argue against the recording quality of the SteelSeries Alias Pro and the simplicity of the starting package. With that in mind, it’s equally tough to think of who to recommend this to. On one hand, it’s probably too pricey for those just starting out. But on the other, those looking to get serious may need more options than what’s on offer once they start expanding their setup. But if you fall somewhere in the middle, wanting something good and easy to work with, but don’t plan to go much further, I suppose this is the mic for you.
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