Accessory Video Unboxing and Review: Blue Yeti Nano Premium Mic (Cubano Gold)

Now I must admit, as much as I would love to, I don’t tend to stream all that much due to my insecurities and confidence, however that is something that I plan on working on this year.  So, as a compromise to myself, from time to time, I like to upload some of my gameplay sessions to my small YouTube channel.

Over the years, I’d often use the mic that is included with my gaming headset and as the years evolved, my headsets improved on quality as time went by.  However, unless you have the money for a truly elite headset, when capturing or streaming gameplay, the voice audio from most headsets aren’t as clear as some streaming mics.  Granted, I am very happy with my Sony PlayStation 4 Gold Wireless Headset.  The quality of the game audio is top notch with its 7.1 sound, but like most headsets I’ve owned, the voice audio doesn’t match the game audio.

So a couple of years ago, when looking into purchasing a streaming mic, I kept encountering two recommendations, the Turtle Beach Streaming Mic and the Blue Yeti Nano.  On this instance, I went for the cheaper option at the time, with the Turtle Beach.  Since then I have gotten a fair amount of use from the Turtle Beach Mic, but I’d often find that the sound quality was a little inconsistent.  From time to time, my voice would sound a little fuzzy and also a little tinny.  For 85% of my use, I was still mostly happy with this mic, but I had always wondered if I made the correct choice by not choosing the Yeti Nano.

 

So here we are today and I was given the opportunity to review the Yeti Nano Premium Mic, now I could finally find out if I truly made the correct choice and with the power of hindsight, I should have picked up the Yeti Nano a couple of years ago.  Don’t get me wrong, the audio quality of my voice isn’t miles better, but it’s a little more crisp and clear none the less.  However, what I would say is that the audio quality of the Yeti Nano is certainly more consistent to that of the Turtle Beach Streaming Mic, and if you’re the kind of gamer that streams a lot, that consistency could make a huge difference.

Audio quality aside, the moment that I took the Yeti Nano out of the box, I could feel its production quality with its tough, yet smooth outer shell, which just oozes class in the hand and it looks the part too with its stylish Cubano Gold finish too.  It comes already mounted on a very sturdy and adjustable stand, though you can detach the mic and mount it to just about any stand you wish, with the handy screw/bolt that comes in the box.  Before I even got to use the Yeti Nano, it already felt better made to that of my Turtle Beach mic.

So how easy is this to set up?  Well, in most cases when connecting to the PC, once you plug in the USB cable provided, your PC should automatically install the software of the mic and you should be good to go within moments.  Though going into your microphone audio settings on PC, you can further calibrate the settings as you choose, especially if you want to cut-out the background noise, something that this headset does fantastically.

However, as I’m a console gamer I was more keen to see if it was just as easy to set-up as my Turtle Beach mic, and thankfully it was.  I simply connected the USB to my PS4, checked the device settings on my console with my headset connected in the jack, and I was good to go, nice and simple.  The Yeti Nano also works on the Xbox One, which is great.  You can see how easy it is to set-up on the PS4 in my unboxing/review video in this very article.  I also tested the headset directly via my PC by recording some commentary and the audio was very crisp indeed.  On the Yeti Nano packaging, it also says that this mic can be used for interviews and voiceover work, which judging by the audio quality that I have experienced; I can see that being a true statement.  Hopefully in the near future, I’ll get a chance to use this mic to conduct an interview and when I do, I’ll let you all know.

I was initially sceptical as to whether the Yeti Nano would be much better than the mic that I am already using, and compared to my Turtle Beach, the quality is a little better, but the quality is more consistent.  However, if you compare this to the voice quality to that of a gaming headset, even when comparing to a decent one such as my PlayStation 4 Gold Wireless Headset, the difference is massive (as seen in my video).  What is also handy, when just playing games online without streaming, by connecting the headset to the streaming mic (just like my Turtle Beach mic), you can hear the game audio through your headset, but your fellow online gamer will hear your voice more clearly through the Yeti Nano, so you don’t even have to be streaming or capturing to great use of this mic.

All in all, if like me you’re torn as to which streaming mic to purchase and you’re on a budget, whether you’re streaming, capturing or just want to be heard more clearly online when gaming with friends, I whole heartedly recommend the Yeti Nano from Blue.  It’s easy to use, stylish and most importantly, performs to a high standard of quality at a price that won’t break your bank.  In my humble opinion, this is a purchase that you will not regret.