While Razer already has plenty of gaming headphones under its belt, the Seiren Elite is a USB microphone geared toward gamers.
At $199.99 it isn't cheap, and we'll go ahead and say right now that it probably isn't a good option for musicians—there's some audible hiss at times, and the baked-in DSP (digital signal processing) in the signal path prevents distortion, but also means you can't have an effect-free, pure recording.
Live streaming gamers, however, will likely be drawn to the Seiren Elite thanks its latency-free monitoring and the fact that it can cleanly handle higher volume/highly dynamic vocals as a result of the DSP.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
Design
The Seiren Elite ($328.33 at Amazon) is a cardioid-pattern dynamic mic, with an enclosure reminiscent of the Shure SM7 (of Michael Jackson fame)—its long cylindrical body is addressed at the top end, not on what appears to be the front face (where the knobs are located).
The included stand is among the best we've seen bundled with a USB mic—it has excellent swivel range so that the vocalist can perfectly align the capsule with their mouth.
In this regard, the Seiren Elite is also like the SM7—both mics can be angled to a precise degree, and then locked into place with knobs on either side of the mount.
The stand also has a sturdy weight to it, keeping the mic secure on desktops.
Internally, the Seiren Elite uses a dynamic capsule in a cardioid pattern, with a frequency range of 50Hz to 20kHz.
The Seiren Elite records at either 44.1kHz or 48kHz, but maxes out at 16 bits, which will be a deal breaker for those who wish to record at 24 bits.
The control panel features a button that mutes the mic (lit red when muted, green when record-ready), and two knobs—one for headphone volume, the other for mic gain.
The knobs on the mic are the only design elements that feel cheap—they're plastic, and they lack visual indicators to let you know roughly where, between minimum and maximum gain or volume, the knobs are resting.
An LED ring around the knob lights up in red when the signal is too hot and peaks out, which is an interesting touch.
The included clothbound USB cable, which happens to be among the longest cables we've seen included with USB mics, connects to a micro USB port on the lower, opposite end of the mic, and this is also where the headphone jack and high-pass filter button are located.
The headphone jack offers zero-latency monitoring.
Securing the mic's position with the side knobs on the mount is essential, as the tug from either the USB cable or, more likely, the headphone cable, would be enough to swing the mic backward or forward if it were not locked into position.
Unlike most of the other USB mics we've tested, the Seiren Elite is equipped with a High Pass Filter button—an often-crucial switch on many pro-level mics.
In addition to offsetting a little bit of the proximity effect when close-recording vocals, particularly with deep bass-heavy vocals, the filter's primary function is to eliminate background low-frequency rumbles that are much lower than the human voice.
So if there's a subwoofer pumping through the walls next door, this button is a way to tamp it down significantly.
Any low-end rumble, like a powerful AC whir, will also be tamped down a bit, but don't expect these sounds to be completely eliminated.
The Seiren Elite ships with a foam windscreen that fully covers the mic grille.
This is helpful for outdoor use, and also for preventing plosives in vocals, like a pop filter would do, but one unintended effect the screen has is blocking the vocalist's view of the LED ring that lights up red when signals peak.
Is this a big deal? I don't think so—first, most mics don't have a visual peak indicator anyway, and second, you can always set levels first, then put the windscreen on with the mic muted.
In terms of system compatibility, the Seiren Elite requires Mac OS 10.8 or higher or Windows 7, 8, or 10.
Performance
Right off the bat, the Seiren Elite seems to be among the noisier USB mics we've tested.
In an acoustically treated room with no AC running (or any other competing noises), an audible hiss, at even modest gain levels, is noticeable.
There are worse sounds, but be prepared for a bed of subtle, white noise-like effect unless you dial the gain back significantly.
As mentioned, the Seiren Elite also uses some DSP (digital signal processing) to limit dynamics in the name of preventing distortion.
Unlike with the less expensive Turtle Beach Stream Mic, which employs DSP in ways that are anything but subtle, the DSP here, when you set a reasonable gain level, is not overwhelming.
If you're seeking a pure signal with no compression or limiting of dynamics, as a typical mic would offer, that's not what's happening here, but with the gain set to typical, medium levels, the limiting doesn't seem to make itself so obviously known.
Once a solid gain level is set, the Seiren Elite delivers crisp, clear signal in normal recording mode, and very similar signal with the High-Pass Filter engaged.
When recording vocals in a quiet room, the main difference between the two modes will only show up on close vocals that have some low or low-mid richness to them.
In these scenarios, the DSP kicks in a bit and the high-pass filter also cuts out some of the lows in the vocals, but if the vocalist moves back from the mic a bit, the proximity effect diminishes and the high-pass is in place primarily to cut out rumbles or wind-like noises in the recording environment.
Generally speaking, the Seiren Elite sounds far more clear than a typical, cheaper USB mic for game streaming might.
Razer deserves credit for employing DSP in a manner that isn't over the top—the focus here is not on dynamically crushing the audio or equalizing it to death.
Instead, the Serien Elite delivers something far closer to a pure signal than we'd have expected from a mic that uses DSP.
Partly this is because the onboard gain knob and excellent mic stand give you room to play with levels and angles.
That kind of range means that, with the right vocalist and/or engineer, the DSP is not going to be needed to tamp down signal nearly as much.
That said, the hiss, the DSP's mere presence, and the fact that the signal tops out at 16 bits means this is probably less of a musical mic and more of a gaming or podcasting tool.
Conclusions
The Razer Seiren Elite's high price can be forgiven mostly because of its high quality.
For similar prices, musicians looking for a purer signal from a USB mic might consider the Blue Raspberry or the pricier Sennheiser MK 4 Digital—neither employs DSP.
And the Shure MV51 allows for DSP and DSP-free modes.
For far less, the Blue Snowball Ice also doesn't employ DSP.
But nothing is going to sound as good as clarity, and the Seiren Elite nails that part, even if there's some hiss—live streamers won't regret the price once they're reaping the benefits of the Serien Elite's subtle DSP and professional-style build.
Pros
Clear, crisp signal with adjustable gain and subtle DSP.
Includes high-pass filter button.
Zero-latency headphone monitoring.
The Bottom Line
The Razer Seiren Elite offers a solid, professional-feeling build and a clear signal for live streamers and podcasters.
While Razer already has plenty of gaming headphones under its belt, the Seiren Elite is a USB microphone geared toward gamers.
At $199.99 it isn't cheap, and we'll go ahead and say right now that it probably isn't a good option for musicians—there's some audible hiss at times, and the baked-in DSP (digital signal processing) in the signal path prevents distortion, but also means you can't have an effect-free, pure recording.
Live streaming gamers, however, will likely be drawn to the Seiren Elite thanks its latency-free monitoring and the fact that it can cleanly handle higher volume/highly dynamic vocals as a result of the DSP.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
Design
The Seiren Elite ($328.33 at Amazon) is a cardioid-pattern dynamic mic, with an enclosure reminiscent of the Shure SM7 (of Michael Jackson fame)—its long cylindrical body is addressed at the top end, not on what appears to be the front face (where the knobs are located).
The included stand is among the best we've seen bundled with a USB mic—it has excellent swivel range so that the vocalist can perfectly align the capsule with their mouth.
In this regard, the Seiren Elite is also like the SM7—both mics can be angled to a precise degree, and then locked into place with knobs on either side of the mount.
The stand also has a sturdy weight to it, keeping the mic secure on desktops.
Internally, the Seiren Elite uses a dynamic capsule in a cardioid pattern, with a frequency range of 50Hz to 20kHz.
The Seiren Elite records at either 44.1kHz or 48kHz, but maxes out at 16 bits, which will be a deal breaker for those who wish to record at 24 bits.
The control panel features a button that mutes the mic (lit red when muted, green when record-ready), and two knobs—one for headphone volume, the other for mic gain.
The knobs on the mic are the only design elements that feel cheap—they're plastic, and they lack visual indicators to let you know roughly where, between minimum and maximum gain or volume, the knobs are resting.
An LED ring around the knob lights up in red when the signal is too hot and peaks out, which is an interesting touch.
The included clothbound USB cable, which happens to be among the longest cables we've seen included with USB mics, connects to a micro USB port on the lower, opposite end of the mic, and this is also where the headphone jack and high-pass filter button are located.
The headphone jack offers zero-latency monitoring.
Securing the mic's position with the side knobs on the mount is essential, as the tug from either the USB cable or, more likely, the headphone cable, would be enough to swing the mic backward or forward if it were not locked into position.
Unlike most of the other USB mics we've tested, the Seiren Elite is equipped with a High Pass Filter button—an often-crucial switch on many pro-level mics.
In addition to offsetting a little bit of the proximity effect when close-recording vocals, particularly with deep bass-heavy vocals, the filter's primary function is to eliminate background low-frequency rumbles that are much lower than the human voice.
So if there's a subwoofer pumping through the walls next door, this button is a way to tamp it down significantly.
Any low-end rumble, like a powerful AC whir, will also be tamped down a bit, but don't expect these sounds to be completely eliminated.
The Seiren Elite ships with a foam windscreen that fully covers the mic grille.
This is helpful for outdoor use, and also for preventing plosives in vocals, like a pop filter would do, but one unintended effect the screen has is blocking the vocalist's view of the LED ring that lights up red when signals peak.
Is this a big deal? I don't think so—first, most mics don't have a visual peak indicator anyway, and second, you can always set levels first, then put the windscreen on with the mic muted.
In terms of system compatibility, the Seiren Elite requires Mac OS 10.8 or higher or Windows 7, 8, or 10.
Performance
Right off the bat, the Seiren Elite seems to be among the noisier USB mics we've tested.
In an acoustically treated room with no AC running (or any other competing noises), an audible hiss, at even modest gain levels, is noticeable.
There are worse sounds, but be prepared for a bed of subtle, white noise-like effect unless you dial the gain back significantly.
As mentioned, the Seiren Elite also uses some DSP (digital signal processing) to limit dynamics in the name of preventing distortion.
Unlike with the less expensive Turtle Beach Stream Mic, which employs DSP in ways that are anything but subtle, the DSP here, when you set a reasonable gain level, is not overwhelming.
If you're seeking a pure signal with no compression or limiting of dynamics, as a typical mic would offer, that's not what's happening here, but with the gain set to typical, medium levels, the limiting doesn't seem to make itself so obviously known.
Once a solid gain level is set, the Seiren Elite delivers crisp, clear signal in normal recording mode, and very similar signal with the High-Pass Filter engaged.
When recording vocals in a quiet room, the main difference between the two modes will only show up on close vocals that have some low or low-mid richness to them.
In these scenarios, the DSP kicks in a bit and the high-pass filter also cuts out some of the lows in the vocals, but if the vocalist moves back from the mic a bit, the proximity effect diminishes and the high-pass is in place primarily to cut out rumbles or wind-like noises in the recording environment.
Generally speaking, the Seiren Elite sounds far more clear than a typical, cheaper USB mic for game streaming might.
Razer deserves credit for employing DSP in a manner that isn't over the top—the focus here is not on dynamically crushing the audio or equalizing it to death.
Instead, the Serien Elite delivers something far closer to a pure signal than we'd have expected from a mic that uses DSP.
Partly this is because the onboard gain knob and excellent mic stand give you room to play with levels and angles.
That kind of range means that, with the right vocalist and/or engineer, the DSP is not going to be needed to tamp down signal nearly as much.
That said, the hiss, the DSP's mere presence, and the fact that the signal tops out at 16 bits means this is probably less of a musical mic and more of a gaming or podcasting tool.
Conclusions
The Razer Seiren Elite's high price can be forgiven mostly because of its high quality.
For similar prices, musicians looking for a purer signal from a USB mic might consider the Blue Raspberry or the pricier Sennheiser MK 4 Digital—neither employs DSP.
And the Shure MV51 allows for DSP and DSP-free modes.
For far less, the Blue Snowball Ice also doesn't employ DSP.
But nothing is going to sound as good as clarity, and the Seiren Elite nails that part, even if there's some hiss—live streamers won't regret the price once they're reaping the benefits of the Serien Elite's subtle DSP and professional-style build.
Pros
Clear, crisp signal with adjustable gain and subtle DSP.
Includes high-pass filter button.
Zero-latency headphone monitoring.
The Bottom Line
The Razer Seiren Elite offers a solid, professional-feeling build and a clear signal for live streamers and podcasters.
