Nearly 200 million podcasts are listened to every month in France and more than one in 10 French people even listen to them on a weekly basis. This is both because of the multitude of proposals and because of the increase in audio quality. Everyone can become a home podcaster at a lower cost now.
According to a 2022 CSA – Havas study, the democratization of the podcast, which has experienced a huge boom with Covid and in particular the lockdowns, has made society evolve as much as it follows trends. Introspections, reflections on the world or their daily life, so many topics that are addressed in particular to a rather young population (35 years old on average), urban (46%) and hyperconnected. And on the contrary, their content creators are just as good at sharing the streamers’ profile on this, just as quick to share their opinion through images.
An easy-to-use microphone in all circumstances
What do streamers and podcasters have in common? Voice. The accessory market, and in particular for microphones, headphones or others dedicated to them, continues to grow. Logically, Sennheiser, a German specialist in professional sound, could not miss the opportunity to check it out.
So here comes your first product for podcasters and streamers, but also for all those who need good voice reproduction (online gamer, video conference participant, musician…). The Sennheiser Profile USB is a microphone that can be connected to a Windows PC, a Mac, but also an Android smartphone or an iPad thanks to its USB-C cable. On the other hand, it is not intended to connect an XLR cable.
No adapter for iPhone is planned, but we tried and it is possible to connect a USB-C/Lightning cable that allows the microphone to be recognized. If your PC is still under USB-A, it will work just fine with an adapter as well.
The choice of the USB-C to USB-C cable (1.2 m or 3 m depending on the kit) is explained by the desire to be as simple as possible for users. Sennheiser has not provided an audio interface to install on your device. Plugged in, the USB Profile microphone works instantly. Then just rely on the built-in buttons.
An articulated arm to seduce streamers
There is a button at the top to mute the microphone and switch to silent mode. Then a red halo appears. Next, the microphone offers to adjust the gain, mix the voice and the sound of the device to which it is connected. Finally, adjust the feedback volume on the headset (plug on the back next to the USB-C port). The manufacturer wanted to rely on easy-to-turn knobs to prevent mishandling during live performance.
As for its design, the microphone is quite stylish with a metal frame and a stand that allows it to be easily tilted. It is supplied, depending on the kit chosen, with a base or with a self-locking 3-point articulated arm that is quite rigid, but allows you to choose the angle, distance, etc. Ideal especially for streamers who can make adjustments so that they no longer have to touch any buttons and adjust the microphone that they will hold fixed.
As for the sound of the USB microphone profile, there is no risk of getting confused in the options. Here, it’s just a cardioid mic to simplify usage as well. So it will be perfect for picking up your voice and possibly the voice of a person in front of you, both quite close to the microphone. On the other hand, beyond two people, it may be necessary to turn or tilt the microphone towards the other participants to hear them well. The microphone, therefore, is not omnidirectional, an idea to take into account also according to the uses. But it is equipped with a filter to reduce “pop”.
Sennheiser also specifies that, below the metal hat, the condenser capsule is suspended to avoid hearing impact noises if the microphone is placed on a table or hitting the boom arm if it is placed last.
USB Profile Microphone Price and Availability
The cardioid microphone is already available on the Sennheiser site at 129 euros for the microphone + base + 1.2m cable version.
The Profile Streaming Set (without base) includes the microphone, the self-locking boom arm, a 3 m cable and a transport bag. It sells for 199 euros.
Source: BFM TV
