Why would you need Blue Snowball Ice Alternatives?
Blue Snowball Ice is great for streaming, gaming, and podcasting. However, there are some unique features that you may need, which are absent in the Snowball Ice.
Some of these features include a headphone monitoring jack, different pickup patterns, a wider frequency response range, and others. It may be the round shape that puts you off.
Whatever the Snowball Ice lacks, you can find them in other USB gaming and streaming mics. In this article, I give you the seven best Blue Snowball Ice alternatives.
Here they are:
Top 7 Blue Snowball Ice alternatives reviewed
Samson Go
Samson Go is a super-compact mic with a unique design. It's smaller than the Snowball Ice, and it does not require a stand for streamers and gamers.
This USB mic comes with a clip that you can attach to the top of your monitor. This means while gaming, the mic picks up your voice easily because it's at face level.
That's not all.
Samson Go gives you the option of two pickup patterns; cardioid and omnidirectional.
The omnidirectional pattern can be useful if you have to capture different people talking in the room. Also, there's a headphone jack for zero-latency monitoring – you can hear yourself in real-time.
Blue Yeti
If Snowball Ice does not sound good enough for you, then you should try the Blue Yeti. It has a superior sound quality with a balanced frequency response.
Blue Yeti is also a versatile USB mic. It has 4 polar patterns; cardioid, omnidirectional, bidirectional, and stereo.
With these options, you can record audio and stream in a room with two or more people and get a balanced sound capture.
Additionally, the Blue Yeti has a headphone jack for real-time monitoring and a knob to control the volume. You can control both the mic volume for your stream and the gain for headphone monitoring.
Lastly, there's a mute button you can easily press if you need the mic to stop capturing your voice for a bit.
Blue Yeti Nano
Blue Yeti Nano is a smaller version of the Blue Yeti. It does not have as many features, but it still presents more options than the Snowball Ice.
The Nano has two pickup patterns; cardioid and omnidirectional. It also has a headphone jack for monitoring your sound but lacks a control knob for the volume. You'll need the Blue Sherpa app for that, or you may go for the Blue Yeti instead.
Furthermore, the Nano has a better audio recording quality than Snowball Ice. It records at a 24-bit bit rate and 48 kHz. It also has a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20kHz.
These specs combine to ensure that the Nano captures more detail in your voice, and gives your audience a crisp, clear and full-bodied vocal.
Razer Seiren X
The Razer Seiren X is another compact USB mic that you can use instead of the Snowball Ice. Even though it does not have a headphone monitoring output, its sound quality and build make it a good Blue Snowball Ice alternative.
The Razer Seiren X comes with a shock-protective stand. If you accidentally shake your desk or touch the mic's base mid-stream, it won't cause your audio to pop or distort. This would be useful during intense gaming sessions.
Also, the Razer Seiren X has a wider frequency response. This means the voice captured has more air and crispiness to it. It also ensures that your streaming audience enjoys professional audio quality.
Also, the 16bit/44 kHz recording quality is slightly better than Snowball Ice and contributes to giving a good audio performance.
Audio-Technica AT2020USB+
This USB version of the AT2020 is one of the best mics you can use for gaming and streaming. It has much better hands-on control than the Snowball Ice.
With the AT 2020, you have both audio gain and monitoring controls. So, you can control your headphone monitoring and what your audience hears separately.
Also, the sound quality is much better with the AT 2020, especially in speech. It captures the richness of every voice regardless of tone. Additionally, this USB mic deals with plosive sound quite well without distorting your audio.
HyperX SoloCast
HyperX Solocast is another compact USB gaming and streaming mic. Like the Razer Seiren X, it does not come with a headphone monitoring output jack. However, there are at least 3 features that make it a suitable Blue Snowball Ice alternative.
The Solocast has a built-in pop filter. This means that even when you speak directly into the mic, your p's and b's do not turn off your audience. Also because it's inside the mic, you don't need extra space or setup.
Another cool feature of the Solocast is the tap-to-mute switch. It sits right on top of the mic and you can easily tap it to speak away from the mic and tap it again to continue capturing your sound.
Lastly, it has a better sound than Snowball Ice; the wider frequency response means that it has more brightness and air.
Rode NT USB
Unlike Solocast, Rode NT USB does not have a built-in pop filter. However, it achieves the same result with its added pop shield, which comes with the mic at no extra cost. Rode NT USB comes with a solid stand that prevents desk vibration noises from reaching the mic.
The microphone itself has great sound quality. With the NT USB, your audio sounds professional even without adding any effects. It has a crisp, clear, and natural sound.
For better control, Rode NT USB has both a monitoring volume knob and a mic gain knob. The monitoring knob controls what you hear in your connected headset while the other controls what your audience hears.
Lastly, this mic has low self-noise, so it captures the quieter sounds as well.
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Wrap up
Whether you already have a Snowball Ice mic or not, if you need something extra, one of the alternatives in this list would surely have it.
If you want a USB mic that "has it all", go for the Blue Yeti – it's versatile and has a great sound.