Corsair Voxara: One-minute review
Corsair enters the microphones for streaming and wider mic market with this RGB-laden Voxara condenser model, a well-judged combination of specs and features for the price. If you’re looking specifically for a gaming or streaming mic and willing to pay a premium for audio quality and looks, the Voxara ticks the most important boxes. But it also makes some lofty marketing claims that aren’t relevant or helpful if you’re just trying to figure out if it’s worth the cash.
For example, the 25mm capsule this mic’s built around can capture enough nuance from your voice to record and broadcast rich, well-rounded audio, while hardware and software team up to suppress esses and plosives. However, the maximum 192KHz sample rate simply isn’t relevant to most users, and it definitely doesn’t make this USB-C model a studio-grade piece of audio equipment.
(Image credit: Future)It’s worth knowing that to get the best sound, you’ll need to download Elgato’s Wave Link software. It’s a powerful app with a nice, clean UI, and the AI-driven Voice Focus feature is very effective at noise cancellation. Not everyone wants to have to install additional software, though, so if you want plug-and-play performance, this is a big caveat.
The mic housing’s built to a high standard and the circuitry seems to be top-notch too: there’s almost no unwanted noise when you use the tap-to-mute function at the head of the housing, and the 3.5mm monitoring input runs at a sensible output range with no crackle or distortion. So you’re getting strong vocal recording, easy controls, and a pretty intuitive digital display on the mic’s front, too. These are the big selling points here, along with the visual design. But if you want a subtler look that takes its design cues from pro audio, or a mic that really can claim to offer studio-grade functionality at a similar price, you need to look further afield at options like the Shure M7+ and Rode PodMic USB.
Corsair Voxara: Price and availability
- List price: $199.99 / £159.99 / AU$329
- Decent feature set and device compatibility for the price
- XLR + USB mics available in the same price bracket
It might not be specced to topple all rivals, but this debut model from Corsair nonetheless offers solid value for money for the build quality, Elgato software features, and crisp sound it delivers. Available now for PC, Mac, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, it’s got a broad enough compatibility list to be your battlestation mic – just as long as that battlestation doesn’t feature an Xbox.
It’s priced in a similar range to one of our favourite mics, the SteelSeries Alias, and well under Razer’s Seiren V3 Pro, which at $249.99/£249.99 represents the upper end of the gaming mic market. However, what’s hurting the overall value proposition is that lone USB-C connectivity. With Rode’s PodMic USB offering XLR and USB connections and now available for around the same price, you’d need to really like that RGB display on the Voxara.
Corsair Voxara: Specs
Corsair Voxara USB
Polar pattern
Cardioid
Sample rate
32-bit/192KHz
Connection type
Wired USB-C
Software
Elgato Wave Link
Compatibility
PC/Mac/Switch/PS5
Corsair Voxara: Design and features
- Three RGB modes
- Shock mount and stand provided
- Well-placed controls layout
Is the Voxara well-designed? For gamers who want no-fuss, clear comms and an object on their desk that looks part of a traditional gaming setup, the answer is yes. It’s a familiar condenser design with a single cardioid polar pattern, a tap-to-mute button on top, and a scroll wheel on the bottom third, which can be used to adjust the mic, monitoring, and audio mix levels by clicking the wheel to toggle between those parameters. Finally, there’s an RGB mode cycle knob at the rear, which does what you’d expect.
To help you keep track of what you’re adjusting and make a note of your settings, there’s a digital display just below the RGB capsule shield. Bonus points go to Corsair for making this display automatically flip depending on whether the mic’s pointed up or down (if you’re using the supplied desk stand or a boom arm, for example). That’s a bit of forethought that keeps things simple to dial in, whatever your current setup.
Personally, I’d rather the RGB lighting wasn’t there at all, but I have to concede that it comes down to personal taste. I will say this much: given the peripheral market’s move away from copious RGB zones on mice, keyboards, and headsets lately, I wonder how quickly this model will look dated.
(Image credit: Future)I digress. There are three lighting modes available: a solid colour mode, a multicolor effects mode, and a level meter that responds to the audio source. While they’re fun to play around with and customise when you first get the mic, when it comes to using the Voxara in real-world situations, I found two of these three modes distracting and fell back on solid colour mode.
When you’re concentrating on what’s happening onscreen, you really don’t want something so close to your face to be constantly changing the lighting conditions. And if you’re recording a podcast with a video element, the level meter in particular is an unwelcome distraction that pulls your attention away from what the hosts are saying.
One area I do find the lighting useful is when muting or unmuting the mic. There’s a ring running around the tap-to-mute surface that changes colour when you tap it, and it’s very handy to know at a glance if the mic’s hot or not. Particularly if you’ve been muted for a while and lost track.
(Image credit: Future)All of the cosmetic-focused lighting is optional and customisable, so I’m not considering my negative experience with it a dealbreaker. But keep in mind that you’re paying a premium for that RGB. You need to be really sure that you’ll use and enjoy that functionality before shelling out; otherwise, there are non-RGB mics with great sound and better connectivity available.
As you’d expect from Corsair, the finish quality of the mic housing, shock mount, and stand is all immaculate and conveys the premium price positioning. The stand holds your mic precisely where you position it, and cable management is fairly easy with a hollowed-out vertical stand that the USB-C cable can thread through.
However, the stand doesn’t perform well against accidental desk knocks, so if you’re recording or streaming yourself, you’d better factor in the cost of a boom arm as well. If your broadcasting ambitions begin and end with clear callouts in Counter-Strike or Valorant, though, this shouldn’t become a problem.
Corsair Voxara: Performance
- No popping ‘P’ sounds or harsh esses
- Noise cancellation requires Elgato software
- Lack of XLR hurts its studio cred
I’m very impressed by how polished and usable this mic sounds without any tweaking. There’s no need for an additional pop shield on the Voxara, since it’s tuned to suppress esses and P sounds for a consistent and broadcast-ready sound.
And that, of course, is the most important thing about any mic, whether it’s marketed to gamers or anyone else. But as someone who’s worked with plenty of studio mics, I’m always very aware there’s a significant distinction between ‘good gaming mic’ and ‘good studio mic’.
Let’s start with the 25mm capsule. As with headphone drivers, bigger doesn’t always mean better in this category by default, but a large capsule of sufficient build quality is capable of capturing a wider range of frequencies and subharmonics in lots of detail. Right out of the box, if you record yourself speaking into the Voxara and listen back to the audio at any bitrate, you can hear that detail. For podcasting and Twitch streaming, it lends clarity and polish to your content. For in-game playcalling, it’s downright overkill.
(Image credit: Future)So big points to Corsair for getting that right. But I have to take the marketing literature to task for selling this mic as ‘studio-grade’. It’s written in huge lettering on the product page, mentioned in the reviewer’s guide, and it’s simply not accurate.
The fact that this mic doesn’t have an analog input option makes it a non-starter as a studio kit. True broadcast quality requires that you keep full control of latency, preamp settings, gain amplification, and analog-to-digital signal conversion to retain as much fidelity and flexibility as possible. A USB mic builds all those elements into its internal circuitry, which makes it much simpler to use.
And that’s the compromise. You don’t need a separate preamp and mixer to get a usable signal from a USB mic, and most gamers don’t have that studio equipment lying around, so gaming mics usually feature USB inputs. But there’s an implicit tradeoff to that convenience in fidelity. It isn’t night and day, but it’s there. So the fact that this mic can technically record at 192Hz doesn’t mean it can go toe-to-toe with a Neumann U87 Ai.
(Image credit: Future)XLR also makes simultaneous audio source recording far easier. You can run as many mics into a mixing desk as your desk inputs and DAW allow, but capturing multiple USB sources in real-time is a massive headache by comparison. Therefore, if you’re browsing the USB gaming mic market and see any product page copy talking about ‘studio quality’, go ahead and translate it to what the manufacturer really means, which is ‘sounds pretty good’.
With that point addressed, the Voxara’s sound quality is more than pretty good. And you can make it even more polished with Elgato’s excellent Wave Link software. This is a double-edged sword – it’s a well-designed and user-friendly app that packs tons of functionality into a clean shell, and it can also function as a gateway into professional DAWs. There are those – myself included – who prefer not to have to download software to use their peripherals, though, so I’m in a quandary about this one.
(Image credit: Future)One feature in particular that’s got me conflicted is Voice Focus, an AI-powered noise suppressor that works very well indeed. On the one hand, I love that I have access to it, and on the other, I resent that it isn’t being handled automatically by the mic’s DSP.
I find it easy to forgive minor grievances like that when I hear how smooth and listenable the vocal recordings are, though. It’s not easy to bring a new mic to market, and Corsair has made a lot of shrewd judgments in order to make this such a compelling option. It’s spent big on construction materials and finish quality, as it always does across any product category, teamed up with Elgato to pool some vital knowledge, and used a 25mm capsule that distinguishes itself as soon as you plug it in. That’s an impressive debut. I’m not moved to disconnect my preferred mics just yet, but I can easily envision that Corsair’s future models will give them stiff competition.
Should I buy the Corsair Voxara?
Buy it if...
You like to tweak while you play
The combination of on-mic controls and Elgato Wave Link options makes this mic easy to dial in a usable setting and to adjust on the fly.
You’re shopping for a battlestation mic
Xbox is the only major platform the Voxara doesn’t support, making it a great option for hot-swapping between devices in your battlestation.
Your setup is lit
…In both the literal and cringey millennial slang senses of the word, but mainly the former. This is designed to blend into a setup rich with RGB-infused peripherals.
Don't buy it if...
You want a mic that can handle studio tasks
Without an XLR input, this mic’s usage is limited to in-game comms and streaming, making that max 192Hz sample rate all but irrelevant in most usage cases.
You’re going to turn the RGB off as soon as you unbox it
Gamer-focused features like the customisable RGB zone are big contributors to this model’s overall premium pricing, so don’t spend for it if you don’t intend to make full use of it.