Elgato Wave:3 MK.2 vs Sennheiser Profile USB Comparison

Elgato Wave:3 MK.2

Inside is a 16 mm condenser capsule with an integrated JFET, recording at 24-bit / 48 kHz across 70 Hz to 20 kHz. Elgato quotes a dynamic range of 110 dB, which is generous for a desktop USB mic at this price. Voices come through bright and open, with more top-end sparkle than the Shure MV7+.

Sennheiser Profile USB

The pre-polarised KE 10 condenser capsule captures audio at 24-bit and 48 kHz, with a 16-bit / 44.1 kHz option. Sennheiser tunes it for speech, with a gentle presence lift. Voices sound clear and open, with good detail in consonants that helps comprehension on compressed call codecs. The low end is controlled, so it avoids the boomy tone of some budget condensers.

Elgato Wave:3 MK.2

The pattern is a single cardioid, so it favours the front and rejects the rear. It is still a condenser, though, and it hears keyboard and mouse noise from further away than dynamic designs do. Clipguard is the clever part. When you laugh or shout, the mic switches to a second, quieter signal path in a few milliseconds, so the peak never clips.

Sennheiser Profile USB

The cardioid pattern rejects sound from behind, but as a condenser it is more sensitive than a dynamic mic to the room around you. In a carpeted home office it works well at arm's length, which keeps the mic out of frame. In a hard-walled kitchen or open office, expect more echo and background chatter.

Elgato Wave:3 MK.2

On top, a capacitive sensor mutes the mic when you tap it, and a ring of LEDs turns red so you can see the state at a glance. The front dial controls gain, headphone volume or the monitor mix, and pressing it switches between the three. That dial has a learning curve, because it is easy to change the wrong setting in a hurry.

Sennheiser Profile USB

The front panel has a gain knob with a peak indicator ring, a mix knob for monitoring, headphone volume and a mute button. A 3.5 mm headphone jack sits at the back. The peak ring glows red if you speak too loudly, which makes setting gain easy before a call.

Elgato Wave:3 MK.2

The Wave:3 MK.2 uses Wave Link for its companion software. Onboard DSP is listed as Wave FX processor with Clipguard. The software or onboard controls also include monitoring (3.5 mm), gain control (multifunction dial), a mix control (dial and Wave Link) and a limiter (Clipguard). Official capture is listed at 48 kHz and 24-bit.

Elgato Wave:3 MK.2

Elgato lists the mic at about 250 g, or roughly 570 g with the stand attached. The weighted desk stand is included, along with 5/8" and 3/8" thread adapters for a boom arm. The housing mixes plastic with a metal grille. It feels less dense than the Shure, but it is light enough for slim arms such as the Wave Mic Arm LP without sagging.

Sennheiser Profile USB

The microphone weighs 350 g and sits on a weighted desk stand with a tilting head. A thread under the body allows boom arm mounting. The tilting head makes it easy to aim the capsule at your mouth without moving the stand. The stand itself is heavy enough to resist knocks and keyboard vibration better than most tripods.