More than a decade after its launch, the Blue Yeti microphone is now being revamped. Logitech just opened pre-orders for two new Yeti mics—the Yeti GX and Yeti Orb. These are the first Yeti mics to use Logitech G branding, rather than the original Blue Microphones branding. They're heavily targeted towards the gaming market, both mics feature RGB lighting and other gaming-focused features.

The Blue Yeti defined a generation of USB microphones. It originally debuted in 2009 and is lauded for its audio quality, ease of use, and excellent price. Logitech acquired Blue Microphones in 2018, and earlier this year, it effectively retired the Blue brand. Going forward, "Blue" refers to Logitech audio software, rather than hardware, and the Yeti microphone carries Logitech G branding.

Anyway, the flagship device in this lineup is Logitech G's Yeti GX ($150). It's a dynamic supercardioid microphone, meaning that it's highly directional. It will reject sounds from its sides and attenuate sound from its rear, making it a good option for streamers who want to keep background noise, keyboard clacking, and other annoyances at bay (the "tradeoff" is that you need to stay in front of the mic capsule, though this won't be a problem for most people). Customizable RGB lighting is also included, and interestingly, the Yeti GX uses a scroll wheel (like the kind you'd find in a mouse) to control gain. A mute button is included below this wheel.

Aside from its 24bit 96KHz "broadcast" audio quality, the main feature offered by Yeti GX is Smart Audio Lock. Upon pressing the microphone's gain wheel, a limiter is activated to prevent accidental microphone clipping—if you scream, the mic will try to avoid any distortion. But this feature isn't just for rowdy streamers. Smart Audio Lock also uses a downward expander (essentially an audio gate) to reduce the volume of background noise. All in all, Yeti GX looks like an impressive product for the price.

There's also the Logitech G Yeti Orb ($60), a budget microphone that's similar to the old Yeti Snowball. This microphone should be a lot more sensitive than the Yeti GX, as it's a condenser with a cardioid pickup pattern (which rejects sound from the rear but lightly attenuates sound from the sides). The Yeti Orb's RGB lighting is limited to a "G" logo, and its bitrate and resolution clock in at 24bit 48KHz. (I imagine that the Yeti Orb will be compared to Neat Microphones' Bumblebee II, which also uses a cardioid condenser design but offers 24bit 96KHz audio quality. Neat Microphones was created by the founders of Blue Microphones, so it's an interesting comparison.)

Along with these new microphones, Logitech is launching the Litra Beam LX ($150), a desktop streaming lamp that doubles as an RGB accent lighting solution. The idea is pretty simple—one side of this lamp has a key light to bring out your natural skin tone, while the other side (which faces the wall) contains a customizable LIGHTSYNC RGB array.

The Yeti GX, Yeti Orb, and Litra Beam LX are available for pre-order today. Shipping begins on September 24th. Note that all of these products use Logitech’s G Hub for lighting customization, audio profiles, and other features. And although the microphones include desktop stands, they can be mounted to boom arms or other accessories.

Source: Logitech