Not content with cornering the market with its USB microphones, the latest product from Logitech-owned Blue is a detachable mic called the Icepop. It’s a $49.99 upgrade that can replace the default mics included with Logitech’s G Pro X Wireless gaming headset, the G Pro X, the G Pro, as well as Astro’s A40 headsets.
Logitech is promising that the Icepop will deliver enhanced “broadcast-quality” performance with its 10mm electret condenser mic. It has a built-in pop filter that aims to eliminate those hard “b” or “p” sounds that can be a giveaway that you’re using a lesser mic, and its unidirectional cardioid pickup is said to eliminate background noise and focus more on your voice.
Installing the Icepop is as simple as plugging it into one of the compatible headsets’ 3.5mm mic jack. Logitech sent over a G Pro X Wireless for testing, and there were no firmware or software updates required to get it working.
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Now, yours truly isn’t a podcast host, so I don’t have preferred voice settings locked in for the times when I need to jump into a voice chat. But to illustrate how the recording quality differs between the Icepop and the default mic that ships with the G Pro X Wireless, I recorded several samples to show what they sound like with and without the special Blue Voice features built into Logitech’s G Hub software. If you’re using the Astro A40, you won’t be able to access the Blue Voice features.
The first is a clean feed from the G Pro X Wireless default mic with no special voice presets via Blue Voice. (My voice sounds a little dull with this mic, and it’s relatively easy to hear my air conditioner running in the background once my voice stops near the end.)
Here’s the default mic again but with Blue Voice turned on with the “Broadcaster 1” preset activated. (Background noise has been hushed, and my voice has much more depth, though it’s still not particularly warm-sounding.)
Now, here’s how the Icepop sounds without any tweaks made:
Lastly, here’s how the Icepop sounds with the same “Broadcaster 1” preset turned on in Blue Voice:
After listening to the samples over and over, the difference in quality between Logitech’s default mic and the Icepop, while noticeable, isn’t as apparent as I was expecting considering its $49.99 cost. Of course, it’s not reasonable to expect this add-on to rival standalone microphones that cost more, and there are some things that I like about it.
The Icepop does a better job of accurately capturing what my voice sounds like in real life, replacing some of that shrill effect from the default mic with warmth. And those “b” and “p” sounds do sound great, as advertised, though I was surprised to hear it fumble a little when I made “x” and “s” sounds. That could be my slight lisp or it could be a flaw with the tuning or a limitation of the mic. Turning on the Blue Voice feature fixed most of my complaints, but I was expecting a little more out of the raw feed captured through the Icepop.
Given that voices have so much range and that hearing is, of course, subjective, I recommend giving this a try if you’re curious and already own one of the compatible headsets. Depending on how you like to gussy up your voice for chats, streams, or podcast appearances, you might be able to get some solid performance out of the Icepop.
