Joby arrives with the Joby Wavo Pod an affordable microphone for podcasters or streamers looking to enhance their current set-up.
Since the Pandemic, we have seen an increase in the number of content creators and online gamers streaming their gaming sessions and providing walkthroughs. So having a desktop microphone has become a vital piece of the puzzle when setting up a steaming set-up.
In this review, we have taken a closer look at the Joby Wavo Pod which currently costs £85.95 via Amazon. This is not the first Joby product we have reviewed. We have tested the Joby Wavo Air, and Joby Podzilla to just name a few and have always been impressed with the build quality and performance.
The Joby Wavo Pod was released back in February this year alongside the Wavo Pro, Wavo Pro-DS, Wavo Air and Wavo Lav Pro. So this is the second product from that bunch of releases we will review after the Wavo Air.
First Impressions
The Wavo Pod is ideal for amateur podcasters and gaming streamers mainly due to the unique sound as you are provided with a pop filter for that warm sound. It also works well for when it’s just you doing a voice recording or can also be used for when there are multiple people in the room and you are having more of a roundtable discussion due to the Omnidirectional and cardioid patterns that are picked up from your voice.
You also have a flexible mounting system and the microphone comes with easy to adjust volume, gain and mute controls.
Unboxing
The Wavo Pod comes with the microphone body, U bracket with mounting screws, desk base, pop filter, 3/8 to 3/8 adapter and 2x USB cables – USB-C to USB-C which is 2 meters long & USB-C to USB-A which is 3 meters long.
Everything comes in a cardboard box that is fully recyclable and inside the box, the mic is protected by a foam casing to keep everything safe that I would reuse when the Wavo Pod is not in use.
Design
The Joby Wavo Pod is a desktop microphone that looks like a simple black capsule-shaped USB-C mic. The front has a multifunction knob with a ring of light around it. The light is blue in colour and the knob controls the volume by default.
Pressing the knob once mutes the mic and if you press again it will unmute, when muted a red light indicates when mute is active. Now as mentioned the knob has a multifunction feature and pressing and holding the knob for a few seconds switches the light from blue to purple this now controls the mic gain.
Under the multifunction knob is a button that allows you to switch the mic between cardioid and Omnidirectional patterns. This is indicated by a blue LED to indicate which mode is active.
The bottom of the microphone has a USB-C port for connecting to your computer with both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables provided. Also at the base of the microphone is a 3.5 headphone jack and it also comes with a 5/8-inch universal mount. The mount is a plastic adapter that can unscrew from the mic to reveal a 3/8-inch universal mount, and a 1/4-inch universal mount can be found by unscrewing the metal base from the stand the mic is mounted on it’s impressive to see this on a mic at this price.
The stand of the Wavo Pod is mounted with 2 thumbscrew knobs to U-Shaped support on a flat, circular metal base. The base also has quarter-inch screw holes below the mounting points on the support letting you attach mounts for additional devices from Joby like the GorillaPod. The screw mounts are metal and both support the body of the mic.
The Wavo Pod finally comes with a bright red pop filter which comes installed on the mic. The filter is an approximately 3-inch square curved and perforated metal plate that floats about an inch in front of the mic.
Set-Up
The Joby Wavo Pod is very easy to use simply plug it into a USB port on your laptop or desktop and bingo you can use it right away. The Wavo Pod also has a 3.5mm jack you can plug your headphones in for monitoring.
To record audio you will need a digital audio workstation such as Garageband which mac users should already have. For PC or laptop users I would recommend something like Audacity which is free to use. I also suggest when you speak into the mic you stick to be about 4 inches away from the pop filter for the best level of audio quality.
Audio Quality
The Joby Wavo Pod sounds really good its not at a professional level but it’s very close to it. The mic relies on its own analogue to digital converter and sounds quite clear. The Wavo Pod allows you to record up to 24bit/48kHz audio files from the Joby Wavo Pod. If you record on the cardioid pattern that is the clearest option as you get very little noise from the mic.
When we tested the Wavo Pod the mic recordings sounded crisp with strong mids and highs unfortunately the lows in my voice did not get captured that well but did not overly affect the sound of my voice. What I did notice was higher unwanted sounds were reduced from coming through in the recording. This makes the Wavo Pod best suited for voice recording, podcasting, steaming and having an 8×8 meeting. The Wavo Pod can be used to make music, but I feel if that is your primary use, look elsewhere.
The Wavo Pod is perfect for something like a roundtable discussion due to its cardioid and omnidirectional patterns. The cardioid pattern picks up sound directly in front of the mic well but can pick up unwanted noise at times. The omnidirectional definition is unique to Joby as the microphone picks up front and back of the microphone. This is not what other manufacturers consider omnidirectional it’s more of a bidirectional pattern.
Verdict
The Joby Wavo Pod is designed specifically for amateur podcasters & streamers as they will enjoy the multiple polar patterns and ease of use. We found the mic good quality considering the cost. It’s perfect for those who require a microphone for video calls when working from home you will struggle to find a better mic.
The base is fairly sturdy and easy to adjust we found the Wavo Pod not only looks the part but sounds just as good as the main use I had this device for which was making calls while working from home. So considering the cost at being under the £100 mark this mic has a lot of benefits such as a pop filter, two recording patterns and an onboard volume and gain adjustment.
The Wavo Pod can support any boom arm or mount and overall for voice recording quality it offers excellent value for money. The only slight negative I could find is the bass is not as strong as I would have liked but it did not affect the overall audio quality.
Product Rating:
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Setup : 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Audio Quality: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value For Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 stars – 4.75 Stars
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