Like its Gaulish meaning for ‘horn’, the ‘ROG ‘Carnyx’ USB Gaming Microphone’ demands attention, like horns blowing in a grand introduction. Drawing an even deeper connection, like ancient horns were used for communication across the land, this is one microphone from the ‘Republic of Gamers’ that creates a fabulous conversational bridge between you and your audience.

Packed neatly inside the box, nice and snug, you will find your ROG Carnyx microphone, instruction guide, and a USB A to USB-C power cable, and with nothing to assemble, it is that easy. Running a 3-metre braided cable neatly down a boom mic arm, you can position this microphone comfortably anywhere, and without worrying about stretching out the cable. The ROG Carnyx also fits 3/8inch threads with its built-in mount adaptor for boom mics and stands, perfect for anyone who wants minimal clutter on their desk area.

Coming in matte black and white, this review unit is black and made completely of metal, all the way from the stand and base, to the built-in pop filter. The stylishly angled surrounding shock mount is also made of this sturdy metal, with a dark grey elastic bungy to support and brace against any movement or unwanted vibrations. On the front of the microphone, you will find a multifunction headset monitoring control knob, while the back has an AUX and USB-C input.

On top, you will find a touch-to-mute button that glows red for 3 seconds to indicate its status and a glowing symbol in case you forget. The overall appearance of the microphone is sleek and modern; definitely a good-looking piece of equipment.

The microphone is cardioid, meaning its polar pattern of sound is heart-shaped, with most of the strong sound pickup being in the front, and limiting sound picked up at the back while drawing in more natural sounds from the sides. A studio-grade, and quite large, 25mm condenser capsule, and 192 kHz/24 Bit sampling rate means that even low-frequency audio is delivered with precision and clarity. Whether it’s soft or heavy sounds, you can deliver a rich and warm experience to listeners.

What does that mean for any podcaster, streamer, or gamer? Extremely clear and detailed audio. Whether I was streaming or sitting on a Discord call, my voice was always delivered with clarity and all the nuances of expression and tone while watching back recorded clips.

It’s so sensitive that it would, in fact, pick up the hum of my PC under the desk, meaning a turn down in my gain despite the built-in pop filter, so that I could filter out background noise from further away. Personally, it is very sensitive, which is a testament to its power, but it can be tweaked and further customised with sound software.

I often used my ROG Carnyx in conjunction with headphones running through the 3.5mm AUX jack, allowing for real-time monitoring without any echo or feedback. This was my preferred method of use in Discord, and not once did I find I had any interference.

The accompanying ‘Armoury Crate’ software is a staple on my home computer now, and after a few updates, it connected like a dream to the device. Here, you can adjust the equalizer, noise gate, voice, and high-pass filters. Additionally, you can tweak playback and recording settings, and even adjust the Aura Sync RGB lighting scheme to your liking, meaning it can match multiple ROG devices. The software looked daunting at first, but it was actually really easy to navigate, simple, and user-friendly, with all updates included to keep things running smoothly.

Overall, the ROG Carnyx is an incredible microphone that will connect you to any audience, whether it be podcasting, streaming, or just hanging with friends in a game. It delivers high-quality audio that can be further customised with its user-friendly software, precisely delivering on your needs. Available at a range of Australian vendors for approximately $300AUD, this is one powerful addition to any setup.

Written by: Stacey