The Razer Seiren Mini is a cheap $50 microphone for streaming that may be skimpy on features, but still delivers top-notch sound. Content creators on a tight budget or those just entering the world of podcasters will feel right at home with this plug-and-plug mic.

This has been a big year for PC gaming hardware. GPUs like the newly released Nvidia RTX 30 series cards (and the upcoming AMD RX 6000 cards) have been in the spotlight, but streaming equipment has also been doing quite well, with easy-to-use capture cards, flashy ring lights, and light-up microphones

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We have noticed a specific cheap microphone market emerging. Companies are just starting to notice the demand for inexpensive microphones for streaming and podcasters.

Cheap microphones are nothing new. What is new is the emergence of inexpensive microphones that actually sound great. Starting with the relatively obscure $50 Talk GO from JLab audio, before long HyperX, Razer, and even Blue are pushing small, economical streaming mics under $100.

The Seiren Mini's adorable pill-shaped design is available in black, mercury white, and quartz (pink). Of all the budget microphones, the Seiren Mini's design is the most eye-catching. I was sent the Mercury White mic, which is one of the best looking pieces of hardware I've gotten this year, and it's pretty cute; Razer is taking a few design cues from Apple, especially when it comes to gaming laptops.

Like the HyperX SoloCast, many features have been stripped from the Seiren Mini to improve sound quality and cut costs. There is no volume or gain dial. There is not even a mute button.

The microphone itself is also minimal; for $50, most people could probably live without these features as long as the microphone is easy to use. However, it must be said that we are not big fans of the proprietary micro-USB cable that Razer uses for many of its peripherals, like the Wolverine Ultimate and wireless mouse. Due to the shape of the micro-USB input, third-party cables don't fit in the slots and can't be used.

I can't express enough how much I hate it when hardware manufacturers do this. If for some reason you lose the cable (which happens all the time), the microphone is useless until Razer's replacement arrives.

A ⅝ to ⅜ thread adapter to attach to most boom arms would have been great. If you want to mount it on an existing arm, keep that in mind. I like the tilting stand and the built-in shock mount (a feature not found on the SoloCast).

As you can hear above, the Seiren Mini sounds as good as Razer's more expensive Seiren products, although the Mini's ultra unidirectional polar pattern sounds a bit softer than the Seiren Emote at its default gain, It is effective at reducing background noise and helping the user focus on the sound in front of them. For comparison, we also added the SoloCast and JLab Talk GO; the HyperX microphone sounds slightly better than the Mini, but not by much; considering how much the SoloCast impressed us, this is an impressive feat in its own right.

The Seiren Mini is the perfect entry in Razer's already reliable microphone line. Its ultra-portable size and price give streamers another good option for a budget microphone. The lack of a mute control and a few other quality-of-life features will take some getting used to for the more professional crowd, but they will be aiming higher in the product stack anyway.

The simple fact that the Mini, which costs only $50, sounds as good as its more expensive siblings will attract users who want a simple microphone that looks elegant and sounds great.