Audio Hardware

10Apr

By JasonNo Comments

iFi Zen DAC V3 Review

Few products in the world of desktop audio gear have made as much noise in the budget audiophile space as iFi's Zen series. Known for delivering excellent sound quality at a price that doesn’t scare off newcomers, the Zen DAC line has steadily evolved. Now, with the third iteration—the iFi Zen DAC V3—the company brings modern updates while keeping the spirit of the original intact. But does this compact DAC/amp combo still deliver enough value to justify the upgrade? Let’s dive in. Design & Features At first glance, the Zen DAC V3 doesn’t stray far from the now-familiar silhouette of its predecessors. The curved metal chassis still sports that premium, sturdy feel and fits neatly on any desktop without hogging space. It’s stylish enough to blend in with minimalist setups, yet distinc...

2Apr

By CharlotteNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

NZXT Capsule Elite Microphone Review

My NZXT Elite collection is complete with the addition of the NZXT Capsule Elite. Just as with the NZXT Lift Elite Wireless and the Function Elite MINITKL I got sent the wonderfully sleek white edition of this new microphone. There is also a black edition if you prefer a moodier colour set up. For those based in the UK the NZXT Capsule Elite can be purchased from the official NZXT Amazon store for £85. Hear Me Now Having previously used the Streamplify Mic Pro I was excited to try this latest NZXT offering out. So let's get into it. Design As with the rest of the NZXT Elite collection, the NZXT Capsule Elite looks beautiful. There's no denying the design team know what they're doing. I loved the square design as it visually pairs really well with the Function Elite MINITKL. Again t...

Razer Seiren V3 Chroma Microphone Review

27Mar

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Razer Seiren V3 Chroma Microphone Review

It's always difficult to review a microphone. After all, it doesn't really do much. Aside being one of the most important pieces of equipment that you might need. Here comes Razer to the rescue, with the Seiren V3 Chroma microphone. This retails at around £129.99, that is unless you want the white or quartz colourway. That will set you back an extra £10. Is it all worth it though? Seiren Song Let's get this all set up, and we can give this microphone a really good test. Design The setup of the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma was easy, it really is plug-and-play. Just screw the main microphone onto the base, or boom arm if you are using one. Then plug in the USB-C cable and away you go. You know you have done it correctly, mostly because there is only one port on the back. But you get greeted wi...

1Nov

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

iFi GO Link Audio DAC Review

As the world moves onto all things wireless, sound quality can be sacrificed by doing so. Depending on how much of an audiophile you are, wired is still the best way to listen to music. It is strange to think that an analogue signal can carry more data than its wireless digital counterpart. This is due to the analogue data being uncompressed rather than being sent through Bluetooth codecs. These will compress the audio data before sending it to your wireless listening device and it has a big effect on sound quality for certain audio formats such as ALAC/FLAC & WAV. Cost-Effective Audio Enhancements Ok, so you want to listen to some high-quality lossless music via Tidal or Amazon Music. You don't want to use your wireless headset or buds. But your device doesn't have a 3.5mm stereo ja...

The Latest Streamplify Products Are Here! – Mega Review

30Aug

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

The Latest Streamplify Products Are Here! – Mega Review

Here at Thumb Culture we absolutely love products that are budget-friendly as well as functional. That is exactly what the Streamplify products aim to achieve. Achieve they do! Keep it Streamplify Have you checked out the Steamplify range? If so what's your favourite? Don't forget to let us know at the bottom of the review. Streamplify have recently released a few new products, and they reached out and asked if we wanted to check them out. Obviously being the intrepid reporters that we are, we wanted to see whether these products were up to Streamplify code. Now if you weren't aware who Streamplify were, they are part of the Pro Gamers Group. Their brands include noblechairs, Ducky and Nitro Concepts to name a few. The Streamplify brand came about from a mission to inspire young indiv...

16May

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Features

Streamplify Streamer Kit Review

Streamplify is a well-known name in the streaming hardware industry providing budding streamers with an array of affordable and accessible hardware to improve the quality of their streams ten-fold. Their hardware ranges from high-spec webcams, lights, mounts, and microphones to name a few. We had the chance to put some of their gear through a series of tests, and revisit a few we have previously checked out. Hard time growing as a streamer? Streamplify it! We want to hear from all of the streamers out there like myself. What's your setup? Do you think you could benefit from any of these pieces of hardware? Design The Webcam we tested is the only one on offer via their website. It's a cylinder webcam and the matte thick casing of it also doubles as an anti-spy cover. This is easily adj...

Joby Wavo Boom Arm & Wavo Pod Microphone Review

12Apr

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Joby Wavo Boom Arm & Wavo Pod Microphone Review

JOBY are probably more known, at least by myself, for their GuerillaPod Tripods. When I received the email saying they also did podcast microphones and boom arms, I jumped at the opportunity. Getting to check out new hardware from an already-established brand is what we love at Thumb Culture. Movement and adaptability are key Knowing just how good their GuerillaPod Tripods are, I do wonder if the latest offerings from JOBY will live up to their current standards. Let us jump in and take a close look. Wavo Boom Arm When I was setting up the boom arm, I was left with some complications. Not with the setup, that was straightforward. How would you review a boom arm? Well, I decided to do it like this. It's Good. It's like REALLY Good. Over the years of streaming, content creation, and p...

13Jan

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

MAONO DM30 USB Microphone Review

The market for computer peripherals, especially video conferencing hardware is large, especially after the pandemic with many realising they would need good gear to enhance their online presence. This market was already big amongst streamers like me where we are always looking for good hardware to evolve our online content. I took the time to get a hands-on review of the MAONO DM30 USB Microphone, one which shows promise in the market at the moment, and share my thoughts. Taking your vocals to another level The chance came up to test this microphone from a brand I was unfamiliar with, but I see them being a common name in the market given time and recognition. Let us know what you look for in your PC setup in the comments. Design On unpackaging the microphone it is obvious that it's ve...

19Dec

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

JBL Quantum Stream Microphone Review

When you hear the name JBL, the first thing that comes to mind for most people will be speakers. With JBL branching out into gaming headsets, I was quite stunned to see a streaming microphone during a recent press event in London. JBL Quantum Stream - What is This Witchcraft? Sitting tidily next to a gaming pc, showing off the perfect JBL setup, was a JBL Quantum Stream mic. While chatting with one of the amazing hosts from the PR firm as well as the JBL technical guru, I was puzzled as to how we seemingly did not know much about this foray into the streaming world! Entering a packed mid-market with some serious hitters such as the likes of Blue, Hyper X and Razer, how would the JBL Quantum Stream fair? Design Standing at just 25cm tall, the black shroud and base of the Quantum ...

Endgame Gear XSTRM RGB USB Microphone Review

20Oct

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Endgame Gear XSTRM RGB USB Microphone Review

Endgame Gear is known widely in the gaming world for the XM1r Mouse. An ultra-light gaming mouse that has taken to the esports scene with ease due to what it can offer for its price point. Bringing The STRM Endgame Gear is now officially entering the standalone USB microphone market. Their latest release is the Endgame Gear XSTRM keep reading to find out just what it can offer. If you are also in the market for a mouse, make sure you check out my review of the Endgame Gear XM1r Mouse. Design The Endgame Gear XSTRM comes in two colour ways, there is a sleek black and a fresh white. Aesthetics are everything to some gamers, so having two simple colourways ensures there is one colour that looks good for your setup. Whilst we are on the topic of colour there is also an RGB element to this ...