I really enjoyed writing this in depth Genesis Radium 600 Microphone Review. The Radium 600 microphone is described as a studio microphone, but I think it’s perfect for multiple uses.
It’s the first time I’ve reviewed a microphone on the blog. And, it’s also the first time I’ve recorded audio of myself to perform a sound recording quality test.
The 600’s long list of features and great sound quality make it almost the full package for any aspiring content creator. The feature set makes it sound like it’s a great microphone. But, how does it perform in the real world?
So, let’s get into the review and find out for certain.
Genesis Radium 600 Microphone Review
The Genesis Radium 600 Microphone is a super simple and easy to use USB microphone. It’s plug and play setup makes it the perfect microphone for beginners, but at the same time the look, feel and included accessories make it an ideal candidate for audio veterans.
Firstly, let’s start with the first impressions. I’ve reviewed a fair bit of Genesis gear, but I’ll try and review it as if I don’t know who the brand are or what they’re about.
Once the parcel arrived, I opened up the outer shipping box and contained within was a really great looking red branded box. But, it was what was hiding underneath that really blew me away. The microphone is packaged in an awesome Genesis flight case, it looks simply superb.
It’s not just looks here though, the flight case serves a purpose. It’s robust metal construction and deep foam padding serve as a storage case. It’s not just a packaging gimmick, it’s highly functional. The flight case is an unexpected yet welcome highlight to the unboxing experience.
Single Use Plastic
But, it’s not all a bed of roses. I’m slightly irked at the amount of single use plastic. Within the flight case, each and every individual piece of kit that makes up the microphone is wrapped in plastic.
It’s unnecessary, the flight case takes care of that, the components aren’t going to be scratched. I can see why they do wrap everything in plastic, a customer could think they have received a previously opened unit.
To solve this, Genesis could use a simple security sticker. This would solve the problem and as a bonus it would use a fraction of the plastic the current option uses.
Once I’d got rid of all of the plastic I built the stand and connected the mic. It’s really easy to setup, I think it took me less than 4 minutes to screw it all together.
Overall, my first impressions are good. But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.
Audio Recording Quality
The Genesis Radium 600 is a USB condenser microphone which almost gives it a bit of a handicap before it’s even had a chance to show what it’s capable of. The reason for this is that USB mic’s often get a bad rep.
If you want a microphone that you can just plug and play without worrying about anything else then a USB Microphone should be your go to. You won’t have to worry about getting an audio interface or different cables. It’s as simple as it sounds, plug and play.
You’ll probably find that your favorite Youtubers don’t use USB mics, they’ll more often than not be rocking XLR microphones. XLR comes from it’s simple if not rather long full name:
X = XConnector
L= Locking Connector
R = Rubber Boot.
Now these famous or large YouTubers won’t specifically need an XLR mic, but they’re cool and they can usually afford the premium price tag that’s required to get a decent setup.
For most amateur content creators USB mic’s will be fine. Unless of course you want to really elevate your Twitch streams or Podcast recordings and use that to set your self apart from your competitors.
What you need to remember with any microphone is that your microphone is only as good as the room that you record in. A very cheap USB microphone in a sound insulated room will be a lot better than a very expensive microphone in an untreated room, so don’t over sweat it. A USB microphone is fine for most use cases.
Recording Direction
The Radium 600’s capsule has been positioned to only pick up voice recordings directly aimed towards it. This means that it should help eliminate sounds coming from behind the mic, making it ideal to have in a dual USB microphone set up- when recording a two person podcast, for example.
Below, you’ll find a short 17 second clip of my voice. I recorded this in my office which can be quite noisy when the cooling fans in the PC’s and storage file server get going.
As the Radium 600 is a condenser microphone I was a little concerned it’d pick the background noise up, but the included windscreen and recording sensitivity control reduced the background noise to almost none.
Listen for yourself, the noise from my office equipment hasn’t been picked up by the mic and an added bonus is that my voice has never sounded so good!
Audio Test
The audio clip is the raw recording. I haven’t tweaked or edited the sound in any way, shape or form. It was recorded using the Genesis Radium 600 Microphone and the Garage Band app on the iPad Air 2020.
As I mentioned earlier, the Radium 600 can only do a frontal, cardioid pattern, but it does have that gain adjustment control. So, that frontal pattern can be expanded slightly to enable the range in which it captures sound to be enhanced.
Saying that though, I’m not too concerned, for most use cases it’ll be perfectly fine as it. Most people whether they are recording a podcast or streaming games tend to have their own individual microphone, so this doesn’t really restrict what this mic is capable of, in my opinion.
I recorded a few test clips setting a low and high gain level. Both of these levels didn’t capture any feedback or noise pollution. This means that it will capture a nice, clean sound wherever you decide to place your mic. Just don’t place it right next to a ticking clock!
Another neat feature is the included 3.5mm headphone jack. It allows you to monitor the audio as it’s being recorded. Like most people, I don’t particularly like the sound of my own voice but it’s good to be able to hear what’s being picked up on the microphone so you can make gain adjustments on the fly.
How’s the build quality?
Genesis Radium 600 Microphone Review Build Quality
This is a well built microphone and comes with a lot of accessories that makes it an ideal first time mic. It’s well designed too, it’ll look at home on most desks using the bundled stand or in a microphone arm. I do think they could have included a shock mount, it’d have really elevated it.
On the right-hand side of the microphone you’ll find a really nice tactile, click button for muting the mic. This turns red when pushed, and is a good indicator that you’ve muted it, but to me at least, red symbolises that the audio is LIVE. So perhaps a different colour would have worked better.
Underneath that there is the gain level control and the headphone volume control. Moving further down you’ll find the 3.5mm headphone input jack.
The front of the microphone (the side you need to talk into) features a cardioid symbol that helps you identify the side of the microphone that’ll pick up the sound.
Each and every component used in the Radium 600 feels extremely sturdy and well build. One thing I noticed was how smoothly everything fit together, from the screw threads to the windscreen, it’s all been expertly designed and manufactured.
It certainly doesn’t feel or look as if it’s a white label product from a factory pumping out the same microphones for several different companies. It’s really tastefully put together and looks simply sublime.
The metal used in the construction feels really strong and the black powder coated finish looks sleek and feels premium. It’s certainly not cheap looking.
There is about 1-2 inches of height adjustment to be had from the stand and that’s just enough to make it usable if it doesn’t quite align with your mouth. I like that there is a slight amount of adjustment in the angle of the stand also.
The base that holds the microphone weighs a whopping 800grams, this ensures it won’t move whilst recording.
Genesis Radium 600 Microphone Review Unboxing Video
Here’s a short unboxing video. You’ll be able to see just how much plastic packaging is included. But, you can also see just how well thought out this microphone and the packaging is.
How Much & Where To Buy?
Genesis products aren’t normally widely available in the UK but to my surprise it is currently available in the UK and in the USA! It’s available to buy from Amazon, click here. Hit the affiliate link to check it out.
Summary & Verdict
Score: 8/10
The Radium 600 is a simple, yet highly professional microphone that didn’t disappoint in the slightest. It’s easy to use and with the plug-and-play setup and excellent good sound quality it should be on your shortlist.
It’s perfect for streaming, podcast recording and perhaps even some light voice over work, provided the wider environment would suit that kind of work.
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Disclosure:
If you use any of the Amazon links in this article they are affiliate links. This means that if you go onto buy something from Amazon I may get a small commission. It won’t cost you anything extra but it helps me to pay for the running costs of the blog and allows me to bring you great content! Thank you so much for your support.
Thanks to Genesis for sending us the Radium 600 to allow us to write this review. We’ll also be using it to record a brand new podcast, coming soon.
