PC & Console Peripherals

Sound quality for little money? – The SM950 from SPC Gear

SPC Gear has expanded its portfolio in many areas to offer gamers more products that offer value for money. Among other things, three additional microphones were offered: The SM900T, SM950T and the SM950, which we will take a closer look at today. We want to clarify for whom the SM950 is best suited and what it offers technically.

Design and workmanship

Let’s take a closer look at it first. The microphone is quite plain in matt black and on the front side there is the logo and the writing “SPC Gear”. Above the lettering there is a shiny red ring that separates the case from the actual microphone. This is protected by a grid and framed by a plastic housing. On top of the microphone there is a new feature, namely a mute button.

At the bottom of the microphone there is a thread to fix the microphone. However, SPC Gear includes a special anti-shock mount that is designed to dampen vibrations so that they are not picked up. This mount can then be attached to the supplied arm via a thread. The arm is completely black so that it is not too conspicuous in design. Besides the mounting thread for the microphone there is also some space to mount the included popscreen. Afterwards, two struts are held in tension twice by springs, with which the arm can be adjusted in height and distance as desired.

SPC Gear SM950

The end of the arm is screwed to the edge of the table like a screw clamp, so you are flexible where the arm is located. In addition, the arm can also be turned on it, so that really every position can be reached.

If you use the whole equipment, you will notice that the weight of the popscreen is too high for the arm and that it only holds in certain positions and does not sag.

In principle everything is really well workmanship, especially when it comes to the microphone, there is nothing to complain about. Also the anti-shock mount with its struts is perfectly manufactured, but you need some force to fix the microphone in it.

SPC Gear SM950

The only problem we had in the beginning was that the arm could not carry the full weight. After a few days, however, this was no problem at all, so the microphone could be used in any position with pop protection. It was also possible to move it without using force. SPC Gear offers really good design work with good workmanship.

Technical details

Product code SPG053
Weight 1290 g
Color black
Characteristic kidney
Connection USB cable (2.9 m)
Scanning rate 16 bit, 48 kHz
Limit sound pressure 135 dB
Frequency range 18-21000 Hz
Features Adjustable arm, shock mount, pop protection, mute button
Price € 238.93 *

Microphone

After the technical data we want to take a closer look at the microphone and see what is noticeable. First, the SPC Gear SM 950 offers Plug&Play, so that the microphone is recognized immediately after plugging it in and is then also available. The recording quality is immediately convincing, especially compared to most microphones on headsets the quality is better.

The problem with the recordings, however, is that not only your own voice is recorded, but also ambient noise. In principle, this is not a bad thing at first, but is characteristic of a good microphone, but of course we don’t want to record ambient noise like a keyboard, the squeaking of a chair or footsteps.

SPC Gear SM950

This is usually where software settings come into play, but SPC Gear does not supply software. This is a bit of a pity, but not a tragedy, since most recording programs also offer settings for the microphone. There is also the program RTX-Voice, for example, which is currently still in beta. This RTX feature filters the recording and removes all background noises and lets only the own voice arrive on the output. Since however not everyone possesses a RTX diagram map of Nvidia, we look also times into the adjustment possibilities of OBS purely.

In the following video we want to introduce you to the different recordings so that you can get your own impression:

Click here to display content from youtu.be

Without any further settings, the recording quality is very good, but not suitable for recording outside a studio environment, because the background noise is also recorded. By features such as RTX Voice these are completely filtered out and without large circumstances one gets the optimum at quality out. But also who does not possess a RTX diagram map, does not come too briefly. By the adjustments of third software such as OBS likewise a good quality is supplied, however one needs here some experience and must know which one adjusts.

Conclusion on the SPC Gear SM950 microphone review

Finally, let’s summarize again what the SM950 from SPC Gear has to offer. The scope of delivery consists of a flexible arm, popscreen, shock mount and the microphone. The USB cable for the connection to the PC is directly integrated in the arm. So the scope of delivery is top and the design is really nice. Although we had problems in the beginning, the arm holds in any position and is also easy to adjust.

SPC Gear SM950

The recording quality is great, but you have to keep in mind that it also records the background noise that needs to be filtered out. Third-party software such as RTX Voice or OBS Studio can be used to adjust the signal as desired, although OBS requires some expertise. The recording quality is then very good and there is nothing to complain about.

SPC Gear SM950

Design and workmanship
Features
Recording quality
Value for money

93/100

The SM950 from SPC Gear offers outstanding recording quality and looks great at the same time. The arm provides flexible positioning according to your needs.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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