SteelSeries Alias Review
An expensive first attempt
Verdict
The SteelSeries Alias is an excellent USB microphone, complete with a stylish design, sharp and clear pickup and handy software. It’s well-made with a solid stand and on-board controls, while the associated software makes it easy to tweak the settings. For what you’re getting though, it is quite expensive compared to the competition.
Pros
- Slick design
- Sturdy stand and shock mount
- Clear pickup, especially with AI noise cancellation
Cons
- Expensive
- Software doesn’t necessarily add much
Key Features
- Cardioid pickup pattern:The Alias features a cardioid pickup pattern that’s ideal for voices and offers clear pickup.
- Additional softwareYou can also use its additional software, SteelSeries Sonar, for some more features.
- Plug and play:The Alias also connects via a USB-C to USB-A cable, as opposed to offering a bundle.
Introduction
More and more peripherals brands are diversifying their product range, and a popular area at the moment seems to be microphones. A new contender here is SteelSeries, and the SteelSeries Alias is its first ever USB microphone.
Priced at £179.99/$179.99, it’s one of the more expensive entries into a world filled with established audio brands and competition such as the Audio Technica AT2020USB+, the RODE XCM-50, and the Logitech Blue Sona.
To really impress, the SteelSeries Alias is going to have to go above and beyond. I’ve been using it for the last few weeks and put it through its paces. Let’s take a closer look.
Design
- Modern, pill-shaped chassis
- Sturdy metal stand
- Some controls aren’t that easily accessible
The SteelSeries Alias bucks the trend when it comes to its design, offering a pill-shaped case for the microphone as opposed to the more standard cylindrical shape. Its front is completely covered in fabric material, while there is a small control panel for housing the headphone gain and touchpad used for muting/unmuting.
When the Alias is in use, it features green LEDs that indicate your mic levels, and when the microphone is muted, they light up in a large red cross shape. That’s helpful and negates the lack of any tactile feedback from the touchpad above the SteelSeries logo. The bottom of the Alias is also home to an RGB spotlight of sorts – it looks cool, but serves no purpose.
The Alias also comes with a sturdy metal and plastic stand, readily assembled out of the box. There’s no need to attach the Alias to the stand, and it also comes with an integrated shock mount, too. It’s tightly wound and keeps the Alias securely in place and free from any shaking or interference that could be caused by vibrations. It is possible to take the Alias out of its stand by unscrewing the knob holding it in place, and you can then mount it on an arm if you so choose. For this purpose, SteelSeries has generously bundled a thread adapter in the box.
As well as the volume gain knob and the mic mute touchpad on the front, the Alias also contains useful controls around the back. It’s there where the microphone gain dial is located, as well as a USB-C port for power and a headphone jack for monitoring. The microphone gain dial is quite small and hard to access if you’ve got larger hands, given its placement in the tightest point of the circular shock mount.
As for its packaging, the Alias comes in a large cardboard box with some white cardboard inners, protecting the microphone and its stand. The big thing here though is that the Alias is wrapped in a plastic bag, which is a shame, considering wider moves towards more sustainable packaging from other manufacturers.
Performance
- Clear pickup out of the box, but a little quiet
- Cardioid pickup pattern ideal for streamers
- Clean and natural tone
Out of the box, the SteelSeries Alias offered crystal-clear pickup, and my voice had plenty of volume and depth, as you’d perhaps expect with a mic that costs as much as this one. My only criticism is that it was a little quiet, but that was easily alleviated by turning up the microphone gain from the dial around the back. I did have to turn that up about three-quarters of the way, but your mileage may vary.
It offers slightly less low-end if we’re going purely off of frequency response, with a quoted range of 50Hz to 20,000Hz, and it records at a sample rate of 24-bit/48KHz. That frequency response doesn’t make much of a perceived difference for mere mortals, but is still perfectly usable for most people.
Its cardioid pickup pattern makes it ideal for use for content creators and streamers, and using the Alias in Audacity for recording some test voiceovers demonstrated it to be a clean performer. The sound isn’t particularly geared towards one type of application over another, but its clean and natural sound makes it a versatile option out of the box.
With that USB connection, it is plug-and-play and works absolutely fine, saving any unnecessary hassle compared to a more professional XLR choice. There is some additional software, SteelSeries Sonar, which the brand makes a lot of, but you don’t absolutely need it in order for the Alias to perform at its best.
Features
- Convenient software
- AI Noise Cancellation is surprisingly effective
- Plenty of preset options
The big thing with the SteelSeries Alias, outside of its clean sound, is that integration with SteelSeries Sonar, the brand’s latest addition to their GG app which provides you with all manner of options to control the intricacies of the Alias.
However, it doesn’t offer much that’s new in terms of features, and plays it safe with the usual options you’d find with gaming headsets, including access to a noise gate and compressor.
Interestingly, it provides preset options depending on how you’ve got the Alias mounted, whether it’s on the included stand, or you’ve decided to raise it up with a boom arm. For using it on the desktop stand, that turns on the compressor and the Clearcast AI noise cancellation, which is excellent. It removed virtually all traces of my keyboard, even when deliberately using an option with loud MX Blues in testing.
There are also two types of noise reduction available in Sonar, although the Impact setting was not as effective at cancelling out keystroke noise as the AI noise cancellation. As well as this, Sonar also provides access to a volume mixer for your entire system, and some EQ preset options, depending on what you want to get out of the Alias. These aren’t must-have features by any means, but they are nice to have.
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Should you buy it?
You want stylish looks
Where the SteelSeries Alias wins especially is with its left-field and sleek looks that offer a different look to more traditional microphones.
You want a more affordable option
For a USB microphone, it is an expensive choice, with options from other manufacturers costing a lot less.
Final Thoughts
For a first attempt, SteelSeries has largely got things right with the Alias. It’s a well-made USB microphone that’s easy to use and offers clear and consistent pickup, making it a solid choice for content creators, streamers and more. The addition of on-board controls and LED indicator lights are nice touches, as are the sturdy metal and plastic stand and integrated shock mount.
The cardioid pickup pattern springs no surprises and makes the Alias an excellent performer overall, with clear and smooth output, while the additional Sonar software provides a few useful options to enhance the experience further, including its AI noise cancellation and compressor.
However, it’s hard to ignore its high markup. Options from more established audio brands such as the Audio Technica AT2020+ are two-thirds of the price of the Alias and offer most of the experience SteelSeries’ choice does, just without a slick software suite that most people won’t use. You are really paying for the looks here, as well as some solid audio performance, but the Alias’ RRP is just a little too expensive to make it a no-brainer option.
How we test
During each microphone review, we conduct a series of recording tests that include sampling audio during ideal settings, with background noise applied and in an outdoor setting (where possible), to give you the best idea of how each device performs in real-world use.
Performance tested in a variety of conditions
Tested all available features
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FAQs
No, the SteelSeries Alias doesn’t need additional software to work, but GG can provide some additional functions and features including a noise gate and compressor.
Yes, the SteelSeries Alias can work with a boom arm, with its additional thread adapter in the box. You just need to unscrew the microphone from the stand and attach it accordingly.
Full specs
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
