YellowTec iXm and iXm Podcaster in a microphone recording test! - YellowTec iXm recording mic review - iXm mic head comparison
The first impression of the YellowTec iXm and iXm Podcaster
When you pick up the iXm for the first time, you get the feeling that it is a normal, high-quality recording microphone for interviews and mobile recordings. And actually it is! But there is one feature that puts the YellowTec in the pole position, compared to all other reporter and interview microphones. The microphone cannot clip/overdrive and it adapts its input gain to any volume! More on this later.
Once you have screwed the iXm microphone head onto the housing, you will also notice that you can select the directional characteristic and type of construction (dynamic or condenser)! This increases the flexibility of the microphone enormously.
Due to the integrated recorder, the microphone is somewhat heavy, but very high-quality and robust. There are self-explanatory buttons that make operation extremely easy. Once switched on, you can start recording at the touch of a button.
Dynamic cardioid on the Podcaster - microphone capsules of your choice on the iXm
You can tell with YellowTec: Someone has really put some thought into it. When you order an iXm, you not only get a suitable USB cable (some manufacturers have even discontinued this), but also an SD card and suitable batteries. So you can get started straight away. The microphone capsule of the Podcaster is always the dynamic cardioid of the iXm Pro Line, as the blue Podcaster is only compatible with this capsule.
With the iXm you can choose from 5 capsules with different recording patterns! More on this below. The microphones are modern and stylishly packaged and you immediately notice that they are comfortable but also a little heavy in the hand. This is of course due to the built-in recording device.
Recording in any situation - no problem with LEA!
The unique selling point of the microphone is the onboard LEA engine. LEA stands for Level Energy Arbitration and it clearly distinguishes itself from other AGCs (i.e. Auto Gain Control). YellowTec’s LEA is designed so that you don’t hear any compression or “pumping”, and the background noise is comparatively very low. You can also hear this in the audio examples below, despite the loud environment, speech intelligibility is given and no distortion can be heard. In our German YouTube video, you can hear uns talking on a busy train station.
This is what distinguishes LEA, but also the fact that you can get a usable recording in almost any situation. We’re writing “almost”, as we unfortunately couldn’t record next to a military jet taking off, so you’d better try it out for yourself 😉 But even in a very quiet environment, the LEA engine adapts super quickly and the voice is still recorded in high quality. For these quieter recordings, however, the Beyerdynamic Premium Line is recommended, because it has a little lower noise level. This brings us to the iXm microphone capsules!
Adjustable iXm head + Audio examples of iXm pro heads and premium heads
With the screw-on microphone capsule system, the microphone is super adaptable and flexible. Do you want a directional dynamic microphone with a cardioid characteristic? Get the Pro Line cardioid
Need a sensitive omnidirectional electret condenser? Get the Premium Line omnidirectional.
There are 5 different microphone heads:
iXm PRO cardioid (included with the iXm Podcaster)
iXm PREMIUM cardioid (by Beyerdynamic)
iXm PRO supercardioid
iXm PREMIUM supercardioid (by Beyerdynamic)
iXm PREMIUM omnidirectional (by Beyerdynamic)
You can clearly hear that the frequency response of the iXm mic heads is slightly different, with the dynamic capsule typically having a slightly duller or more bass-emphasized sound.
You can find out more about design and pickup patterns in our article on podcast microphones!
YellowTec iXm bundle for your podcast
With the YellowTec iXm bundle, you have all the cables, a bag for on the go and an SD card with you. This means you are fully equipped and can read the SD card on the go via USB-C on your laptop or Lightning on your iPhone and listen to or edit the recordings immediately.
Difference between YellowTec iXm and iXm Podcaster
Podcaster:
– blue
– usable only with AA batteries (approx. 6 hours battery life)
– only dynamic cardioid can be used
– price: 639€
iXm
– grey
– in addition to AA battery compartment, built-in rechargeable battery (approx. 8 hours battery life + approx. 6 hours battery life)
– compatible with all 5 mic capsules
– Price: 899€-1099€
With our code you get a 5% discount on all products in the YellowTec Shop! We earn a small commission, so you support our work.
Other functions of the iXm Recording Mic
The iXm software can also be used to customize presets for the LEA engine, for example. Additionally, a so-called pre-roll function can be activated, which can be used to record 10 seconds before the voice recording, for example. This means that the microphone is always “ready” and, if you want to capture a sentence that has already been said before the recording, you can still record it.
We find the software and the functions it contains very confusing. If you know your way around, you can have fun here and make settings like crazy, for example activating Broadcast Waves or MP2. But we only used the normal setting on the iXm, as this works great in almost all cases!
Conclusion: Robust microphone that simply picks up everything well.
If you’re looking for a robust microphone for on the go, or you do a lot of interviews, or you just want to be able to record more flexibly in the future, then the iXm recording microphone is for you! We can guarantee that you won’t need our sound rescue service again, because the iXm always picks up a usable recording, regardless of the recording environment! Great for voice recordings on the go.
There is definitely room for improvement in the software, although you don’t use it daily, we only opened it for testing purposes. Another negative aspect is the rather outdated mini-USB cable; the iXm needs an update here. Maybe, there will be a lighter and more modern version of the iXm in the future.
The microphones are used daily by broadcasters such as WDR and SWR, which is also proof of how indestructible this microphone is.
*Affiliate partnership: If you buy a YellowTec product with our code, you not only save 5%, but we also get a small commission. This way you support our work, thank you!