Earthworks Icon Review: So Much Stage Presence!

POSITIVES

✓ Gorgeous Appearance

Will stand out in your frame

✓ Build Quality

Machine chamfered and constructed beautifully

✓ In The Room

Warm, wholesome sound feels like you're in the room

Negatives

✓ Expensive

Glance at price tag will turn many people away

✓ Micro-USB

Needs USB-C to benefit lack of setup needed

✓ Heavy

Full stainless steel body makes it a bit heavy on mic arms

Purchase Price: $349.99

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Over the years, I’ve become a bit of a microphone junkie. I say microphone junkie instead of audiophile because while I do have some audio mixing knowledge, I’m far from being an expert in that field. I’m a microphone junkie because I’m interested in the unique form factors that microphones have been so keenly crafted since the 1920’s. I remember being a child and being infatuated with the microphone sitting on Johnny Carson’s desk to the point that when I decided to make Youtube videos, I knew I wanted to have an eye-catching centerpiece. While I do value the added quality of XLR microphones, there’s some aspects of USB mics that draw me to use them for Youtube. I spent the entire year of 2020 almost exclusively using the HyperX Quadcast and while I enjoyed using it for my intended purposes, I became drawn over to a brand called Earthworks in what was essentially love at first sight. At the time I was hosting a podcast and wanted a warmer tone to offset my (as Seri claims) “nasally” voice. With the Earthworks Icon, not only was it gorgeous to look at, but it also had the sound consistency to back up the lofty price tag. 

Looks Do Matter

If you’ve been watching videos on the Sypnotix over the last year, you may have noticed the Icon in our videos. Our video tone is set through the way I speak directly with my audience about tech products. As such, my microphone is always in the frame of our shot. When you watch our videos, it kind of feels like a friendly dialogue you may have had with someone online. That’s intentional. Constructed solely from solid stainless steel, the Icon is in my opinion the best looking consumer USB microphone out there right now. There’s an undeniable timeless aura that this cardioid capsule exudes. It’s a stage presence fit to be in front of a camera. This looks gorgeous as part of my set design and instantly elevates the professional look of any setting. There’s also considerable heft behind the construction of the mic that combines well with the precise chamfering to give a luxury appearance many USB microphones simply don’t match up with. It is without argument, a dashing piece no matter what angle you look at it from.

There are two versions of the Icon microphone for consumers to purchase: the regular Icon and then the Pro version. The Pro version is an XLR microphone while this regular version of the Icon is a plug and play USB mic. There absolutely is a market for high-end USB microphones for people who want to deliver higher quality recordings in a more flexible environment. Earthworks supplies buyers with a relatively sturdy ball mount desktop stand that you can actually even hold when talking. It’s very durable, but I prefer it mounted on my Thronmax arm, which combines together quite nicely with the Icon. While it is slightly on the heavier side thanks to the build material, the Thronmax arm is sturdy enough to keep it stable at various angles. The Icon microphone shines best when you take it on the go for work. The ball mount is terrific for micro-adjustments. This mechanism is smoother and better than most of the light stand or accessory tripod versions of a ball mount. It’s a consistent quality that reinforces the durability aspect of Earthwork’s products. If you have a video podcast that functions remotely, having a good looking on-screen presence while maintaining audio quality you can reliably trust is extremely valuable. On the rear side of the mic, there is an audio knob for gain control that also functions as a mute button when pressed, a headphone jack for monitoring and a micro-USB port for bus power. It’s extremely disappointing that a modern USB microphone would choose micro-USB over USB-C, but in my specific use case, the microphone is plugged into my PC permanently so at least I don’t need to carry around an extra cable.     

Punching Above Its Class

I sometimes record and sit in awe during playback listening to the warmth in my voice that was recorded from a USB microphone. There’s a sense of clarity and raspiness that reminds me of a live performance setup over that of a distant media recording. For a small cardioid polar pattern, the Icon isolates unwanted noise by utilizing a unidirectional form factor to its advantage. While my home filming studio is a bit more sound dampened than most home offices, I find what the Icon does actually pickup in the background to be much easier to tweak and clean up through Logic Pro X than what my previous two mics would pick up within the same location. My gain settings are usually in the lower range while I tend to place myself about 3-4 inches away from the microphone. That seems to be the sweet spot for my unique wavelength. I’ve enjoyed tinkering with EQ editing for podcast purposes with various microphones I’ve owned, but I’ve found myself easing off a reliance on DSP plugins thanks to this stable and transparent sound I’ve been consistently getting from the Icon. It’s kind of nice not needing an audio interface for an XLR setup while still receiving quality that is almost if not just as clear from a USB microphone. The fact that I can even put a USB microphone in the same sentence as an XLR mic with an audio interface speaks volumes about the quality that Earthworks has created here.   

$350 of Quality

It’s a gorgeous looking microphone that begs to be in front of the camera, while punching above its classification as a USB microphone.

The Icon quickly replaced any microphone in my arsenal as the tool of choice for my audio needs. In older Sypno Tech videos, I was originally gathering audio by propping up a Rode NTG-2 on a boom pole with a C-Stand. While that gave me a clean image without equipment clogging up the frame, I eventually settled for a more homey feel with a cardioid mic on a desktop arm. While that decision did somewhat lower my audio flexibility and arguably muddied up my set design, the Icon rectified and unified all of those aspects together. It’s a gorgeous looking microphone that begs to be in front of the camera, while punching above its classification as a USB microphone. The biggest detractor I can muster against this microphone is that it can cost just as much as an XLR microphone and an audio interface combined. I could at least argue that the Earthworks Icon can hold its own outside of its category. Condensing the middleman is a quality that shouldn’t be overlooked in modern consumer audio products. 

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