Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Logitech Yeti 2 two-minute review
It’s been 17 years since Blue launched the original Yeti, and it didn’t take long for it to become fan a favorite in the world of consumer desktop mics. There have been tweaks and touch-ups here and there, but few major changes, even after Logitech bought Blue in 2018. Until now, that is.
I’ve been using the first Yeti for years, so I was intrigued to know how the new model compared. The good news is that while there’s plenty to love about the original Yeti — it became a household name for a reason, after all — the Yeti 2 is even more impressive. It’s one of the best microphones for streaming available right now.
Put the two microphones on a desk together and you’ll see that the Yeti 2 is very slightly more compact, yet it still retains the distinctive Yeti aesthetic. More noticeable when you pick them up is the weight — at 995g (2.19lbs), the Yeti 2 is almost 50% lighter than the 1.4kg (3.09lbs) Yeti.
Latest Videos FromTechRadar
(Image credit: Future)
Another thing that immediately catches your eye is the Yeti 2’s built-in LED display, which sits above a singular dial that can be pushed in like a button. This display is a new addition and, in combination with the dial, essentially replaces the volume, mute, gain and polar pattern controls on the old Yeti.
This lets you change the mic’s settings and monitor its audio levels on the display, all without needing Logitech’s G Hub app. It’s a handy feature if you want to make quick adjustments on the fly, although we found the push-in dial to be a little finicky at times, where pressing it would occasionally not do anything. Still, it’s useful for quick changes if you don’t fancy diving into the G Hub app.
If you do want to do that, though, there are plenty of audio presets to choose from, including those for interviews, singing, speech to text, different instruments, and more. You can make manual adjustments to equalizer levels, enable the gate, compressor and more, and work through input gain settings, then save your settings to the app or one of five on-board profiles. Those profiles can be set to automatically activate when specific games launch, too.
(Image credit: Future)
That said, G Hub is probably not the most in-depth experience you’re likely to find. For beginners, though, switching polar patterns and adjusting the built-in noise cancelation is about all you’ll need.
The most important part of any microphone, of course, is its audio quality. And here, the Yeti 2 really delivers. Compared to my long-serving Yeti, the Yeti 2 sounded much crisper and clearer. The Yeti was by no means bad, but the latest model shows strong signs of improvement, no doubt helped by the improvement from 16-bit to 24-bit audio and the addition of software noise cancelation.
Part of that is thanks to the new Auto Tracking polar pattern that detects where your sound is coming from and automatically adjusts the pickup area accordingly, ensuring the input is optimized, wherever you’re sat. You can still set a manual polar pattern if you like, but Auto Tracking is effective enough that it will be the best option for most people.
(Image credit: Future)
Another useful aspect of this voice proximity sensor is its impact on gain. Now, the Yeti 2 can automatically decrease or increase the gain as you move closer to or further away from the mic, ensuring your input volume remains level throughout. This feature isn’t perfect — I noticed my voice picked up more echo the as I moved away — but it’s much better than what you got with the first Yeti, where you’d just get quieter as you moved away.
As you’d expect from Blue/Logitech, the Yeti 2’s build quality is top notch. The main body is made of metal and feels rock solid. The included metal stand has a soft padded base to keep it from slipping, while the lugs that hold the mic screwed into the base are rubberized to minimize bumps and shakes while you’re recording. This thing looks beautiful and feels like it’s made to last.
(Image credit: Future)
There’s a thread on the bottom for attaching the Yeti 2 to a boom arm, in case you’d rather use it that way instead of upright in its stand. The display can also be flipped 180 degrees, which makes reading it an awful lot easier when it’s mounted this way.
There’s not a lot to dislike about the Yeti 2. The single push-in dial didn’t seem to be the most reliable feature and merging several buttons into one means it takes a little longer to scroll through the settings than dedicated dials would. We’re also disappointed to see the price has increased versus the original Yeti. But that’s all blown away compared to thing you care about most with a microphone — namely, its audio quality — which is as good as it gets in a consumer mic.
Logitech Yeti 2 review: Price & release date
- Available to buy now
- Priced at $159.99 / £139.99 / $249.95 AUD
The Logitech Yeti 2 is available now from Logitech’s website or from third-party retailers. It’s priced at $159.99 / £139.99 / $249.95 AUD.
It’s more expensive than the original Yeti, which was most recently sold for $139.99 (and is currently on sale for $109.99 on Logitech’s website), but the Yeti 2 is not unreasonably expensive. It also offers an awful lot for the price.
Logitech Yeti 2 review: Specs
|
Polar patterns |
Auto Tracking, stereo, cardioid, figure8, omni, hypercardioid, supercardioid, custom |
|
Frequency range |
20Hz – 20kHz |
|
Connectivity |
USB-C |
|
Audio bit rate |
24-bit |
|
Sample rate |
48kHz |
Should I buy the Logitech Yeti 2?
|
Attribute |
Notes |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
The clever new LED display makes adjusting settings quick and easy |
5/5 |
|
Performance |
Pitch-perfect audio makes this the consumer mic to beat |
5/5 |
|
Design |
The Yeti 2 looks sleek and understated while being built to last |
5/5 |
|
Value |
The slight cost increase is disappointing, but it’s still fairly priced |
4/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
How I tested the Logitech Yeti 2
- I tested the mic’s performance during games and on calls with friends. I also made test recordings and compared it to the original Yeti
- I also spent time putting the microphone’s software features through their paces in the Razer G Hub app
I spent a week testing the microphone on my PC. I called friends to test its performance during gaming sessions and made audio recordings where I directly compared its audio quality with that of the original Yeti mic.
