Logitech Blue Sona mic review: 'Premium quality sound for home studios'

Logitech microphone, not two words you’d generally expect to see side by side and definitely not a brand you’d naturally be looking for in a studio setting. Yet here we are, the Logitech Blue Sona - the first entry into the broadcast audio space for Logitech - sort of.

In 2018 Logitech acquired iconic microphone manufacturer Blue and the Blue Sona is the first fruit born from that tree. So while all the branding says Logitech, this $349/£299 dynamic XLR microphone is far from a beginner’s first attempt, there’s Blue blood running through its veins. 

We put the Blue Sona through its paces to see where it sits among the best microphones for streaming. 

Design and Features

Everywhere I looked on the Logitech Blue Sona I found something new to like. Hats off, it’s a really nicely designed microphone full of clever touches. You’ll find two versions of the Blue Sona available, all black or mostly white, I’ve been playing with the latter.

There’s a bit of sci-fi weapon vibe to the Blue Sona. The rounded off rectangular body held aloft by a robust, equally rounded off mounting point with its XLR connection bolted on to underneath - it’s all very spaceship railgun and the metallic white colourway is doing nothing to hold that aesthetic back. It’s wholly pleasant though and everything is nicely in proportion to itself.

Every part of the body bar the interchangeable windscreen is metal which is both nice to see and expected at this prosumer price point. You’ll find two of the foam pop filter windscreens in the box which came as a fun surprise, not least because your options are a classic black or eye-poppingly bright red. They’re easily swapped out with a subtle magnetic connector and it’s refreshing to see a brand offering customisation that isn’t an excuse to take more cash from your pocket. I rocked the red and was greeted with more than one complement on it.

The Logitech Blue Sona isn’t a small microphone by any means, however the attached bracket offers great flexibility when it comes to mounting positions, working equally well either hanging off or standing up on the mic arm that you’ll need to supply yourself. I like to keep my microphone off screen and actually ran the Logitech Blue Sona on its side halfway between the two and it lay happily floating in mid air throughout testing.

On the end of the Blue Sona you’ll find another of its clever little touches, given away only by a helpful sticker, hiding underneath the Logi logo is a secret panel. A little push at the bottom pops the magnetic panel off to reveal the onboard EQ switches. It’s a nifty solution and also allows you to orientate the Logi logo the right way up no matter the mounting position, if you’re concerned about that sort of thing.

Performance

At $349/£299 the Blue Sona has a lot to live up to if it’s to compete with other options within its price range. Thankfully for Logitech though, this is where the expertise of that Blue connection really starts to pay off. 

Being XLR you’ll need an audio interface (and you’ll need one that delivers phantom powered too) and it’s a BYO XLR cable situation as there isn’t one in the box. For my testing I used the Elgato Wave XLR and a cable from RODE. Overall I was impressed by what Logitech have put together with the Blue Sona. Audio performance is strong across the areas that matter most for streamers and podcasters and it’s clear there’s been some focus placed on those use cases. There’s a load of clever work going on under the hood with the Logitech Blue Sona that all works together to deliver excellent sound. 

The result is super clean vocal performance, even in environments that aren’t ideal for pristine audio. There’s a little acoustic treatment in my streaming setup, but there’s also a wooden floor and a lot of hard surfaces so it’s far from ideal. I found the Logitech Blue Sona did a great job at putting my voice front and centre and I’d back it to still perform well in even the least ideal home studio spaces. My voice came across strong and clear and distractions like my mechanical keyboard were muted at best.

Out of the box the Blue Sona delivers a pretty balanced sound that I found to be a nice compromise between realistic and stylistic. There’s no overly intimate podcast voice closeness but being a dynamic microphone there’s no overriding sense of roominess either. Logitech offer some control onboard as hidden under the secret panel on the end are two switches that control the onboard EQ options. The effectiveness of these will vary from one voice to the next so it’ll be a case of trial and error. For me, I found the changes they made a little intense so I kept them both off but that’s down to personal preference more than anything.

Should you buy the Logitech Blue Sona mic?

I’m hesitant to call the Blue Sona a debut offering for Logitech, but the truth is even if this microphone had been released under the Blue branding proper it would still be a triumph and worthy of applause. 

Yes, the $349/£299 price point is steep (particularly for those who need to invest in an interface, cable and mic arm too) but the results speak for themselves and there’s really no area of weakness. The Logitech Blue Sona is a strong performer that comfortably sits at the top end of options for a home streaming studio or podcast setup. 

That said, if you're just getting started you likely don't need all the bells and whistles on offer here. For something cheaper, we'd recommend checking out the Blue Yeti Nano. You're getting the same Blue pedigree but dropping a few prosumer features for a sub-$100 / £100 price point. 

How we tested the Logitech Blue Sona mic

I added the Logitech Blue Sona to my streaming setup and used it for livestreaming on Twitch, Discord calls and some specific sound testing. It was mounted on a RODE mic arm throughout and connected to an Elgato Wave XLR interface (without Wave Link software) with a RODE XLR cable. For more information on how we make our recommendations, check out the full 12DOVE Hardware Policy. 

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