You can find this review in full at GBAtemp.net:
https://gbatemp.net/review/roccat-torch-usb-microphone.1898/

If you’ve been keeping up to date with my reviews, you’ll likely remember the Roccat headset I recently had a look at. For those, who might have skipped over this one, I can summarise it nicely. It’s a great headset, but quite unlike my usual self, I had lost the detachable microphone within a week. While much of the reason comes down to my own idle idiocy, a significant portion of the blame has to be attributed to the fact I was just using something better to record my dulcet tones. That something is Roccat’s new Torch microphone.

Lurking within the box is the microphone itself, a base to mount it on, and a small assortment of cables. Assembly is about as simple as it gets; pop the mic into the base, connect to the base using a cable, then connect the base to your PC using a separate cable. The cables themselves are relatively standard offerings for Roccat, with some fairly sturdy-feeling braiding on show. Mounted in the base, the microphone can be rotated freely, limited largely by the length of the cable connecting it. As well as this it can be leant back, though I’m not certain of the use case for this as somebody who traditionally talks into microphones in an upright position. Even when pushed fully back though, the base offers enough stability to keep the microphone from toppling over. It’s perhaps not the most stable in this position but it’ll withstand a few knocks without falling. On the back you also have a 3.5mm jack to plug in your earphones, which is certainly a nice addition if your PC happens to sit a little distance from you.

A base or stand with a microphone is a fairly standard inclusion. With my previous Blue Snowball coming with a fairly simple tripod, I was really interested to see mixer-style controls attached to the base of the Torch. In easy reach you have a slider to adjust gain on the fly, a rocker to adjust the output volume going to your earphones via the jack, and one final rocker to move between the different patterns available to the microphone. The whole package comes together to a standard I’ve come to expect of Roccat. No part of this feels cheap, no part unintentional. The mixer functionality on the base is genuinely useful and goes a long way in justifying a more premium price for what could be considered an entry level streaming microphone.

Looking at the mic patterns available, you have the option to switch between cardioid, stereo, and whisper modes. For the vast majority of people, cardioid will suit you perfectly well. It captures the voice directly in front of the microphone, and I’ve found it significantly better than my Snowball for capturing just what’s in front, in oppose to the greater world lurking around it. If the world is what you’re wanting people to listen to though, stereo mode has you covered. Utilising the left and right audio channels, you get what could be considered a fuller sound. While I don’t think this improves the quality of speaking into the microphone, there is some definite utility to be found if recording with multiple people, instruments, or if wanting to simulate your position relative to the microphone for some kind of ASMR content. Finally, and to me, most usefully, we have whisper mode. This follows the same general ideology as the cardioid setup, with the bonus of boosting the volume somewhat. I’ve found this incredibly useful for late-night streaming with the walls in my house being relatively thin.

Though at first glance a gamer gimmick, the lighting on the microphone serves a great purpose in showing you its current configuration at a glance. With both the Roccat logo and strips of lighting to the left and right of the microphone glowing, you have a constant view of what you’re doing even if you occupy a dark room where viewing the icons on the base is too difficult. Light blue is whisper mode, yellow is cardioid mode, and purple is stereo mode. As well as the colour, you can tell the current gain level by how much of the light strips are lit. If the whole thing is lit up, you’re as loud as you can be. Half of the light strip means you’re half as loud, I’m sure you get the idea. I love the versatility to fiddle with things quickly and easily, with the visual feedback giving further incentive to pick this over software options.

The final standout feature of the Torch is a simple one, but one I really do appreciate: the ability to mute it with a wave of my hand. Thanks to a nifty sensor at the top of the microphone, you have the power to silence yourself without having to fumble about or hit any noisy buttons. You can toggle the detection range of the sensor using a switch on the back of the base, with the ability to disable it entirely also available. I’ve found it work really well when streaming, but if you happen to have cables lying near the top of the microphone, you’ll likely want to disable the feature. It can be a little too trigger-happy if the area directly above it isn’t usually empty. You can also mute the microphone by pressing in the volume rocker if you don’t mind the momentary clicking sound.

When it comes to software-based customisation options there’s surprisingly little on offer. I don’t think it’s a particularly terrible thing. As with the Syn Pro Air, I’m relieved to see Roccat moving away from Swarm as their driver software of choice in place of the newer Neon. Unlike the Syn Pro Air however, there really is nothing to tweak for the Torch. And that isn’t an exaggeration. What exactly do you use Neon for? As the aptly titled software may suggest, for the AIMO lighting. My recommendation though? Don’t. AIMO lighting is something I praise every time I review a Roccat product. The idea of a unified and smart lighting system that just decides on its own when to flow, when to dance, it’s genuinely one of my favourite things about Roccat. With the Torch though, there’s just no room for it. All that changes is the Roccat logo on the front of the device, creating a messy and uncharacteristically ununified appearance, with the bars of light surrounding it still indicating your selected pattern and gain levels. It’s a nice option I’m sure some will appreciate, but I’m a little disappointed they didn’t do a little more with it. Lighting around the base would have been particularly interesting, keeping the microphone lighting for its purpose and allowing you to experience the joys of AIMO in an unobtrusive way. I do understand something like this would have increased costs however, and at £89.99, it’s already skirting what some may deem reasonable for an introductory microphone to streaming.

I’m not going to pretend to be particularly knowledgeable when it comes to the specification of microphones. I say this a lot with headsets I pick up, but frankly, I am an end user more than I am an expert. I want to be able to use a product and know it sounds right, that it sounds good and clear. After using the Torch for around a month now, that’s exactly what I feel. Setup is as simple as plug and play, and right out of the box it sounds great. You can see below for some stream highlights showing the microphone in different settings, namely the cardioid and whisper modes. For clarity, the video of losing to Brawly is using the cardioid setting, and the video of losing to May is the whisper setting.

With not being an expert, there’s no fancy tweaking happening here. Outside of the standard OBS noise suppression plugin to mask the sound of air conditioning, you have a vanilla experience on show. To me, the standard cardioid setting sounds best, but I was quite impressed to hear just how clear I sounded with whisper mode. For those wanting to tear apart the full specs, you can find them below:

• Sample/Bit Rate: 48kHz,
• 24-bit with optional selection for 44.1kHz
• Capsules: 2 × ROCCAT Proprietary ∅14 × 6.5mm condenser capsules
• Pickup Patterns: Cardioid, Stereo, Whisper (ROCCAT Proprietary)
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
• Max SPL: 110dB
• Zero-latency 3.5mm, 4-Pole headphone socket

All in all though, the Torch is a microphone I love. A distinct upgrade from my aged and beloved Snowball, it stands as a fantastic entry point to better sound quality for the budding streamer. £89.99 might be a price to put some off, especially when starting out, but I feel the features offered paired with the ease of use and sound quality go a long way in justifying it. It’s one to check out.