Elgato Wave Go gives the creator-gear brand its first wireless microphone, built so a single transmitter works as a coin-sized clip-on or drops into a handle and becomes a full-size handheld mic. Elgato is a Corsair brand and put the system on sale on October 13 through its own webstore.
Per Elgato, the transmitter weighs 7 grams in clip-on mode and attaches magnetically to clothing. Seated in the Smart Handle, which carries its own controls and battery, it switches to a second sound profile tuned for close-up speech. One USB-C receiver plugs into a phone for both modes, and on a PC or Mac the system also works through Wave Link, the company's free mixing software.
Most of the sound work on the Elgato Wave Go happens without a menu. Elgato says a condenser capsule feeds onboard processing that adds automatic gain, a limiter and a low-cut filter, and the receiver has a button for noise cancellation. The free iOS and Android app adds adjustable gain and noise cancellation, battery monitoring and more. The trade is plain: fewer knobs in exchange for a mic that behaves the same way in a bag, on a lapel or in a hand.
Runtime is the other selling point of the Elgato Wave Go. The transmitter lasts up to 8 hours per charge, and the Smart Handle recharges it while docked, even mid-recording. The handle holds up to 5 full recharges, which Elgato puts at up to 48 hours in total, and 10 minutes on the charger buys roughly an hour of use. The receiver also passes power through to the phone.
Elgato Wave Go costs $99.99 in the US and is sold at elgato.com in more than 40 countries and regions, with authorized retailers to follow. The box holds the transmitter, receiver, Smart Handle, carrying case, two magnetic mounts, windscreens and a USB-C cable, and a Sky Blue colorway is exclusive to the webstore while supplies last. A second transmitter is $29.99 separately or $14.99 when bought with the system on elgato.com, so by our arithmetic a two-person setup comes to about $115. It pairs with the same receiver and stores inside the handle.
