Podcasting has been a thing for quite some time now and since the pandemic, it seems to have exploded to even greater heights. According to Demand Sage’s podcasting statistics report, there are currently 5 million podcasts as of 2023 with a listening audience of over 464 million!
This makes the market for podcast specific gear a lucrative one! So it wasn’t a huge stretch to see Joby, the manufacturer of your favorite Youtuber’s camera grip, reach into the podcasting sphere to round out their product offerings to include recording equipment like podcast microphones, studio lighting and an array of microphone mounting options.
Recently Joby sent out their Wavo POD podcasting setup ($118USD) along with the Wavo Boom Arm ($99USD) for review purposes. What did we think? Let’s get into it.
The Wavo POD and Wavo Boom Arm arrived packaged in separate branded boxes. Inside the POD’s box was the microphone, desktop mount, plastic windscreen, USB-C cable and manuals. The Boom Arm’s box included the Boom Arm, colored plastic strips for running cables along the inside of the arm, two different desktop mounting plates and all the accessories necessary for mounting the Wavo POD or any other microphone to the arm. The package also included the GorillaPod Arm Smart ($4USD) and GripTight Smart ($19USD) accessories to complete the Wavo POD podcasting package.
I was pleasantly surprised at the design and construction of the Wavo POD. It feels premium at a weight of 1.55 Lbs. On the rear of the microphone is a ¼” screw mount for attaching accessories like any of Joby’s microphone accessories. My bundle came with the GorillaPod Arm Smart and the GripTight Smart which together, allow you to mount your smartphone using the Wavo POD’s ¼” mount so that the phone can be used as a front-facing camera or teleprompter. A smart design consideration!
The Wavo POD electret condenser microphone boasts broadcast sound with cardioid and omnidirectional patterns. This means that the microphone can be switched to focus on your voice when you are sitting directly in front of the microphone and ignoring the good majority of noise behind the microphone itself or for interview purposes, to pick up the sounds both in front and behind the microphone. Technically this is more of a bi-directional microphone since the Wavo POD captures what’s behind and in front while in omni-directional mode. This is great if you have multiple guests you want to interview or you would like to pick up the room acoustics. This is easily selected (and indicated) by pushing the pattern button on the front of the microphone which lights up your selected pattern. A lighted multifunction gain/volume dial allows you to change the gain/volume of your voice or mute the microphone altogether by pressing down on the knob which is surrounded by a cool light ring that indicates which adjustment you are making (blue for volume/purple for gain). The mic also has a 3.5mm headphone jack for connecting headphones to monitor levels. It is located right beside the USB-C port on the bottom.
The Wavo Boom Arm is also well built, weighty and feels premium. Constructed of matte black aluminum with Joby’s signature red accents. The desk clamp mounts securely to my desktop and the arm swings nicely out of the way when not in use. The Wavo POD’s USB cable connects to the bottom USB-C port on the mic and then runs inside the Wavo Boom Arm’s cable track which is covered by included black or Joby red cable strips which snap into the arm to keep cables hidden. I also really appreciated Joby’s inclusion of a cup holder and headphone hook on the base of the mount! The silicone desk mounting pads do a pretty good job of isolating noise from manipulating the arm, but it did pick up noise occasionally when I set my cup down or picked up my headphones.
There’s no additional software needed for the Joby Wavo POD microphone to work. Provided you have a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) like Reaper (free), Audacity (free) or Garageband (Mac/iOS). The Joby Wavo POD sounds great for the price! I found bass a little lacking in some frequencies, but I was able to dial that up using my DAW’s EQ and get a decent sounding NPR sound. The Wavo POD also records at a sampling rate of 44hHz/24 Bit which puts it on par with the Blue Yeti podcasting mic.
While the Wavo POD is marketed squarely at podcasters, it’s also perfectly suited for streaming, voice-over work and work-from-home people that want to upgrade the quality of their meeting calls. While it probably wouldn’t be my first choice for recording high res vocals or instruments in a studio setting, this is not the Wavo POD’s best use case. Having said that, it would be more than adequate for capturing a quick demo track.
Would I recommend Joby’s Wavo POD and Podcasting setup for podcasters? Absolutely. Its great value puts it in a very competitive price point for beginner and amateur podcasters and the vast number of accessories for virtually any application makes it a very versatile piece of kit for the streamer/Youtuber or voice-over artist.
Note: Our reviews are always 100% independent but Gearadical receives a small affiliate amount if you purchase the product on amazon.
