Wavo POD & Boom Arm Review

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Tech Specs

Let’s Wavo some of that!

Joby, the US-born tech company owned by UK-based Videndum, has on offer the Wavo POD microphone and Wavo Boom Arm accessory. These two look like the perfect streaming companions, but are they BOOM-ing their way into your setup or will we Wavo them goodbye?

What’s in the box…es?

With the Wavo POD, you get the microphone itself, as well as the pop filter assembly, along with the U-bracket with stand and two USB-C Cables (one to USB-C and one to USB-A) and the instruction manual. The Boom Arm comes with the arm itself plus an extra desk grommet for central mounting. It also boasts an extra set of red cable channel covers in case you wish to switch. There is no physical instruction manual with the Boom Arm; instead, JOBY has opted to include a QR code for a digital manual – kudos from me for saving paper!

Companions at Arms

The JOBY Wavo POD and Boom Arm are genuinely beautiful. The black and red is a classic colour combination, and once plugged in, the blue illuminations on the POD do not take away from the overall style. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they improve it! The two also feel more like premium devices despite being marketed as a starting setup which also definitely works in their favour. The metal parts feel sturdy, and the plastic parts feel well-made. Care has obviously gone into the materials used.

Wavo-ing a blast

The function of the Wavo POD is very simplistic, but that approach certainly works in its favour. The gain control is also the mute button if you give it a press instead of turning it, and you can switch between the directional and omnidirectional modes at the touch of a button – great if you are recording an intro and then move onto an interview-style stream or podcast. The base is also removable on the U-bracket, so you can attach it to the Boom Arm if you wish. The POD itself can also attach to the Boom Arm without the U-Bracket. However, the bracket itself has 1/4″ side mounts on either side where you can attach other accessories, such as a flexible monopod/arm to hold a small webcam or light. The Wavo POD also has a 3.5mm jack connector, so you can monitor your voice levels in real-time and adjust as necessary.

The Boom arm is simple itself, being assembled out of the box. The adapter supplied with the POD helps you effortlessly attach it to the Boom Arm. To use the cable channel, you only have to slide out the covers, which is also great if you want to switch from the black covers to the bundled red ones, as I did. The desk clamp has rubber on either side, so your desk will be protected from scratches when you attach the Boom Arm to your desk, and it also comes with a handy headphone hook and drinks holder!

Sound Service

The sound quality from the Wavo POD is excellent, especially considering the price tag. The clarity is fantastic, and it picks up most vocal tones with ease. The latency-free monitoring makes it incredibly easy to check your mic levels, too and adjusting the volume couldn’t be easier unless it was thought-controlled. The ability to switch between mono and omnidirectional pickup on the fly is also worth commending. Coupled with the simplicity of the Boom Arm, you have a brilliant setup for streamers and podcasters alike.

The PODcast

The Wavo POD and Boom Arm are both great pieces of kit separately, but together they are possibly the best entry point into online content creation I have come across in terms of sound. I am by no means a master creator, but even I found them incredibly easy to use, and surprisingly, they added a bit more nuance to my online tabletop RPG games. The ability to not be tethered to a headset allowed a lot more expression for me as a DM, and I believe it could also do the same in any sort of streaming scenario. For me, this is where you start for your sound if you want to create any sort of online content.

5 out of 5

5

You can purchase the Wavo POD here, the Wavo Boom Arm here or you can purchase them both in the Wavo POD streamer kit here.

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