Tom's Hardware Verdict
The Blue Snowball iCE is an excellent way to get into vocal recording or streaming, if you can get used to its quirks.

$39.99
at Amazon
Pros
+Solid metal stand
+Small enough to toss in a backpack
+Mid-century looks
+Great sound is possible, with tweaking
Cons
-Just one polar pattern
-Doesn’t handle distance or extreme closeups well
-Feature-rich Snowball only marginally pricierü

Blue’s family of USB microphones has shaken up the streamer gear market like no other brand, finding their way onto gamer desks and podcast studios the world over. The company’s flagship Yeti X is one of the best gaming microphones, and even the cheaper Yeti Nano gives the rest of the market a run for its money for just $99(opens in new tab).

This being the tech industry though, successful products multiply fast, and with this Snowball Ice ($50 (opens in new tab)as of writing), Blue targets the budget buyer -- perhaps those who haven’t used a dedicated streaming mic before, or are taking their first tentative footsteps into recording voiceover for video or podcasts.

At that end of the market, familiar names to gamers start to fall away and the likes of Samson, CAD and Audio-Technica take prominence. So at least in part, the appeal of the Snowball Ice is that it’s a known quantity in the market. It’s the Yeti’s pint-sized sibling, looking like a sixties radio and ready to get you recording with a single USB connection and no fuss. Just to complicate matters, a non-icy Snowball is also available for $80(opens in new tab), and that features an additional omnidirectional mode. We’re focusing on the Ice for this review, though.

Blue Snowball Ice Specs
Frequency Response Range 40Hz –18 kHz Row 0 - Cell 2
Sample/Bitrate 44.1 kHz/16 bit Row 1 - Cell 2
Polar Patterns Cardioid Row 2 - Cell 2
Dimensions 12.8 inches/325mm (circumference) Row 3 - Cell 2
Weight (microphone and stand) 1.0 pound/0.46kg Row 4 - Cell 2
Headphone Amplifier impedance 16 Ohms Row 5 - Cell 2
Extra MiniUSB to USB cable, removable stand, boom arm adapter

It’s certainly different, isn’t it? Big fans of Fallout 4’s Codsworth will likely already have the Snowball Ice set up on their desks, but for everyone else the radical spherical design is a divisive move.

However you feel about its retro, mid-century look, what won’t split opinions is the quality of the stand. Its sturdy metal construction really tells you all you need to know about how much Blue cares about build quality, and it’s easily detachable for storage or transport. Indeed, the 325mm (12.8 inch) circumference around the mic capsule itself is small enough that you could throw it in a backpack on the way to a studio.

This being at the budget end of Blue’s range, it’s not overflowing with features. There’s no gain control, no polar pattern switch, no mute. You just get a mini-USB cable leading out to your PC. While that stripped-down feature set might feel limiting to experienced streamers or home sound engineers looking for studio-quality instrumental recordings, the simplicity will feel welcome to newcomers. The last thing you want before the first time broadcasting yourself is to spend half an hour googling what ‘cardioid’ means.

Sound Quality
That said, you will have to do some fiddling when it comes to sound. Getting a great vocal recording out of this spherical budget proposition is possible, but it requires a deft touch.

With a cardioid and only cardioid polar pattern to work with, you should be able to point the mic in your vicinity and get something decent. But this seems to have a wider-than-average listening range for a cardioid mic, and unless you arrange it just right it can sound very roomy. If you’re further out than about 8 inches, you lose the focussed sound and too much room reverb creeps in.

The mic is also prone to popping plosives, so with no pop shield included you’ll need to aim your voice slightly above the mic.