Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
On first glance, the Yeyian Agile NL is built differently than other microphones we have looked at. This has a much more narrow but elongated body with its mostly cylindrical shape that slightly narrows at the head. The whole unit is made out of metal with a pretty dense body. The Agile NL we have today is fully black, but a white version is also available if you so desire. The microphone alone weighs 310g, which is still lighter than the Neat Worker Bee II, but heavier than the Creative Live! Mic M3. Markings and legends on this cylindrical shell are printed with a silver font. The Yeyian name can be found near the bottom of this tube. The top head has a metal mesh grille to protect the condenser capsule inside, while also allowing sound to travel through. This mesh is quite rigid and does not flex under pressure. Otherwise, the body has three knobs at the front. Moving down, you can see the permanently fixed set of mounting arms that swivel about when the user loosens the silver knobs on the side. At the bottom is a hole that lets you mount the Agile NL to either a desk arm or a desk stand.
If you zoom in at the front of the Yeyian Agile NL, you can see the primary user inputs that are within reach. At the top, we have a status light that glows blue when it is plugged in and red when the mic is muted. Muting the microphone is as easy as pressing the top knob marked as "Gain". Otherwise, turning the Gain knob lets you adjust the gain of the microphone input. Next, we have a knob marked Volume, which changes the output volume to your headphones connected to the bottom of the Agile NL. Finally, we have an unmarked knob, which is used to change the monitoring volume. This will let you increase or decrease how much you hear yourself when you speak into the microphone. One thing I do find interesting is the fact the top knob can spin endlessly in either direction, while the bottom two are limited within a certain range of movement. I would have liked all of them to be limited, especially as it gives the green indication on the knob more meaning. Otherwise, I am still thankful for all of these adjustments we have on the front for quick access to on-the-fly adjustments.
Internally, the Yeyian Agile NL records 24-bit audio at a 192kHz maximum sample rate. A single polarized condenser capsule is found inside the head of the unit. The microphone features a sensitivity of -33dB. Otherwise, we also have an 80Hz to 20kHz response frequency, impedance of around 68Ω, signal-to-noise ratio of 68dB, and maximum sound pressure level of 110dB. For some comparison, the Neat Worker Bee II has a max SPL of 145dB, while the Bumblebee II is at 128dB. This refers to the maximum volume of sound the microphone can take before any distortion. We will see how these numbers translate into performance later in our review.
At the bottom of the Yeyian Agile NL, we can see a few more inputs for the USB microphone. First, we have the USB Type-C port to connect to your computer. Yeyian provides a USB Type-C to Type-A cable to plug it in. Next, we have not one, but two headphone 3.5mm jacks. This allows for two simultaneous, low-latency monitoring outputs. However, there were also two problems I found here. For one, both of these outputs emitted a low but audible electronic buzz. Secondly, these jacks were wired in a reverse manner, swapping the left and right channels. As such, this was actually very disorienting when I was playing any video game, as it sounded like enemies were coming from the opposite side. While you could solve this problem by turning your headphones around, this is a definite oversight and should not have passed quality control.
The other thing to point out here is the affixed swinging mounting arm. This metal clamp swings about the side of the Agile NL and tightens on the sides with two silver thumbscrews. As these thumbscrews are on opposite sides, you actually have to turn the screws in opposite directions. This is really noticeable when you are trying to tighten both sides at the same time, and it just seems like a bit of a lapse in design once again.
As for the accessories included, we have quite a few in this kit. Starting from the left, we have the desk arm that mounts with a C-clamp. This should fit desks up to a maximum thickness of 57mm. Next, we have a pop filter, which clamps to the aforementioned arm. This is used to prevent plosives and other undesirable noises when recording. A rubber USB Type-C to Type-A cable can be found here to connect the Agile NL and it measures approximately 175cm. The black foam at the top is the windscreen, which fits over the microphone head. A windscreen works in a similar way to the pop filter to prevent puffs of air or "wind" from affecting the captured sound. Both of these can be used in conjunction with each other. Finally, we have a large desk stand to keep the Agile NL freestanding on your table without needing to secure it down. The stand is heavy and weighs an additional 452g to keep the whole unit stable. The metal base is also lined with foam underneath to prevent it from scratching the surface it sits upon. Overall, I am quite happy to see all of these accessories included to get you fully set up for streaming out of the box.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Recording Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
