Clipping a microphone to your shirt leaves your hands free, but interviewing someone else calls for something you can comfortably hold between you. Carrying separate gear for both jobs, however, adds to a crowded bag. Elgato’s new Wave Go puts the same tiny transmitter into a handheld grip, changing its shape and controls without changing the microphone or the receiver connected to your phone.
The transmitter has a rounded rectangular body, weighing 0.25 ounces before you add either magnetic mount. With the clip attached, that rises to about 0.4 ounces. It can sit on a collar without a cable running down your clothes, leaving your hands available to demonstrate a recipe or hold the phone. The logo remains visible, though, so it isn’t trying to disappear.
Designer: Elgato
The conversion involves more than sticking that little microphone onto a pole. Twist and lift the Smart Handle’s head, drop the transmitter inside, then replace and lock the cover. The handle’s button and status light take over, keeping power and mute within reach instead of buried underneath. Its slender, 7.1-inch body gives you something to pass between speakers without pinching the tiny transmitter.
Of course, changing the grip also changes where the microphone sits relative to your mouth. Elgato’s EQ Shift automatically selects tuning for chest-level recording and close handheld speech. That doesn’t mean they’ll sound identical, and Elgato acknowledges the distance matters. Automatic level adjustment and noise reduction aim to simplify recording, while the optional app lets you intervene when the processing becomes distracting.
The handle has another job besides giving your fingers somewhere to go. Its battery recharges the transmitter while docked, including during recording. Elgato claims up to eight hours from the mic alone and 48 hours combined with handle top-ups. The carrying case organizes and charges both, but has no battery itself. Leave it unplugged and simply closing the lid won’t replenish anything.
Both configurations send audio over a dedicated 2.4 GHz link to the USB-C receiver, rather than pairing directly with your phone over Bluetooth. Move that receiver to a computer and the same mic can handle video calls, with Wave Link providing mixing options. Lightning iPhones and dedicated cameras aren’t supported, so don’t mistake the familiar interview-mic silhouette for a connection to every recording setup.
A second transmitter costs $29.99 separately and connects to the same receiver, letting an interview guest wear one while you hold the other. That’s convenient, but both voices arrive mixed into one mono track, with shared gain settings. You can’t separate them afterward as independent recordings. Getting the balance right before the conversation starts therefore matters more than having another microphone to hand.
The $99.99 kit includes the handle, receiver, magnetic mounts, and two furry windscreens, keeping the conversion from becoming a shopping list of extra accessories. There are limits, though: no onboard backup recording and no water-resistance rating. That outdoor interview still depends on your phone saving the conversation, and those furry covers shouldn’t be mistaken for protection against a sudden rain shower.
