Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus review: good value microphone for streaming

Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus review: good value microphone for streaming
Rating

The competition in the midrange segment for streaming and vlogging microphones is very strong, but the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus stands out from the pack with its adjustable arm mount and excellent price. But is the sound quality any good? We decided to take a closer look at the GXT 252+, and we tested its features and usability for several weeks. Hopefully, by the end of this article, we will be able to help you make a decision on whether you should buy it. Let’s start with the basics:

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Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus: Who is it good for?

This microphone is a solid choice for:

  • Content creators in search of an affordable cardioid microphone for their podcasts, vlogs, or streams
  • Users who want a quality microphone with an adjustable arm and a pop filter
  • Vloggers who are on the move and require a compact mounting mechanism

Pros and cons

There are quite a few good things we have to say about the GXT 252+ Emita Plus:

See price on:
  • It comes in a solid and high-quality packaging
  • There are many accessories included, more than you would expect at this price point
  • You have two options for mounting the mic: an adjustable arm and a highly portable tripod
  • The sound quality is good, with high sensitivity and frequency range

There are also several things that can be improved:

  • The quality of the mounts doesn’t match the build quality of the microphone itself
  • There is no mute button on the microphone; some users would have also benefited from a gain knob
  • With the foam cover mounted, you can’t tell where the mic is facing, and because of the cardioid pattern, this might be an issue
Product rating 4/5

Verdict

The Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus is perfectly suited for its purpose: an affordable, good quality mic for content creators. The sound reproduction is good, there are many accessories included (although their quality is not stellar), and the microphone is easy to set up and use. If you’re streaming, vlogging, podcasting, or recording voice-overs and you can afford it, you won’t regret choosing the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus.

Unboxing the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus microphone

Just like we’ve gotten used to from other Trust products, the GXT 252+ Emita Plus packaging is of premium quality. The front of the package shows a picture of the microphone and the accessories...

The front of the box that the GXT 252+ Emita Plus comes in

The front of the box that the GXT 252+ Emita Plus comes in

... while on the back you can find the description, technical specs and more high-quality pictures of the product.

The back of the box is very informative

The back of the box is very informative

The actual box that’s inside the package is bright red, with just #BUILDINGCHAMPIONS written on it. Not sure if it refers to you or the product, so let’s settle with both. 🙂

Bold design choices from Trust

Bold design choices from Trust

The microphone and the accessories are well packaged, placed in separate slots in the foam mold. At first, we thought we were missing some accessories, but then we noticed the “Pop filter inside” sign placed in the corner of the box.

The different parts are packaged and secured separately

The different parts are packaged and secured separately

Pulling on it revealed a second layer of foam, containing the rest of the accessories. Unless dropped from a plane, we expect the product to survive all sorts of abuse during transport. No, that’s not a challenge!

The parts are arranged on two separate layers inside the box

The parts are arranged on two separate layers inside the box

The package contains quite a lot of stuff apart from the microphone: a USB cable, an adjustable pop filter, a foam cover for the mic, a shock mount that fits on the included adjustable arm, a small, foldable tripod stand, plus the usual user guide.

The amount of parts and accessories can be intimidating at first

The amount of parts and accessories can be intimidating at first

Of course, there are some smaller bits and pieces, like a clamp and some screws to fasten the arm to your desk. Trust also includes a GXT sticker, if you’re into that. The total weight of the package is 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg).

Lots of unpacking, but it's very satisfying

Lots of unpacking, but it's very satisfying

We had high expectations for the unboxing experience, having recently reviewed the GXT 259 Rudox, and we weren’t disappointed. The Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus is carefully packaged, the box contains lots of accessories, and we felt like we were unpacking a premium product.

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Design and hardware specifications

With a weight of 10.8 ounces (roughly 300 grams) the microphone itself feels solid and well-built. It has a small drawing on its front, which is indicative of its cardioid pattern. What is that, you ask? The pick-up pattern of a microphone is how well it picks up the sound from different directions. The cardioid pattern is the most common, and is most sensitive at 0° (the front) and least sensitive at 180° (the back). This reduces the ambient sound, the disadvantage being that the sound source must be very near 0° or the volume drops sharply.

The symbol for the cardioid pattern also doubles as a marker for the front of the mic

The symbol for the cardioid pattern also doubles as a marker for the front of the mic

The Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus has no other distinctive features or buttons, just the USB port on the bottom.

Moving on to the accessories, we first unpacked and mounted the extending arm. It’s light, too light even, and it looks, well, flimsy. It’s easy enough to move around, with about 19 inches (50 cm) of range from the clamp point. It’s enough to position it comfortably and it’s super useful if you have a small or cluttered desk (or if you want to keep your workspace clear of cables and such). Speaking of cables, the total length of the cable embedded in the arm is 9.5 feet (2.9 m). The microphone is mounted to the arm with the help of a shock mount. The mount is different from the one on the GXT 259 Rudox and the GXT 256 Exxo, with less dampening, but it also works as a tool-less mount for the microphone.

A shock mount at his price point? Yes, please

A shock mount at his price point? Yes, please

It should be noted that the arm can also fit other microphones from the Trust lineup:

You can mount the pop filter on it, although the mounting system is not great. Overall, the mounting mechanism is relatively easy to assemble and the instructions included in the leaflet are clear. When the whole system is assembled, it looks good and seems practical for streamers and content creators. However, we feel that the arm quality doesn’t match the experience we had so far with the packaging and the microphone itself. We will put it to the test in the next section, but for now, let’s move on to the alternative mounting system.

When fully assembled, the microphone looks very professional

When fully assembled, the microphone looks very professional

If your desk can’t accommodate the clamp used by the arm or even the arm itself, you have an alternative, in the form of a tiny foldable tripod (which can also be used if you are on the move and need a small mic support). The Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus package includes a 5 feet (1.5 m) long cable and a foam cover as a pop filter if you decide to go with the tripod system.

With the tripod, the footprint of the mic is tiny

With the tripod, the footprint of the mic is tiny

Finally, some technical specs for the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus: the mono condenser microphone has a frequency response range of 18 Hz - 21000 Hz, an impedance of 200 Ohm, and a sensitivity of -35 dB. This last value makes it interesting for users working in quiet environments or those who can’t or won’t stand very close to the microphone. The signal-to-noise ratio is also good, with a value of 81 dB. Finally, the maximum sampling rate is 48 kHz, with a sampling depth of 16 bits. Looking just at the numbers, the microphone seems perfectly suited for streamers or content creators, for podcasts and voice-overs. The Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus shouldn’t be the first choice for studio-quality recordings (for that, you can go for something like the Trust GXT 259 Rudox), but should produce very good quality sound nonetheless. For all the official specs, visit the product page: GXT 252+ Emita Plus Streaming Microphone.

Both the design and the build quality of the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus are very good, although we can’t say the same about the mounting mechanism. The technical specs make it an ideal microphone for streaming and podcasts, while the cardioid pattern means that the sounds should come from a single source, located in front of the mic.

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Using the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus microphone

Before recording with the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus, we tried both mounting systems. Our first impression about the arm was correct: it’s just barely able to support the weight of the microphone plus filter and it’s easy to move around. That’s a good thing, though, right? Well, not necessarily, since, in time, this could mean that the microphone no longer stays where you want it to. Our experience is that it takes some fiddling to position it correctly. The range of motion for the arm is sufficient for an average-sized desk; the clamp holds the arm securely and has protection for the countertop. The pop filter, once secured to the arm, can be positioned with precision and its mesh blocks out unwanted noises efficiently.

The pop filter of the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus

The pop filter of the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus

The tripod is relatively stable and has a small footprint (a triangle with sides measuring 6.7 inch or 17 cm). You can’t mount the pop filter on it and the mic is prone to tipping over if you accidentally bump into it. We can’t fault it too much, since it’s primarily intended for when you are on the move and need a mount for the mic. And for that purpose, it’s super fit: the mount components fit in a pocket and their weight is insignificant.

The microphone itself is a dust magnet, but it can be cleaned very easily with a dry cloth.

The tripod mount is perfect for cluttered desks or recording away from the studio

The tripod mount is perfect for cluttered desks or recording away from the studio

There is no software setup to speak of: on Windows systems, you just plug the device into a USB port and voilà, you can start using it. There is no proprietary app, no driver to install, and the only adjustments you can make are available from the operating system itself (and third-party apps, of course).

The GXT 252+ is easy to set up and configure on Windows systems

The GXT 252+ is easy to set up and configure on Windows systems

We first tested it in a pretty common scenario: a video call. We were very satisfied with the sound quality. The low frequencies are picked up correctly, the sound isolation from room noise is good, and the clacking of a noisy mechanical keyboard can barely be heard, provided you position the microphone between you and the keyboard. The lack of a mute button is not a deal-breaker, but it would have been nice if the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus had one. We also noticed that the microphone has a very dim blue light that is only visible in very dark environments.

The blue light of the GXT 252+ is, in reality, hardly noticeable

The blue light of the GXT 252+ is, in reality, hardly noticeable

Next, we moved on to more specialized recording. In our search for the perfect positioning of the recording device, we noticed a quirk: with the foam cover mounted, you can’t see the small icon that marks the front of the mic. Since the microphone is perfectly round with the foam cover on, you can’t tell if the microphone is facing you. This is nitpicking, though, as you can most likely tell the position of the mic from the stand, and a few degrees off the center won’t affect the recording.

When the foam cover is on, only the mount can inform you on the orientation of the microphone

When the foam cover is on, only the mount can inform you on the orientation of the microphone

The sound quality when recording in a silent environment is good, with little self-noise and good dynamic range. Judge for yourself from this rendition of the preface from The Little Prince:

We recorded the sound with a 48kHz/16bit sampling rate, about 6 inches or 15 cm away from the microphone, without the pop filter, but with the foam cover.

Overall, using the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus was a good experience. The sound quality is good, the mic is very easy to set up and use. We aren’t very confident in the longevity of the mounting arm, but we enjoyed using the microphone. We think that Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus is suited for streaming, vlogging, or recording podcasts. At its price point, there are very few microphones that can match what the GXT 252+ Emita Plus offers.

What's your opinion about the Trust GXT 252+ Emita Plus?

Now you know our experience with the GXT 252+ Emita Plus microphone from Trust. It’s certainly an interesting proposition for many content creators, and we hope that our review helped you decide if you’re one of them. Let us know in the comments what you think of the Trust GXT 252+ and what other microphones you have on your shortlist. Also, if you have additional questions about the microphone, don’t hesitate to comment below.

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