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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-01 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• HUYUN Barracuda X Mic — biggest strength: purpose-built for the Razer Barracuda X, with a bendable boom, position lock and a unidirectional pickup that favors the voice directly in front of it.
• HUYUN Barracuda X Mic — biggest trade-off: the shortest warranty of the two at 60 days, and it only makes sense if you own the headset it was cut for.
• SPTSSWET Replacement Game Mic — biggest strength: a 16 cm (6.2 inch) boom that folds a full 360 degrees, an omnidirectional capsule, and a windscreen foam cover included.
• SPTSSWET Replacement Game Mic — biggest trade-off: it is matched to the SteelSeries Arctis 1, so it is not a universal part, and an omnidirectional pattern picks up more of the room than a unidirectional one.
• Who each pick is for: HUYUN for Barracuda X owners replacing a lost or broken boom arm; SPTSSWET for Arctis 1 owners who want a spare, a backup, or a cleaner-looking boom with a foam cover.
This is a single-purpose part. HUYUN built it as a replacement boom for the Razer Barracuda X wireless gaming headphone, and the listing says so plainly. It connects over a 3.5 mm three-pole TRS jack with gold-plated tips, and it locks into position so it does not slip or rotate out of place mid-session. The boom itself is bendable and foldable — you can push it toward your mouth or swing it up and out of the way when you are just listening.
On the audio side, the numbers are worth reading carefully. Sensitivity is rated at -42 dB ± 3 dB, frequency response spans 100 Hz to 10 kHz, signal-to-noise ratio is ≥60 dB, and output impedance is 30 ohms. The polar pattern is unidirectional, which means it is tuned to favor sound arriving from one direction — your voice — rather than everything in the room. For a headset boom mic used for in-game chat, Discord calls and the odd voice memo, that 100 Hz–10 kHz window covers speech well; it is not trying to capture music or deep bass.
The physical side is deliberately plain: ABS plastic enclosure, white finish to match the headset family, 9.07 g, one channel, corded — no battery, no charging, no pairing. Plug it in and it works. HUYUN also frames it as a fix for a broken or lost original mic, which is exactly the scenario this part exists for.
SPTSSWET Replacement Game Mic: Who It's For
SPTSSWET takes a slightly different approach. This boom is built as a replacement for the SteelSeries Arctis 1, and it is the more flexible of the two mechanically. The boom arm folds through a full 360 degrees and the covering is soft silicone, so you can bend it freely and park it wherever your mouth happens to be. Total length is 16 cm, or 6.2 inches, which gives you more reach than a stubby replacement typically does. Weight is 11 g — about two grams heavier than the HUYUN part, which you will not notice on a headset.
The capsule is omnidirectional rather than unidirectional. That is a real design difference, not a marketing word: an omnidirectional mic hears from all around it, so it picks up your voice from any angle the boom sits at — handy if you move your head a lot — but it also lets in more keyboard clatter, fan noise and background conversation than a directional pattern would. SPTSSWET counters that with upgraded noise-cancelling circuitry and a windscreen foam cover included in the box. The foam does double duty: it softens plosives and breath noise, and it keeps dust and moisture off the capsule.
Connectivity is a 3.5 mm male jack with a gold-plated tip, plug-and-play, no drivers. It is corded, one channel, ABS housing, black. The listing also mentions voice-over work for tutorials, which is fair for a boom mic of this type — it will handle a clean spoken track — but the omnidirectional pattern means you want a reasonably quiet room for that.
Buy it if you own a SteelSeries Arctis 1 and want a spare boom, a backup for a travel bag, or a replacement with a foam cover and a longer two-year manufacturer warranty. Skip it if you own a Barracuda X or another headset with a different mic socket, or if your room is noisy and you specifically want a directional pickup.
• Best for Razer Barracuda X owners → HUYUN Barracuda X Mic. Matched connector, position lock, no guesswork.
• Best for SteelSeries Arctis 1 owners → SPTSSWET Replacement Game Mic. Built for that headset, with a foam cover included.
• Best for a quieter, more focused vocal pickup → HUYUN Barracuda X Mic. Its unidirectional pattern favors the voice in front of it over the rest of the room.
• Best for flexibility and reach → SPTSSWET Replacement Game Mic. The 16 cm boom folds a full 360 degrees on a soft silicone arm.
• Best for a longer warranty → SPTSSWET Replacement Game Mic. Two years from the manufacturer versus 60 days.
• Best for a lighter part → HUYUN Barracuda X Mic. 9.07 g against 11 g.
• Best for fit and finish matching → HUYUN Barracuda X Mic. It comes in white to match the headset it was designed for; SPTSSWET is black.
• Check the current price on Amazon before you commit. Both are low-cost repair parts, but the numbers move, and the button on this page will show you today's figure.
In my opinion, the right answer here is decided almost entirely by which headset is sitting on your desk — these are not interchangeable parts. If you own a Razer Barracuda X, I would buy the HUYUN Barracuda X Mic: the unidirectional capsule, the position lock and the 9.07 g white body are all shaped around that headset, and it is the more focused voice mic of the two. If you own a SteelSeries Arctis 1, I would buy the SPTSSWET Replacement Game Mic instead — the 360-degree fold, the 16 cm reach, the included windscreen foam and the two-year manufacturer warranty make it the more forgiving long-term spare. Neither one is a general-purpose microphone. Buy the one that matches your headset.
are studio headphones better than gaming headsets
Not automatically — they solve different problems. Studio headphones are typically built for accurate, flat monitoring and often ship without a microphone at all, while gaming headsets like the Barracuda X and Arctis 1 are designed around a detachable boom mic for live chat. If you need to talk while you play, a headset with a boom mic is the simpler path.
what headphones do pro gamers use
There is no single answer, and sponsorships drive a lot of what you see on stream. What matters more than the badge is the setup: a headset with a detachable boom mic, a comfortable fit for long sessions, and a mic that picks up voice clearly. Both replacement booms here are designed to restore exactly that function on the headset they fit.
do all headphones have mics
No. Plenty of headphones are listening-only, and even many gaming headsets ship with a removable boom so you can pull it off for music or travel. That is precisely why replacement booms like the HUYUN Barracuda X Mic and the SPTSSWET Replacement Game Mic exist — the mic is a separate, losable part.
can studio headphones be used for gaming
Yes, and plenty of people do it — they are just audio devices. The catch is communication: a studio pair usually has no mic, so you would need a standalone mic or a ModMic-style attachment. If you want one cable and one device for both game audio and voice chat, a headset with a detachable boom mic is the cleaner choice.
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See also: SteelSeries Arctis Prime vs SKYCOMET Headset, Razer Kraken X Ultralight vs WIRWTRU S30, rockpapa L22 vs LORELEI Q60, Amazon Renewed Logitech G935 vs DEVASO VR Headset