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Hercules Stream Essentials Kit Review
June 11, 2025
Hercules Stream Essentials kit
The Hercules Stream Essentials Kit has a mixer with a lot going on including knobs, pads, a screen, and a mute button. There’s also a pre-amp for the included HXD-700 microphone. With enough features to make you dizzy, is it worth getting the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit for your streaming setup? Or is it more of a hassle?
This article was published on June 11, 2025, and this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.
What I like about the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit
Starting with the included HXD 700 microphone, it’s the typical podcast mic look with a hard-to-remove foam pop filter. Unlike most other mics that use a friction fit that can get loose over time, it has a groove that catches on the lip of the mic, similar to a ball catch system. This means it’s highly unlikely that it’s accidentally slipping off. The build of the mic is solid and made of mostly metal. The same goes for the included stand, incredibly heavy for the size, though I wish it were a little taller.
The mic comes with a pre-amp to increase the gain. You won’t need it if you project your voice, but it is convenient for those who are typically quiet. The included XLR cable isn’t bad either. It’s stiffer than premium cables, but it’s definitely better than the cheap cables you get from Amazon that break all the time. I can see both accessories being used with another mic if you decide to upgrade to a different mic in the future.
The Hercules Stream 200 XLR audio controller itself has a great number of input and output options. From optical in, line in, and line out, with obviously an XLR input. Most companies don’t bother with optical in or line in and out. This makes it capable of being used with almost anyone’s setup.
The biggest feature that stands out is the large screen. The user interface is friendly and pretty intuitive. The input levels are split into the creator and audience mix. You will need to have the Hercules stream control running to see it. You can customize the background and colors of the levels to your particular taste, which I have turned to black for ease of use. The levels themselves can be turned into 2-tone gradients of your choice, which is great for an easily readable user interface.
When setting up the Hercules Stream 200 XLR, the included tutorial doesn’t do a bad job of explaining how to use the kit. The software includes a noise gate, compressor, and equalizer. The icons of popular streaming apps are already included; no need to fish for them yourself. You also have the option to set up shortcuts or mute specific channels with the 4 extra buttons.
Unlike most of its competitors, like the popular Elgato Stream Deck, the Hercules Stream 200 XLR is a hefty unit with slightly sticky feet. I haven’t found myself needing to hold on to the top of the device in order to press the buttons. The buttons themselves are easy to activate and are made of a nice-feeling, soft-touch silicone. Regardless of which button I press, including the mute button all the way at the top, the Hercules Stream 200 XLR doesn’t slowly shimmy backwards.
What I don’t like about the Hercules Streamer Essentials Kit
The included mic is alright, but is nothing special. Despite the stand being heavy and well-built, it’s way too short at just under 3 inches tall. This could be solved if they added a riser to the kit. Around 3 to 6 inches of extra height would have been great. Not only does it not reach close to my yapper, but the cable going into the microphone is practically touching the desk. This limits the angle quite a bit.
The Hercules Stream 200 XLR is horrible to set up; it’s not plug and play. When connecting to the Hercules Stream 200 XLR, the logo shows up, disappears, and then stays blacked out. This makes it feel like I’ve gotten a defective unit, but it’s because the software Hercules stream controller isn’t installed. Without the application, the controller is just a black box with knobs. For the shortcut keys, it doesn’t detect the difference between numpad inputs and regular number inputs, which can be confusing to some, as many streamers have actions tied to numpad buttons.
The user interface isn’t horrible, but it isn’t great either. Despite the applications being labeled well and easy to find, the Hercules stream controller uses some user interface controls that are not intuitive. This forced me to open the instruction manual from time to time. While it wasn’t a struggle, I can see people getting lost easily in this interface. I don’t like that the XLR options are hidden in a settings page. Oddly, all of these options are tied to the XLR port only. Unless you go directly into your streaming app, you wouldn’t be able to add these as options for the in and out audio.
If you wanted a better controller, then you would be better off getting something like an Elgato Stream Deck, or like me, using a custom numpad with a bunch of dials. Keep in mind that all you need to stream is a microphone and a camera. At the MSRP of $399 for both the microphone and controller as a kit, you’re probably better off only getting the Hercules Stream 200 XLR. Currently, the kit itself has a free 3-month subscription to voice mode. Nice addition, but not valuable.
How does the microphone in the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit sound?
It’s not bad out of the box, but you’ll definitely need to use the included pre-amp. The HXD-700 leans towards sounding dark. The vocal pickup isn’t very detailed, but it is not a bad starter mic.
We recorded a few microphone samples using the Hercules HXD-700 in the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit. Take a listen to the audio samples below and let us know what you think.
Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 3 inches from my mouth, in a treated room:
Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 3 inches from my mouth in an untreated room:
Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 6 inches from my mouth in a treated room:
Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 6 inches from my mouth in an untreated room:
Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 12 inches from my mouth in a treated room:
Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 12 inches from my mouth in an untreated room:
How does the microphone sound to you?
Should you buy the Hercules Streamer Essentials Kit?
If you’re starting out as a streamer, don’t bother with the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit, as there’s a huge learning curve just getting the setup running. Get a cheap USB microphone and a cheap camera, and start streaming for some time before considering controller knobs and XLR microphones with preamps. On the other hand, if you’ve been streaming for a while with said cheap camera and mic, the Hercules Streamer Essentials Kit is pretty much stuck as an in-between choice against the much more popular gear at the same price, without doing anything particularly better. Sure, there’s a large screen, but it’s not something you pay attention to unless you have to. If you want to use something other than Elgato, and the large screen is a must-have, the Hercules Stream 200 isn’t a bad pick. The included HXD-700 microphone is a decent starter microphone, though professionals will find themselves wanting to upgrade.
What should you buy instead of the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit?
For streamers, the Elgato Stream Deck + XLR is technically easier with the amount of tutorials and support online. The Stream Deck is a great stream controller, and with the XLR adapter, you don’t have to clutter the rest of your already busy desk to add XLR capability. The Elgato Stream Deck is currently going for $281.99 at Amazon
If you want the cleanest vocals, for singing streams or recordings on YouTube, you’re better off checking out the Focusrite Scarlett Studio bundle ($299.99 at Amazon). In our Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio (4th Gen) review, we found this bundle contains everything you need to start recording at home, including headphones, a microphone, and a great audio interface.
If you want to stick with Hercules, you can try their lower-priced option the Stream Starter Kit. It has a smaller controller, but has a friendlier USB Mic instead. The smaller size saves you some space, and it only costs $299.99 at Amazon.