RØDE PSA1+ Professional Studio Boom Arm vs Elgato Wave Mic Arm Pro

The PSA1+ is the arm most people should buy: its 1.2 kg ceiling comfortably clears the dynamic mics that actually sit on podcast desks, and it holds position silently for years. If your microphone and shock mount together push past about 1 kg, step up to the Elgato Wave Mic Arm Pro and its 3 kg gas spring instead.

RØDE PSA1+ Professional Studio Boom Arm

Buy it

The default answer for most desks: silent damped springs, a sane weight window, and it stays where you put it.

• RØDE rates it for microphones between roughly 94 g and 1.2 kg, which covers a Shure SM7B (about 765 g bare) and RØDE's own PodMic (about 937 g) with room left over
• Internally damped parallelogram springs move silently, so repositioning mid-recording does not print a creak into the take
• Cable channels run inside the arm tubes rather than clipping to the outside, so nothing rattles or snags
• Owners consistently report no measurable droop after long-term use with mid-weight dynamics, which is the exact failure this category is known for

• The 1.2 kg ceiling gets tight once you add a heavy aftermarket shock mount to an already heavy broadcast mic, and running an arm at its ceiling is what wears springs out
• The clamp needs a reasonably accessible desk edge, and the included desk insert is a separate accessory decision

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Elgato Wave Mic Arm Pro

Buy it

A gas spring rated to 3 kg, which is the only spec in this group that leaves genuine headroom for a heavy mic plus a heavy mount.

• Rated for microphones up to 3 kg (6.6 lb), roughly double the ceiling of the spring arms it competes with, so a broadcast dynamic plus a metal shock mount is nowhere near the limit
• The gas spring holds position by pressure rather than by coil tension, so there is no spring to slowly relax and no tension knob to keep retightening
• Clamp pad grips desks up to 60 mm (2.4 in) thick, including uneven edges and lips, which is more than most clamps accept
• Ships with 1/4 inch threading plus 3/8 inch and 5/8 inch adapters, and routes cable through hidden internal channels

• Gas springs need load to behave: with a very light USB mic the arm can float upward until you dial the tension down, so it is the wrong tool for a 200 g condenser
• Physically the largest and heaviest arm here, and priced accordingly

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the RØDE PSA1+ Professional Studio Boom Arm - The default answer for most desks: silent damped springs, a sane weight window, and it stays where you put it. Choose the Elgato Wave Mic Arm Pro instead if anyone running a Shure SM7B, RE20, or similar broadcast dynamic in a metal shock mount, or planning to add a pop filter and a light on the same arm.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Microphone Boom Arms: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).