A bolt-on mic for your fancy headphones.
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The Antlion Modmic (See it on Amazon) is a unique microphone in that instead of an all-in-one headset solution, or a stand-alone microphone you attach to a mount, it's designed for you to attach it to a headset instead. It plugs into your computer (or anything really) via a 3.5mm analog plug. If you already have a set of headphones you've fallen in love with, this is a great way to add microphone functionality. But if you own any other gaming headset, even something as simple as the one included with your console, it's a tough sell.
Design and Features
As alluded to by its name, the Antlion Modmic is a modular microphone solution. It's a microphone attached to a boom and there's a tiny disc of adhesive at its base you can use to stick the whole thing onto a set of headphones. The combination allows you to "upgrade" your studio quality headphones. But what if you decide to put them on another set of headphones? Antlion clearly considered this possibility and includes one extra adhesive disc in the carrying case, along with an alcohol pad to prep the area.
Also in the carrying case are a few extra cord clips to help with cable management. Since it plugs in via 3.5mm analog jack, it's more of a cross platform solution than a pure PC gaming headset that has plugs for both headphones and mic. The difference there is the HyperX Cloud, and other gaming headsets like it, also includes a Y splitter so you can plug both cords into single jacks that support mics and headsets. Many gaming laptops only have the all-in-one 3.5mm port, so with the Modmic you either have to buy your own adapter or just use a USB headset. Neither case is ideal.
There is plenty of cord on the Modmic: a whopping 10 feet. Luckily there's a velcro strap included you can use to spool up the excess. The included cable clamps help facilitate cable management, allowing you to tie the microphone cable to your headset cable, but mismatched lengths have to be made up for somewhere. The Modmic version I received for review doesn't include an inline mute button, but there are versions that include it. Inline muting is a great feature for quickly answering people in the real world without having to explain to your teammates you were actually talking to your dog, but in a situation where the cable lengths don't match up, it's one more thing to snag.
Its biggest advantage over USB mics is the 3.5mm jack. Since it's long been a standard, and practically every computer that plays games has one, the Modmic is plug and play. There's no software to deal with, no drivers to install, it's just as simple as plugging it in and making sure your audio input is set. If you want to start streaming gameplay and don't want to have to deal with drivers and software, it's an excellent choice.
Performance
As far as sound quality is concerned, it's perfectly adequate for voice chat. It does a good job of reducing background noise, but it can't compete with more expensive mics like the Seiren or the excellent (but more expensive) Blue Yeti. Both of those require a bit more to set up, but sound quality is leaps and bounds above what the Antlion Modmic offers.
Overall, the sound quality is much better than you generally get from headset microphone, but short of what a dedicated mic can capture. It's flatter, and I found it to be missing the richness of USB mics I've tested. I'd put it right in the middle of the spectrum in regards to sound quality: better than the average headset mic but trailing the dedicated solutions.That's not to say the Modmic sounds bad. It sounds perfectly fine for use as a streaming or voice chat mic. But if you have designs on expanding your personal media empire to encompass voiceover on video, or podcasting, you'll want a dedicated microphone instead of something like the Modmic.
Purchasing Guide
The Antlion Audio Modmic has an MSRP of $49.99, and it very rarely deviates from that price online:
• See the Antlion Modmic on Amazon
The Verdict
The Antlion modmic works exactly as advertised and captures sound about as well as any other analog headset microphone. The real question is, who is it for? It seems like it's only for someone who has a really expensive set of headphones and doesn't want to ditch them for a headset with a mic. If that's you then the Modmic is a decent pick up.
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