Antlion Audio ModMic V5 Microphone Review

Introduction & Closer Look

A microphone, although it’s not particularly required in a gaming setup, is a very common piece of tech most people have and use daily whilst recording voice overs or simply chatting with friends. In this review, I’ll be looking at the ModMic V5 from Antlion Audio…is it any good? Let’s find out!

Before we take a look at the specifications, let’s look at the packaging and the contents. The box is your average affair for the most part. It is made of standard cardboard but it does feature an angular design, which bulges in the middle. Covering most of the front is a picture of the mic itself, alongside some information and a small illustration displaying how the mic is attached to your headphones.

The rear of the packaging displays a description of the mic and a list of all the items that are bundled with the ModMic V5. The items listed are as follows:

• One ModMic V5 modular microphone set
• Antlion mute switch module
• 1m and 2m cables, each with 3.5mm jack
• Durable carrying case
• Two base clasps, one top clasp with cap
• One foam pop filter
• 2m cable wrap and 10 cable clips
• Extra 3M adhesives
• Instruction manual

It’s pleasing to see that a good amount of accessories has been included, to enable the user to tailor the set-up of the ModMic to suit their requirements. It would have been easy for Antlion to include just one extension cable, or not bother with additional 3M adhesive pads…and no-one would have complained. The fact that they have included a good amount of extras is a real bonus.

The ModMic V5 itself is small, light-weight and flexible which is great for this type of microphone, given that it attaches directly to your existing headphones. You really do need it to be light and as small as possible so that it doesn’t get in your way or add too much additional weight. The cables that come with the mic seem sturdy yet flexible. I could twist, stretch and pull the cable but it would always return to its original shape which is a good sign, it seems these cables will last you a while.

A switch located towards the mouthpiece is used to alternate between mic modes. I found this switch to be very easy to reach although I sometimes found it difficult to operate due to how small it is.

The ability to mute the microphone at a switch of a button is achieved by including a modular, in-line adaptor. It is a simple 3.5mm female to male piece, with a switch on top which either mutes or unmutes the microphone. You can put the switch at the end of the cables just before you plug it into the PC or between the mic cable and the extension (the option I chose). The switch itself is tactile and extremely easy to turn on or off. There is a small dot of either green or red indicating whether the microphone is muted or un-muted. As this is not a LED indicator, however, in low light situations you can’t tell which position it is in.

The ModMic V5 attaches to your headset with the use of small magnetised adaptors. Peel away the 3M backing, locate the position on your headset, and pop them on. It really is that simple! As mentioned before, there is a spare included, so the ability to have 2 pairs of headphones ready to receive the ModMic V5 is a nice touch. The magnets themselves are Neodymium, with a strength of N45…so there is no danger whatsoever of the mic falling off the adapter, as the connection is extremely strong.

Included in the box is 2m of cable wrap, along with 10 cable clips. This allows you to intertwine the cable from the mic, with that of your headphones, for a much tidier look.

Specifications

First off, we’ll take a look at the specs of this mic:

• 2 built-in microphones (uni-directional / omnidirectional)
• Mic switch to alternate between both mic modes
• Modular mute switch
• Choice of 1m or 2m cable (non-braided)
• 3.5mm plated TRS jack

Uni-directional Pattern:

• Sensitivity: -38 ± 3 dB
• Response: 100 Hz–10 kHz
• SNR: >50+ dB
• Impedance: 2.2 KΩ
• Operating Voltage: 1 to 10V
• Max current at 2.0V: 500 µA
• Max input SPL: 110 dB

Omnidirectional Pattern:

• Sensitivity: -26 ± 3 dB
• Response: 30 Hz–17.5 kHz
• SNR: 58+ dB
• Impedance: 2.2 KΩ
• Operating Voltage: 1 to 10V
• Max current at 2.0V: 500 µA
• Max input SPL: 110 dB

Sound Quality/Performance

I’m going to get straight to the point here, the sound quality of this microphone is exactly what is advertised…exceptional!

For a microphone of this size, it sounds amazing. I ran a few tests with this mic in Audacity with both of the uni and omnidirectional modes. I found that the uni-directional mode picked up less background noise whereas the omnidirectional mode sounded a little clearer.

Unfortunately, both of the modes had a slight buzzing sound in the background, however, you can easily remove this in post-production, if you were planning to use the microphone for recording purposes. On the Antlion website, they advise you use an external sound card if you are getting the buzz in the background. However, when I connected the mic via a generic USB external soundcard, the issue was not resolved so I cannot confirm this claim.

Conclusion

We’re here, at the end of the road. We’ve reached the conclusion! So, what do I think about this mic? Well, I think it’s amazing. You have something small, reasonably cheap, practical and, most importantly, it sounds decent for the price you are paying.

You could probably find a better sounding microphone for the same price, but you’re not just paying for the sound quality, you’re paying for the fact it is small in size, easy to setup and for the streamlined experience some people want. It was easy to connect up, easy to use and it did everything I personally needed it too. It didn’t get in my way, my buddies could hear my voice clearly and as I keep raving about, the practicality is just great! I know I keep using the word practical time and time again, but there really is no other word to describe this microphone.

There is just one thing I must complain about…the slight background buzzing. It is only faint and most people probably won’t mind but again, it is something to take into consideration if you are thinking of purchasing this microphone.

The Antlion ModMic V5 does exactly what it says on the tin, and I really do like it. Therefore it gets the gold award given that its sound quality is superb for such a small form factor, and its portability is second to none.

Buy the Antlion ModMic V5 at Overclockers: £67.99

Massive thanks to OcUK for sending the ModMic V5 in for review