When you drop $120 on an add-on microphone, you should expect a lot. You should expect near perfection. You should expect Antlion’s ModMic Wireless.
I’m not a fan of dedicated gaming headsets that compromise sound quality and comfort for features, big logos, and blinky LEDs. We’ve discussed this previously. I’ll stick with trusty headphones I already comfortably listen to hours of audio with, and I’ll just pop a tiny mic on the side as needed. That used to mean adding one more tether trailing from my head- one more cable to manage- one more cord to brush against my arm- one more wire to knock over the toys on my desk. I found it bothersome, to say the least.
Presenting an opportunity to eliminate one of the most annoying cords I use, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Antlion Audio’s Modmic Wireless add-on mic.
Up front, Antlion does a great job considering everything you might need. Apart from the ModMic Wireless and USB transmitter, the box contains a zippered travel case, USB extension cable, microUSB charging cable, a couple sticky-back magnetic mounts, and extra adhesive dots.
Installation is mindless, apart from deciding what side of your headphones will be blessed with the Modmic’s stronger new mag mount. I suppose both sides is an option since Antlion includes a couple of mounts, but I prefer to put my spare on a second set of headphones. I only needed to plug in the USB transmitter, press a single button, and my new ModMic was initialized and ready for me to bark noises into it.
The single button functionality is especially nice. One press for power, one press for mute when powered on, one long press to turn it off. It’s dead-simple to use by touch alone, and the current mode is indicated via LEDs on both the mic and transmitter. Changing between uni-directional and omni-directional mic modes with the on-mic toggle switch is just as easy and intuitive. The mic boom is a great blend of bendy and rigid, and I found it to be the perfect length for both comfort and audio capture.
The ModMic Wireless battery life is excellent at an advertised 12 hours. Out of the box, I was able to leave it on for about 13.5 hours total over two days. Charging’s done via an included microUSB cable, and can happen with the mic in use or not. If I could change anything about the ModMic Wireless, it would be to use USB-C charging instead of microUSB. Come on, everyone, it’s 2019.
These features are all for naught without audio quality that lives up to the Antlion name. Using super long range Qualcomm aptX low latency wireless transmission, ModMic Wireless captures 48kHz audio with only 34ms latency, thanks to the AptX codec. That near-instant response makes it noticeably better in real world use for streamers and squad games.
I’m not a pro gamer or regular streamer, but regularly enjoy the pastime of chirping anonymous celebrations, frustrations, and profanities in binary realms with like-minded individuals. When I tell #69skeeet420# I’m centering the ball, or that lying upside down in-goal is not a viable defensive strategy, or eventually describe the process he/she should take to uninstall Rocket League, I want my words and emotions distinctly heard. Modmic Wireless consistently delivers my articulations in a clear, timely manner, and helps ensure that I can’t rage-rip an audio cable out of my machine... not again.