Several weeks ago I told you about a new microphone that was part of my office, the Fifine K669B, a very cheap microphone capable of offering quite respectable audio quality.
Today I’m going up a bit to get closer to 70 euros and talk about the new AM8, a dynamic microphone with less background noise and an XLR connector. It is available on Aliexpress, like the other one from the same brand, and it took a few days to arrive in Barcelona.
But let’s go by steps.
Design and accessories of the FIFINE AM8
As you can see in the image above, it has a more premium look. Large, in the shape of a rectangular and protective prism. The support is not a tripod, it is a structure that can be disassembled, and it is even possible to put it on an arm if we consider it necessary.
It has three buttons on the front. The first is tactile, to control the lights and change their game if we want. Then we can control the level of the microphone and the audio output, since we can connect the headphones to the microphone itself to listen to our voice in the same way that it is recorded.
On the back it has another tactile button to activate or deactivate the micro. It turns green or red depending on whether or not it is activated.
Here it looks red (well, yellow, you know that mobile cameras love to change according to what colors).
Here you can see the base I was talking about, with the standard size to connect it to external supports.
If I remove the windshield, we have it like this:
In some cases I like to record without said protector, although it is more psychological than anything else, since the result does not make any difference.
FIFINE AM8 connectors
At the bottom we find the XLR output, to connect it to mixers and sound tables. In my case I use it to connect it to my SoundBlaster X4, although most of the time I use the USB-C output to connect it directly to the computer.
As you can see, it also has a headphone output so, as I mentioned before, listening to our voice at the same time that we speak, without latency.
sound checks
One of the things I like to try when I get a new microphone in hand is to see what it captures with Audacity in complete silence. In this case we see that, with the microphone level at minimum, very little signal is noticeable at low frequency. The noise increases with the level at 100%, and when I speak doing my scale from low to high frequency, you see that it overlaps with the noise shown above.
Look at the results with the AM8
Now let’s see the same thing with a 40 euro microphone:
As you can see, the difference is tremendous. In both cases I set the Windows microphone signal to 100%, working only with the level of the microphone itself (0%, 100% and 100% while speaking).
That low-frequency signal is very easy to remove with Audacity, since we only have to select a piece of silence and teach the software the noise to remove, removing it from the entire track with a single click.
Configuration in Audacity
As soon as you connect it to USB-C, Audacity already detects it and shows it both in recording and in playback.
Personally I prefer to use the earpiece connected to the speaker instead of the microphone, but it can be interesting for streaming.
XLR connector
An XLR connector is a type of connector used primarily in professional audio to connect microphones, mixers, and other audio equipment. This type of connector is characterized by having three pins: one for the signal, another for the ground and another for power.
The XLR connection provides a more robust and secure connection than 1/4-inch or mini-jack stereo audio connections, since XLR connectors are designed to prevent electromagnetic interference and noise. In addition, the XLR connectors also allow for quick and easy device connection and disconnection, making them ideal for live and studio applications.
When I connect the AM8 through the XLR connector, I see that the background noise does not change when using the microphone’s volume control, and that the voice is recorded with better quality, it being easy to remove the mentioned noise with Audacity itself. Here you have the results using XLR connector, before and after cleaning the signal.
The volume is recorded lower than when I connect it with USB-C, so it is necessary to amplify the signal either via software or with the mixer or external card that you have used.
The user manual and technical specifications
Although it is a very simple device to use, it has a manual in the form of a brochure. It’s all in English, but it has screenshots to help you set it up on Windows 10 and Mac.
In the manual they explain the use of each button, the distance recommendations to obtain better results, and the technical specifications:
AM8, cardioid, dynamic, with a frequency range of 50Hz to 16Khz and a signal/noise ratio of more than 80 dB. Its sensitivity is -50dB, with a margin of 3dB. Its maximum SPL is 120 dB.
SPL: SPL is an acronym for “Peak Sound Pressure” and refers to the maximum amount of sound pressure a microphone can handle before distorting or becoming damaged. It is measured in decibels (dB). It is important to consider a microphone’s maximum SPL when choosing one for a specific application, as a microphone with a low maximum SPL can distort or be damaged if used in a noisy environment or at high sound levels. In this case, 120dB makes it even ideal for jobs that require a lot of volume.
signal to noise ratio: S/N is an acronym for signal-to-noise ratio and refers to the ratio of signal (the sound you want to record) to noise (the sound you don’t want) in a microphone. It is measured in decibels (dB) and the higher the value, the better the sound quality of the microphone.
Generally speaking, a good quality microphone will have a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 60 dB or higher. However, this can vary depending on the type of microphone and the use for which it is going to be used. For example, studio microphones typically have an S/N of at least 75 dB, while film and television microphones require an S/N of at least 85 dB. In this case we have 80, so we are halfway between a studio microphone and a professional microphone for film and television.
Sensitivity: The sensitivity of a microphone refers to its ability to convert sound energy into an electrical signal. It is measured in decibels (dB) and is expressed as the ratio between the sound pressure (in Pascals) and the electrical current (in microamps) generated by the microphone.
Generally speaking, a good quality microphone will have a sensitivity of at least -38 dBV or higher. However, this can vary depending on the type of microphone and the use for which it is going to be used. For example, studio microphones typically have a sensitivity of at least -38 to -32 dBV, while film and television microphones require a sensitivity of at least -28 to -12 dBV. In these cases we are talking about a sensitivity of -50, this being its weak point.
conclusions
I have recorded some podcasts with this microphone, and most people do not notice the difference with the previous Fifine model, but it is true that the work I have to clean signal is less with the AM8, where a more natural voice is noticeable .
For those looking for more quality, it is a great investment, without a doubt. It is a professional studio microphone for 70 euros thanks to a 30% discount that they have now on Aliexpress.
