FiFine AM8 - Out of the Box - OH - SO - NICE!

[@milesian1]

Hi Mike - I'm a microphone junkie like you and a lot of others out there, and I had a need for a USB/XLR mic that sets up quickly and sounds great via USB. I wanted it mostly for online meetings and presentations, but also maybe the occasional spoken word recording or voiceover. I played around with a few, including the overlooked and awesome Shure MV51 and the Maono PD400X, but when I hooked this sucker up I was truly impressed! Earlier today I gave a 10-minute online presentation on Zoom using the AM8. I recorded it to use in my marketing, and even with Zoom's compression and my wife upstairs on the phone in the background, it sounds stellar. I'm just constantly impressed with this mic, and will add that I also like its look and feel. I don't care for the lights and always deactivate them, but don't mind that it comes with them.

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

It is truly amazing that for this price - you get this quality of a sound. It has its flaws, handling sensitivity and the tension knobs don’t tighten it enough to keep it still sometimes, but perfection is not the goal with a mic this cheap.lol. I love it, plug it in, don’t touch it, and enjoy the audio it delivers! Glad to hear you are killing it with this mic ! 👍🏻

[@milesian1]

@@levelupwithmikenewman Handling noise has always been pretty irrelevant to me. I put my mic on a stand or boom arm and leave it alone. And in this mic's favor, the mute button on the top works without popping or any audible noise, so that's all I need.

[@evefifine7291]

Definitely a quality and helpful review video👍💯 Appreciate you testing this new mic so thoroughly!!

[@ToddDolce]

You really owe it to yourself to try the Mackie EM-99B Dynamic Mic. What an incredible XLR mic!!!! I own an EV RE20 which is obviously my workhorse BUT having the Mackie in my arsenal is such a big plus!!! It is priced nicely and the sound is so balanced right out of the box! Allows the deep richness but yet still provides the bright mids to keep things clear! With a tiny bit of EQ this thing rivals any dynamic mic I have heard! ALL METAL construction too and the stand it comes with is adjustable!!! Go figure!!!! Somebody finally has a clue how to make a desktop stand! $149 vs my $440 RE20. This EM-99B is truly a steal!!!

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

I got one, currently making the review now. Just gotta record the mic comparisons and it should be up this week👍🏻

[@bergeronremy7359]

Interesting Budget friendly option. Nice Review, I enjoyed it!

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

Thanks!!! It’s still one of my favorites for mics that are grab and go, press record right off the shelf with no eq. Just can’t mess with it when using it.

[@squiizy]

great video! man u deserve much more subs from what I see right now. I MEAN WHY THE HELL U ONLY HAVE UNDER 500SUBS??????? I am mad

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

Thank you!!! 😁 KZbin definitely makes you work for it until you get monetized. Their algorithm is tough on you for the first year. Just plugging away, getting practice in with editing and my workflow. I appreciate the great feedback, makes it easier to keep pushing with the amount of time I put into a video and KZbin not help to push it out there. 👍🏻

[@japsgumad-ang1465]

Awesome review! Between the K688 and the AM8 which would you choose/prefer? Thank you!

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

I prefer the Am8 for the sound. Great quality, bright and crisp right out of the box. Only knocks on it are handling sensitivity so it’s best to mount it to boom arm or mic stand, and even better to mount it to another table/desk next to your main setup, and it is sensitive to plosives if your right up on it for gaming. But proper mic placement and using boom arm and it can be a real gem. Best mic out of the box. I have to EQ my k688 to get to sound the way I like it, and I am not a fan of the shock mount. But it is a great mic for spoken word with the right EQ to add in some brightness.

[@FIFINE]

Sorry for catching sight of your comment late, just in case other viewers may have the same question and may want to know from the manufacturer as well. The K688 is less bass-heavy and has slightly more details on the top, thus you can also use it for some voice-over or podcasting recordings while gaming, the AM8 with RGB and the ample lows to reject more background could be ideal.

[@CaptainCoffeeFox]

I have this mic and I like it, but I’m not sure how to deal with the plosives

[@HoosierHardware]

The thing that kills this mic for me is that even on a boom arm, it's going to pick up sounds from the desk (obviously mounting it to something not on your desk solves that), but it's shape also makes it difficult to find a shock mount that would work well with it.

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

The shape is definitely unique, which is not for everybody. It’s plastic build is a turn off for some as well. Not a perfect by any means, but great audio of looks and desk noises, plastic body are things you can live with. 👍🏻

[@HoosierHardware]

@@levelupwithmikenewman Oh for sure. I've been impressed with Fifine's mics. The value is insane!

[@maxzett]

I've got one, but I find myself constantly adjusting my seating position to always speak perfectly into the mic. It feels like unless you sit straight in front of it it's not actually that great (like any dynamic mic) and that's probably the killer for me. Plus the noise pickup with my elgato lp arm is also quite a lot. I guess I will actually not keep it. I'm not always 100% in the same situation when sitting at my desk and even moving away like 15-20cm from the mic makes it sound like I'm in another room.

[@jimboskiiplays]

I had to do alot of research and I have found the best settings to get rid of background noise and make itr sound less grainy/static. I use NVIDIA broadcast and obs settings to make it clear. Theres a couple of videos on here that will help you as it helped me. I almost bought another

[@shawnharriott8163]

Great video bro keep it up

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

Thank you 🙏🏻!

[@fileminaja]

can you compare between "FIFINE AM8 with MAONO PD200X"

[@JayzBeerz]

What’s a good low cost XLR cable.

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

These are the cables I get. amzn.to/3S1v3MY

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

“Cable Matters” is another brand that is more affordable yet trustworthy that I have purchased before as well.

[@JayzBeerz]

@@levelupwithmikenewman I just got the Rode cable for $30.00. Can't get any better than Rode. Thanks though.

[@idkman8530]

I just bought this a few days ago and it’s great, however, the cord it came with did not work for me for some reason? My voice was completely static and un recognizable. I swapped it for the basic charging cord for my phone and it works fine. Wierd but easy fix

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

I think it’s the best sounding budget mic right out of the box. Only mic I can just plug and play and don’t EQ for my voice. Got its flaws as all budget mics do, but just love the audio quality without any EQ to it! Great to hear that you like it 😁👍🏻

[@bernadethe28]

Im new to this sort of things but would the wave xlr work with this mic?

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

I am not sure. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I wish I did so I could try it for you!

[@ToddDolce]

Great video but you are killing me man!!! I cannot keep up....Here you say that THIS IS THE MIC for those wanting a simple USB option with the nice depth and warmth with clarity for voice. Along with XLR capabilities .....................But then I see you say that the MAONO PD400X is THE MIC for USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone capabilities...............so which one is it? I cannot afford to buy both so one of them HAS to be better overall than the other!

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

lol! I know! I'm about to quit making these videos...cuz they can't stop making great sounding mics at lower prices! Im gonna go broke. lol. Honestly, I still say the PD400X over the AM8 (if you have the money) for the build quality. They are all Good, your audio WILL SOUND GREAT with either one. I always advise people when looking for a mic just to write down in order of the 3 qualities ( Sound, Price, Build quality )- Most important = 1 and least important = 3 .....in the order that matters to you more. Then look at the choices from that viewpoint. Price is what makes the AM8 so special, but you are sacrificing build quality by going with a plastic build over a nice, heavy, (the PD400x is HEAVY too) metal body. They both have great sound, but I personally put metal body over plastic mics. It comes down to what matters to you more! but if somebody offered me both mics and I (personally) had to choose one, I would still choose the PD400x. The build quality is always the tie breaker for me when I love the sound of two mics.

[@ToddDolce]

@@levelupwithmikenewman thanks!!!! Yeah....and that Mackie EM99b also checks the boxes. You really must try it! All metal too and weighs like 2lbs!!! But really it is amazing....but yeah I know how these can always be subjective too. Thanks for doing vwhat you do!!!

[@Xmatador20]

Between this mic and the Maono pd200x which one would you choose ?

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

I like the pD200x more, but it is a very thin margin. I like the sound the Am8 gives you out of the box more, but it is more sensitive to handling noise so I try not to move it on the boom arm. I love the Maono PD200x way more in usb because Maono has the app to eq my sound, FiFine doesn’t have that available. But in pure xlr the margin is thin unless you like to handle your mic a lot when your streaming/recording

[@Xmatador20]

Thank you . If I connect the usb for the rgb lights on the fifine mic , can I still use it with xlr cable ? I just want to connect the usb to a power outlet or something like that for just the rgb , is this possible ??

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

@@Xmatador20 I will check for you. Can’t blame you lol, I do the same thing with my Maono pD200x when I use it. 😂👍🏻

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

@@Xmatador20 just dit it, lights up plugged into wall while connected to my interface via XLR !

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

@@Xmatador20 yes 👍🏻 just did it in my studio. Had RGB on and audio running into my interface via xlr! 😁

[@scuffiitv]

which do u like better am8 or k688

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

I personally like the k688 better. Just a great natural sound right out of the box.

[@scuffiitv]

@@levelupwithmikenewman nowww what about the maono pd400x over this? >.>

[@scuffiitv]

Im a streamer / gamer so i hope that helps. I like keeping the mic around 8 inches away from my face

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

@@scuffiitv the biggest weakness with the K688 is plosives, but that won’t be an issue if your 8 inches away from the end address. If you still feel like you have too much plosives, just grab a replacement SM7B pop-filter (the one without the plastic ring ) on it, that will take care of it easy.

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

@@scuffiitv I like the pd400x the most of the 3 because of the build quality. It is the only one of the 3 that has a metal body and a software/app interface for USB MODE. Just more expensive

[@ObscureMics]

Accu-lite boom arm? Looks like one... Love mine

[@coffeeatthecross1286]

Yes! I love it, great for the heavier mics but Mine is really squeaky when I move it around. 🤦🏻‍♂️ absolutely love your channel by the way. I can’t hold a candle to what you and some of these other guys know about the audio, just wanted to have some fun trying out gear I like, take them for a test-drive like car for other people to help them out if I can before they drop their hard-earned money on stuff.

[@ObscureMics]

@@coffeeatthecross1286 ehhh we are doing the same thing my man! I'm just a gear head.... No expertise here! Definitely appreciate the love

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

@@ObscureMics thank you sir! Sorry, if there’s any confusion with the name on my comments, I forgot I was still logged into my other KZbin account.

[@ObscureMics]

@@levelupwithmikenewman I do the same thing lol

[@wallmartkiller]

Can you monitor your voice and game/pc at the same time?

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

No, just your voice. You need a mixer like the FiFine SC3 to bring in audio from your game and hear it in your headphones

[@UNKNOWN_141-w4p]

What is your honest preference for a microphone for this price point that utilises USB audio? I've researched and landed on brands such as the Fifine am8, audio-technica AT2020 USB, audio-technica 2100x USB, and Samson Q2U.

[@FIFINE]

Thanks for taking the AM8 into consideration! But if there's only USB audio to be considered, then to be honest the AM8 and Q2U can't outdo those two audio-technica models.

[@helper8140]

can you turn off the RGB? I wish the body was all black with no RGB. The RGB takes away from the professionalism for podcasting and recording videos

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

the rgb light will not work in xlr mode. and is always on when connected via Usb.

[@helper8140]

@@levelupwithmikenewman i found out if you hold on the RGB button for 3 secs it will turn off in usb mode

[@levelupwithmikenewman]

@@helper8140 good to know. Thank you! Going to try it out myself. 👍🏻