Gadget Review: FIFINE Ampligame A8 USB-C Gaming Microphone

The good folks at Fifine have sent me this neat little microphone to review.

Unboxing

Sound Quality

Writing about microphones is like painting about flavour. So here's what it sounds like:

No noticeable hiss. Captured my voice perfectly. It picked up a little clack from my keyboard as I typed. Colleagues could hear me clearly - even if they were somewhat distracted by the pulsing LEDs. I don't play any instruments, so I'm not sure how well it would do with your acoustic rendition of Wonderwall.

Features

USB-C! This is the main reason I wanted to review this bit of kit. I've fully embraced the USB-C lifestyle. I have a single cable which does data and power for my phone, laptop, eReader, printer, electric screwdriver, battery pack - and now my microphone! I can be sure that wherever I go, I'll always have the right cable.

The RGB lights are... well, I think they're fun! If you're a serious business executive you might want to turn them off. But life's too short for boring conference calls, right?

The mute button on the top is handy. Of course, if you mute in hardware it doesn't necessarily show in software - so you'll look like you're unmuted on Teams.

The volume control on it works. I'm not quite sure why you'd ever want to fiddle with it, but it's there.

Finally, there's a monitor connection. This is also a clever addition. Plug a pair of analogue heaphones in there and you can hear your own voice - so you can check how loud it is. What's special is that this microphone is also an output device! You can hear your colleagues (or music) and get a latency-free monitor of your voice. Nice!

The base is sturdy and it comes with a few bits if you want to connect it to an existing microphone stand.

Linux

As normal for Linux, it was a plug and play experience. No weird drivers needed.

A quick lsusb shows it to be 3142:00a8 fifine Microphones fifine Microphone. My recording software showed it as either a digital (S/PDIF) or analogue stereo source.

It also acted as a USB audio output for the monitor connection. Stereo audio was delivered flawlessly.

Downsides

There isn't really worth complaining about here. Perhaps it might be nice if the RGB acted as a visualiser and reacted to your voice? The volume knob and colour changer are at the other side of the pop-shield, so you'll need to reach around to fiddle with them.

The mic mute at the top is handy, but you have to tap precisely on the LED. I'd have preferred to have the whole top as a sensor.

Verdict

For about £50 (depending on whether the algorithm likes you) it's a decent bit of kit. Sound quality is excellent. And, yes, if you don't like shocking pink it also comes in boring black or white.

Discount!

Get 15% off when you order from the official website and use code FIFINEMIC15!