Antlion Audio Introduces ModMic 5 Detachable Microphone

Gaming headsets often don’t live up to the expectations of a decent pair of headphones, often in the same price range. Antlion Audio has carved out a niche for itself by providing a quality microphone mod for people that enjoy premium headphones, who don’t want to resort to a headset when gaming.

While the original ModMic was hand made, a few generations of R&D later, we now see the launch of the 5th rendition of the original mic. We reviewed the ModMic 4 not too long ago and were impressed with the versatility. At the time we received a sample, we were told that a new version was in development, but Antlion kept quiet on the details.

A full list of details has now been provided, and I can honestly say that I’m surprised and impressed by the changes, as the ModMic 5 (at least on paper) fixes the issues I had with the original, but also adds/fixes other things that I didn’t really know to be problems.

First of all, to clarify, the ModMic is a detachable microphone that uses a magnetic clasp to fix itself to the side of a pair of existing headphones, turning them into a headset. The clasping system that attaches the mic to a pair of headphones is the same as the model 4, so if you already have a ModMic, there is no need to change the fitting (although the 5th version uses stronger magnets).

Beyond that, almost everything else is different. On the business end, the single mic solution has now been changed to a dual capsule with a switch, so you can now have both Omni and Unidirectional pickups built into the same mic – no need to carry a second mic for noisy environments.

Admittedly, this was something that irked me a bit, but didn’t realize at the time. The ModMic 4 came as four different SKUs, omni and uni pickup versions, each with and without mute controls. Those have now all been replaced by a single version with the ModMic 5, as it now includes a mute switch be default. The capsules themselves are the exact same as the ones in the model 4, you just get both in the same mic now.

The next big change is a switch to a modular cable. One of the odd complaints about the ModMic 4 was the generous length of cable. It frequently got caught up on itself since there was nothing you could do with the extra cable length. The ModMic 5 has gone fully modular by letting you pick the length of cable you want. These are standard 3.5mm audio extensions, with 1m and 2m Kevlar-reinforced lengths included in the box. This is also how the mute switch is attached, rather than fitted to the cable.

Overall, the ModMic 5 has enough changes for existing ModMic 4 owners to ponder an upgrade. While audio quality doesn’t appear to have been increased (they’re pretty decent mics as is), the ModMic 5 has increased its versatility considerably. The price has gone up quite a bit, which is expected considering the extra modularity and dual capsule. The ModMic 4 is priced at around $43, while the new ModMic 5 is around $70. What’s interesting is that the 5 does not explicitly replace the 4, but is a better alternative, so if the price is too high, you can go with the previous version while still maintaining the concept of a modular mic.

We’ll be getting our samples soon enough, but if you are interested in the concept of adding a high-end mic to your headphones, you can read our previous review of the ModMic 4.