MEGATech Reviews: Antlion ModMic 4.0 Attachable Boom Microphone

After shopping around for what feels like forever, you finally settle on a set of headphones. They may be comfortable and they might sound great, but they’re not going to do you much good for that upcoming Skype meeting. Without a microphone, it’s going to be a rather one-sided conversation. Addressing this very specific problem is a very specific product called the Antlion ModMic 4.0. It’s an add-on attachable boom microphone that you can use with almost anything.

A School for Ants

In the world of over-the-ear style headphones (or “DJ style cans,” if you prefer), you get one of two styles. You get headphones that are purely just headphones, delivering the aural ecstasy you desire. And then you’ve got headsets that come with a built-in microphone. In the latter scenario, they may or may not be detachable. They may or may not be extendable. They could be booms or they could be in-line. But they’re there. The HyperX Cloud Revolver is a good example of this.

But what if your favorite set of headphones lack this “headset” kind of functionality. The ModMic 4.0 by Antlion Audio is designed to add a boom microphone to your existing headphones in as convenient a way as possible. The version reviewed here features an omnidirectional mic, but you can also get one with a unidirectional microphone. Both versions are available with or without the mute switch.

You get a single extra long cord that does not detach from the microphone portion itself, as well as a couple of clips, extra attachment pieces and a handy carrying case.

Adding a Boom Mic to Anything

The ModMic 4.0 has a small cylindrical nub that attaches to the surface of either of your earpieces using a piece of 3M sticky tape. At first, I thought this was as rather unsightly and awfully permanent solution. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the cylindrical nub actually consists of two pieces. They attach magnetically.

What this means is that you detach the microphone part (with cable and all) when not in use, keeping half of the cylindrical nub stuck to your headphones for later use. As mentioned, a couple of extras are included so you can use the ModMic with multiple headphones if you’d like. The cable itself is quite long, somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 feet, but it is decidedly on the thinner side.

The same can be said about the flexible arm for the boom microphone portion itself. It is flexible and you can bend it as you see fit, but it is quite thin. The in-line mute switch is naturally very straightforward in design. That said, I would have preferred a dash of color underneath to indicate if the mute was activated or note. Either green for go or red for mute, or both for that matter.

Antlion ModMic Audio Sample

Antlion recommends that you never arrange the microphone so that you are talking directly into it. This can lead to some rather unfortunate “popping,” particularly with “P” sounds. Realistically, if you’re already familiar with where boom microphones are naturally placed on headsets that already have them, you should approach the placement of the ModMic 4.0 in much the same way.

In using the ModMic on my PC, I found the audio quality to be simply average. It’s perfectly suitable for VoIP calls or if you want to do in-game commentary while streaming on Twitch, but this is hardly studio quality. I imagine the unidirectional microphone with noise cancelling may provide for “cleaner” audio, whereas the omnidirectional version here is more sensitive overall.

MEGATechie Audiophile Delight or MEGATechie Sound Off?

It’s obvious enough that the Antlion ModMic 4.0 is very much a niche product. It addresses a very specific problem for a very specific sub-set of users. If you really do love your existing headphones and just want a microphone on there, this could do the trick. If you’ve got the desk space, grabbing a desktop microphone might be a better bet. Or, you could simply invest in a headset with an integrated microphone to begin with.

Dealing with all that extra cabling, in addition to the cable that will already come with your headphones, can be unnecessarily challenging. You’ve got two cables running from the side of your head to your computer. And if you want to use this with your console or mobile device, you’ll likely need to invest in an adapter too.

Considering that the ModMic 4.0 sells for about $50 online, it’s not terribly expensive but it’s not exactly cheap either. If your goal is to record audio for a podcast or audiobook, you’re likely better off using a higher quality desktop microphone instead. Most boom style microphones aren’t going to be terribly up to snuff for that purpose. If you just want a convenient way to chat, this could be an easy way to go.