Antlion Audio ModMic USB 2 review - Perfect in every way

I remember the first time I played an online game with a headset. It was Halo 2, and it was between my brother and me in separate rooms. I remember the excitement of what felt like a technological marvel, being able to communicate over the internet without having to pay for transmission charges like you would when calling a phone in 2004. Now, Discord exists, online gaming is normalized, and headsets have gotten lightyears better. We’ve become so accustomed to this that it’s easy to forget where gaming was. The same goes for microphones. Studio-grade microphones are readily available to buy and are relatively cheap. They’ve gotten clearer, smaller, and more convenient. 

For me, I needed something that hit these notes. I’ve built a flying x racing simulator rig, and the one thing missing was a microphone that I could pair with my headset. I didn’t want to resort to a gaming headset that had terrible audio clarity and bass compared to my Philips Fidelio X2HRs, and I wanted to avoid using earphones under my headset. Antlion Audio’s Modmic USB 2 was the perfect fit for my situation, so when they reached out to provide a sample, I knew this was going to be a perfect storm for this test.

It takes no time to set this up - just peel, stick, and it’s secured. It’s extremely convenient. The Modmic snaps in place via magnetism, so you can easily remove it when you no longer need it. Three plastic rivets help limit vertical movement so that the microphone has something to grasp onto and not spin freely. You’re also provided another type of clip to secure the cable to the headset arm and give it even more rigidity. There’s so much care and consideration put into the actual design of the microphone that it seems Antlion has tried to address every possible use case.

Yet, as with every microphone on the market, quality is what counts the most. It’s funny at first, but nothing gets more annoying quickly than playing with friends and having to deal with their crappy Logitech G432 microphone. Though somehow, it seems that Antlion has captured lightning in a bottle. It’s clear, crisp, and doesn’t seem to come with the usual pitch issues that you’d expect with headset microphones. The audio is genuinely leagues better than anything that I’ve ever experienced in any gaming headset I’ve or friends have used. It makes me want to bin my Logitech Yeti X microphone and exclusively use this.

The crazy part? I cannot find a single fault with this microphone. It’s designed to address every possible issue I could think of, and it’s a perfect balance of being convenient and providing high-quality audio. They even provided a damn USB-A to USB-C converter in case you only had a USB-C slot available as well as a carry case. Antlion has created a monster, and it’s going to take a giant to even come close.