FiFine USB Condenser Mic (K056 / K058) Review / Test
Today, we're looking at another budget microphone straight from China, the FiFine K056 / K058 USB Condenser Microphone.
The main difference between this mic and the BM-100FX & NW-300E is the fact that this has 4-Pin XLR plug and a 4-Pin XLR to USB Cable, while the former 2 mics have a 3-Pin XLR plug and a 3-Pin XLR to USB/3.5mm Cable. The BM-100FX & NW-300E did not work well without the addition of a USB Soundcard to your audio connection; The K056 & K058 allow you to plug directly into your computer without the need for any additional gear.
If you are interested in this microphone kit, it will set you back $30 on Amazon
What's In the Box
Microphone
4-Pin XLR to USB Cable
Windscreen
Microphone Mount
5/8" to 3/8" Mic Stand Adapter
Desktop Microphone Stand
Documentation
Specifications
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Sensitivity: -32dB
Max SPL: 130dB
Impedance: 1000-Ohms
Power Requirement: 5v Provided Through USB Plug
Performance / Features
The build quality of this microphone is nothing great. It feels as though it is made with very cheap metal, so I would be careful with this mic. There are two dials on the side that control Volume & Echo. Unfortunately, the dials feel a bit loose and wobble when you put any pressure on them. The bottom of the microphone is the 4-PIN XLR PORT, which means you can ONLY USE 4-Pin XLR cables on this thing, so keep that in mind when shopping around. If this cable goes bad you may be out of luck in terms of a replacement. The desktop stand, microphone mount, and windscreen are also built with low quality materials.
The frequency response of this mic is 20Hz - 20kHz. I spent about 15 minutes trying to find a decent microphone placement for the electric guitar, but realized that it wasn't the placement that was bad, it was the mic. It lacked the majority of presence and just sounded dull. The acoustic was barely passable as well. It sounded as though it had a pulsating effect on it which made it unusable. The vocals, were okay at best. They lacked any shine or warmth, and were underwhelming.
The cardioid polar pattern did a nice job at background noise rejection, but still picked up a decent amount of keyboard noise. I believe that the echo feature is insane to include on a microphone. It only provides with the ability to control the intensity of the echo, with no way to adjust the timing of the echo. Also, there's no way to turn the echo off completely. Even with the dial set to 0, you can still hear a very slight echo.
Pros
Single USB plug
Volume Control on Mic
Echo (some may view it as a pro, although I hate it)
Cheap
Cons
Cannot completely turn off Echo
4-Pin XLR is not very common (difficult to find replacement cable)
Cheap build quality
Subpar performance on Electric, Acoustic, and Singing
Conclusion
I think this mic is just decent. When I heard it I was not blown away, I was left thinking "Yup. That's what I expected from a $30 microphone". The polar pattern is fine, the frequency response left a lot to be desired in the higher frequencies, and the echo feature baffles me since you can't turn it completely off.
I'm not going to recommend this for any musicians as it does not sound good in any of the tests I performed. I'm not going to recommend it for podcasters either because having a slight echo would drive your listeners mad.
The only people I'm going to suggest this for are people who want a cheap mic to improve their Skype phone calls, people who want to do live streaming, or people who want to do light gaming commentary. Skype calls can have that very slight echo without bothering anyone, and for live streaming / gaming commentary, you'll have the game sound in the background to mask those imperfections.
If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them on the youtube video, and I will try to reply ASAP.
Buy the K056/K058
US: http://amzn.to/2l0ILys
UK: http://amzn.to/2l0FajM