Home Reviews ,,,,, YouTubers, Podcasters and couch musicians, raise your antennas because you can significantly improve the quality of your recordings at a completely affordable cost thanks to Aukey MI-W1, a condenser microphone that our editorial team had the opportunity to try recently. It costs just under 15 euros and offers everything you need to connect it to a computer, tablet or smartphone, ensuring a cleaner recording than that of a classic microphone in the same price range.
As did
Constructively speaking, it appears rather robust: the case is made entirely of polycarbonate covered with a soft rubber film. The structure is solid, does not creak if you try to flex it in your hands, and the double mesh lining that protects the microphone capsule is very sturdy. Overall, it weighs 153 grams.
On one side there is a washer that allows you to adjust the volume, while at the base we find the XLR connector, more commonly known as Cannon. The package includes a cable with this plug on one side, and a 3.5mm jack plug on the other. There is also an adapter to connect the microphone and headphones separately in case you use the microphone with a computer or a peripheral with a single jack socket. The mini-tripod is appreciated for being able to easily place it on a desk to record the audio of podcasts and videos.
How is it going
We tested it with GarageBand on Mac and iPad, mainly recording our voice and, on another occasion, some chords played on the acoustic guitar by placing it near the sound box hole.
The recording quality is remarkable. Comparing it with what is normally acquired through the microphone integrated in the Mac or with that of the EarPods earphones, the difference is perceptible even to an untrained ear.
Mainly with Aukey MI-W1 you gain in overall yield. The sound seems “alive”, moreover the microphone is able to exclude external noises in a better way. In a test with the window open and the nearby car wash in full operation, the microphone completely cut out external noise, focusing solely on the nearest source. On the other hand, the Mac's integrated microphone captured, albeit slightly, background noises.
Based on our tests, Aukey's microphone also acquires better all frequencies, especially the medium-high ones, which are precisely the most important for a good performance of the voice and acoustic instruments.
The only thing to keep in mind, as mentioned above, is the need to connect the adapter with all those devices equipped with a single 3.5mm jack output: both with Mac and iPad, as well as with iPhone 7 ( connecting the Aukey adapter to the Apple Lightning jack adapter) in order to use the microphone it is mandatory to connect the microphone in the pink socket and a pair of wired headphones in the green one.
Conclusions
In the past we have dealt with professional microphones and we do not hide that Aukey MI-W1 has nothing to do with them, not so much for the build quality, which is still very good, but rather for the final result, impossible to compare. with microphones that cost up to twenty times as much. However, for the price for which it is proposed, it is in our opinion a valid purchase for those who want to significantly improve the quality of the recordings made with the integrated microphone of the computer or the one in the headphones, ensuring a decidedly superior sound performance of voice and acoustic instruments.
Retail price
Aukey MI-W1 is on sale on Amazon for 12.99 euros.
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