FIFINE AmpliGame AM8 Overview
Out of the box, the AmpliGame AM8 is really quite lightweight, which is due to the plastic body that makes up the lower portion of the microphone itself. The design of the AM8 definitely gives off an entry-level feel, with the matte black plastic body, black plastic knobs, and overall lack of luster. All that said, the AM8 doesn’t necessarily feel cheap or of low quality, as it never once flexed or creaked when giving it a good squeeze. The all-black color scheme, aside from the frosted light ring around the bottom of the microphone, is sure to fit into nearly any environment with ease.
Starting out at the top of the microphone, we find a removable foam windscreen that not only helps remove any plosives or excessive wind noises, but also fills out the shape of the top of the microphone body itself. The foam material has a nice and velvety feel to it, and can slide on and off the body with ease.
Just beneath that foam cover is a metal cage that surrounds the single dynamic pickup that has a cardioid polar pattern. This pattern is best suited for single-target recording, as it picks up great from one direction and cuts out most of the surrounding input. I really like how well protected the module is with this heavy-duty cage around it. The specifications from FIFINE show that this microphone has a frequency response of 50Hz-16kHz, which is outside the standard 20Hz-20kHz we see in many other microphones, however most folks will be just fine with this audio range. The AM8 has a bit depth and sample rate of 16-bits and 44.1-48 kHz, which should be fine for most audio recording needs for the user base this microphone is designed for.
Looking at the front of the microphone we see a single microphone indicator icon located in the center. This icon glows green or red depending on whether or not you have the microphone muted. And the icon itself is a touch-sensitive mute button, a feature we have absolutely loved to see on microphones over the past few years.
Taking a look at the back side of the AM8, we find three control options. The topmost is a touch-sensitive lighting control icon that allows you to adjust the integrated RGB lighting at the bottom of the microphone. Simply tap the icon to swap between multiple RGB and single-color modes or hold it down to turn the lights off.
Just below the lighting control is the microphone gain knob. This knob simply rotates between fixed minimum and maximum settings, which is about as simple as it gets.
Last up on the front of the microphone is the volume knob for the real-time headphone output. This allows you to adjust the volume for your sidetone needs if you are utilizing the on-board headphone output found on the bottom of the microphone.
Moving to the bottom of the microphone we find all of the connectivity options of the FIFINE AmpliGame AM8. Front and center is the XLR port, and towards the bottom are the 3.5mm headphone monitoring port and the USB Type-C port.
Attached to the sides of the microphone body is a swiveling microphone mount that can be used in conjunction with the included metal base, or with a microphone arm.
Knobs on each side allow you to set the angle of the microphone in the mount just how you like it. The great thing about the mount itself is that is has both 3/8″ and 5/8″ threads for improved microphone arm compatibility.
The round metal base included with the AM8 has a good heft to it, and the rubber material on the bottom ensures it stays in place.
