AmpliGame AM8 Setup
Setup of the FIFINE AmpliGame AM8 couldn’t be easier, as it was quickly recognized by Windows and made available as a recording device named “Microphone (fifine Microphone)”. Simple tweaks to Discord, Webex and Streamlabs OBS were needed to make it our input device, but other than that, the AM8 is really a great example of plug-and-play. That simplicity in installation really makes getting up and running a breeze, as outside of the mute, gain, in-line monitoring, and lighting, all adjustments will need to be made within your operating system and any additional audio applications you may wish to use. All that said, if you are looking for a simple plug-and-play microphone, this may be just what you are looking for.
AmpliGame AM8 Usage
Like all of our microphone reviews, the AmpliGame AM8 was used in multiple scenarios throughout our testing period. With the single cardioid pickup pattern, the AM8 is best suited for podcasting and streaming. The directional audio pickup of a Cardioid pattern really favors being right in front of the microphone for the best results. The microphone works best when the top is aimed at your mouth, so keep that in mind if you end up using this microphone. Our most used scenarios are podcasting and streaming, though the AM8 would be a great upgrade from a built-in webcam microphone for online meetings where improved audio can make a huge improvement. I tested this scenario out a few times while working remotely, and had no issues with Webex handling the microphone.
With regards to mounting, the integrated threads at the bottom of the microphone stand made attaching the AM8 to my microphone arm a breeze, though I do wish the cable was longer to allow for more flexibility with regards to how far it can be away from the nearest USB port. This mounting method allowed me to have the microphone right in front of myself for great audio pickup of my voice, and reduced audio pickup from my keyboard and mouse. This is especially important during this review, as I don’t test with NVIDIA RTX Voice enabled, which would cut out all of the background noise. One thing I would like to see changed however, is maybe making the arms on the mount slightly larger to allow the USB and XLR connections to swing through the mount. As it is now, you can’t swivel the microphone through the mount with cables plugged in, as they run into the mount.
One feature I really liked about the AmpliGame AM8 was the fact that you could use both the XLR and USB connections at the same time, and send audio to two different sources if you needed to. This increases the versatility of the AM8 quite a bit, as you can send one signal to a streaming PC to handle your audio streaming duties, while the other can be used locally for Discord audio or something similar.
I was really happy to see the touch-sensitive mute function on the AmpliGame AM8, as I was not expecting it on a microphone at this price point to be honest. The ease of use and removal of audio disruption that you get from this type of muting is far and away better than a physical button that can introduce unwanted sounds when activating. Unfortunately, the mute function is on the opposite side of the adjustment dials, so you really need to make sure you have your settings dialed in ahead of use, as accessing one side or the other can be a bit tricky due to the inability to swivel the microphone through the mounting solution.
As we have noted in our previous microphone reviews, the sound quality improvement when moving from a headset or webcam-based microphone to a dedicated condenser-style microphone is night and day. Below is a sample audio recording from the FIFINE AmpliGame AM8 in both USB and XLR modes, as well as many of our previously reviewed microphones.
FIFINE AmpliGame AM8 XLR
FIFINE AmpliGame AM8 USB
XLR Microphones
Audio Technica AT2020
HyperX ProCast
HyperX ProCast 80 Hz High Pass Filter
USB Microphones
AKG Ara
Elgato Wave:3
HyperX SoloCast
HyperX QuadCast
HyperX QuadCast S
MXL BCD-1
MXL Tempo
Thronmax MDrill One Pro
Samson G-Track Pro