For years I’ve been a giant proponent of gaming peripheral manufacturers like Razer, Logitech, and SteelSeries for every thing from mice and keyboards to audio comparable to headsets and audio system. These are corporations making gadgets which are purpose-built for gaming, not an add-on gadget or an afterthought to faucet into a brand new market. This additionally normally implies that there are tons of options which are developed and supposed to boost the gaming expertise in a method or one other.
Whereas all of that is nice, what if there have been an choice on the market for the audiophile, who loves to listen to each nuance in no matter they’re listening to, but in addition likes to play video games? That’s primarily what Meze Audio has tried to create right here with its new Growth Mic. It’s an attachment that accompanies a choice of Meze’s headphones. With it, you’ll be able to obtain upgraded audio high quality whereas additionally nonetheless being able to speak with your folks/teammates in your favourite video games. And once I say upgraded audio high quality, I imply the form of audio high quality that you simply are inclined to solely get with a very well-made pair of wired headphones.
Don’t get me incorrect, wi-fi headphones and wi-fi gaming headsets have gotten superb. I actually am a fan of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Professional Wi-fi as a result of they actually sound fairly rattling good. Logitech’s G Professional X 2 is in the identical camp. Perhaps even a reduce above relating to listening to the all-important directional audio of footsteps and gunfire in shooters. And but, a pair of wired headphones, Like Meze’s 99 Basic, are unmatched for sound high quality and readability.
Are there drawbacks? Certain. Wires imply no freedom. You may’t simply stand up out of your chair and stroll to the kitchen for a snack or a drink. You should take the headphones off first. However that’s the tradeoff for audio, which has greater readability. All of that mentioned, we’re not right here to speak in regards to the Meze 99 Basic, which Meze despatched over to me to take a look at alongside the Growth Mic. No, we’re right here to speak in regards to the Growth Mic itself. How is it in comparison with the mics on all my different correct gaming headsets? Let’s dive in and see if it’s the suitable match for you, for any gamer, and whether or not or not it’s well worth the cash. Which, by the way in which, the value is $79 USD.
Meze Audio Growth Mic Overview: {Hardware} and Construct High quality
Let’s get one factor straight proper from the beginning. Meze’s construct high quality with this mic is top-notch. The supplies used appear and feel premium in each sense of the phrase. And I actually recognize the CNC milled and laser-engraved aluminum mic cowl. Even the increase arm appears to be like and feels nice, because it’s simply the ridged metallic with no plastic or braided protecting. That latter level might sound small, however I’ve had headsets with mics the place that plastic protecting peels again a little bit and has began to return off.
This doesn’t actually hinder how the mic works, however it doesn’t look nice, and it’s onerous to not query whether or not or not different components of the headset would possibly begin to break down if one thing so simple as the mic arm protecting is already doing so. Meze selected to forgo encasing the mic arm in something and go away the uncooked metallic.
It additionally comes with a set of on-cable controls for quantity and mic muting that feels lined in leather-based or soft-touch plastic materials that’s satisfying to the contact. What I recognize most is the lengthy cable. One purpose I’ve all the time shied away from wired gaming headsets is that the cable isn’t lengthy sufficient. This all the time ends in the cable brushing up towards my arm or subtly scratching the sting of my desk or chair arm. Which causes an disagreeable sound from the vibration. I completely detest it.
Meze Audio’s Growth Mic has a reasonably lengthy cable that helps forestall this, though the common cable that comes with the headphones is longer. Even the quantity and mute controls are utilizing premium supplies. The quantity wheel has a knurled sample on it for that satisfying tactile really feel and added grip out of your finger as you alter the quantity ranges. The mute swap is metallic too. Briefly, Meze didn’t skimp right here. Each piece of the mic’s design was thoughtfully and thoroughly crafted to look and carry out as premium as the corporate’s headphones.
What comes with the increase mic
Contained in the packaging with the mic, you get just a few issues to finish the person expertise. There’s the mic itself which comes with a cable size of 8.2 toes, a Y-adapter to be used with desktops or laptops which have separate enter and output ports, and a PU leather-based pouch for storage in the event you take this factor with you locations. And that’s it. No different extras, however then once more there don’t must be. You have got every thing you want right here to benefit from this mic. Wanting the headphones you want to plug them into.
Design
Total, I believe Meze has designed a reasonably high-quality increase mic right here. The premium supplies actually present the eye to element in most components of the craftsmanship. I say most as a result of there’s one specific side of the design I actually am not keen on. The mic is pretty free which permits it to swivel left and proper. I think this was an intentional design so you’ll be able to transfer the mic away out of your face in the event you ever wish to. I do that usually once I wish to take a drink or take a chew of one thing. The factor is, the mic arm itself can be bendable. Which is and not using a shadow of a doubt so you’ll be able to transfer the mic away out of your face. So the swivel simply appears redundant.
In fact, the redundancy isn’t my difficulty with this design. The difficulty is that the mic arm swivels too simply. It’s simply bumped which might pose an issue if that occurs proper in the midst of whilst you’re chatting. God forbid you’re making an attempt to make a call-out to a teammate and fumble every thing as a result of the mic was bumped and your teammate didn’t hear you.
This is a matter I’ve in truth come throughout whereas I used to be utilizing this with buddies in Discord over the previous weekend. On multiple event I went to both scratch my nostril or sneeze and the mic was pushed far sufficient away from my mouth that I used to be now not vocal. Now, to be truthful, that is one thing you would in all probability mitigate in the event you’re merely extra conscious of how shut the mic is to your mouth.
Nonetheless, it’s one thing I by no means have to fret about with every other headset mic after the preliminary placement once I put the headset on. As soon as the mic is in place on my different headsets, it’s not going wherever except I deliberately transfer it out of the way in which. I do know it isn’t going wherever by chance. That is the one factor with the design that I might change. And if Meze decides to place out future Growth mic choices (and I hope it does), then I hope that is one thing that the corporate takes into consideration.
Meze Audio Growth Mic Overview: Vocal High quality
Okay, so the {hardware} and supplies are premium, largely every thing in regards to the design is nice, however how does it sound? That’s the all-important query, proper? How does the mic sound? As a result of on the finish of the day, the way it appears to be like issues loads lower than how effectively it really works. How effectively can your folks/teammates hear you while you communicate into it? The reply to this query needs to be “good.” Even higher is that if the reply is “nice.”
As a result of then which means you’re getting some actually clear comms and that’s precisely what you need in any recreation the place comms matter. Whether or not it’s Name of Responsibility or different shooters and you want to make callouts on the enemy place, or in video games like World of Warcraft, Future 2, or Last Fantasy XIV the place the callouts revolve round boss mechanics, which might usually be essential to the success of the encounter and a small misstep right here with comms may cause a complete raid or dungeon wipe. You need the vocal high quality to be nearly as good as doable. And I’m glad to say that Meze Audio has completed a very, actually good job right here.
I do need to admit one factor although. My preliminary impressions weren’t nice. See, the setup expertise was lower than excellent. You’d assume, what setup expertise? It’s a wired pair of headphones with a increase mic add-on. Simply plug them in. The issue with that’s, that’s not all I wanted to do for issues to work correctly. Upon plugging them into my laptop computer, I assumed every thing was superb and proceeded to make use of them. Solely, a few issues had been off. Each my buddies in chat mentioned I sounded quieter or considerably muffled. The on-cable controls additionally wouldn’t work. It doesn’t matter what I attempted, the mute swap and quantity wheel had been inoperable. What a disgrace, I believed.
However lengthy story brief, the laptop computer merely wasn’t recognizing the three.5mm jack as an enter supply. So the entire time it was utilizing the built-in mic array. After an hour of studying and tinkering, I discovered methods to repair this difficulty and received issues rolling. Each session since then has been miles forward of my first expertise. With the mic performing exceptionally effectively in vocal readability.
No extra complaints from buddies that I used to be too quiet or my voice wasn’t very clear. In truth, the place I initially thought, the mic was simply okay, however it doesn’t appear any higher than the mics on my precise gaming headsets, I now assume in any other case. Meze claims its increase mic has unparalleled vocal readability in comparison with the competitors, and I daresay it’s residing as much as that declare.
After this repair, the on-cable controls labored completely superb on my laptop computer as effectively. I additionally tried the mic and headphones with a desktop setup that makes use of separate mic enter and audio output ports. No complaints there both. Whereas I nonetheless assume on-ear controls are a little bit simpler to make use of and extra handy, those within the Meze Growth Mic do the job they had been supposed to do, and actually, that’s all one actually wants.
Meze Audio Growth Mic Overview: Specs
For individuals who need them, I needed to the touch on the form of particulars which may matter to anybody who considers themself an audio skilled. The specs. The Microphone has a frequency response of 100Hz all the way in which right down to 10KHz. It’s additionally a Condenser kind microphone and has a microphone sensitivity of-44 ±3 dB. Lastly, the polar sample is Omnidirectional.
All of this info means little to me as a result of I’m not an audio skilled. So I couldn’t inform you with out some intensive analysis why all that is vital. What I can inform you is that the mic works very effectively and it picks up my voice clearly and I don’t have to fret about whether or not or not my teammates can hear me communicate. I believe that’s what’s most vital right here.
The cable size for the microphone is about 8.2 toes which is lots lengthy. Lengthy sufficient to not current the problems I’ve had with any of the wired gaming headsets I’ve tried over time.
Meze Audio Growth Mic Overview: Compatibility
It’s a chunk of wired gear, so it’ll work with primarily something that has a 3.5mm audio port. That features PS5, PS4, Xbox Sequence X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Swap, cell, and PC. No matter platform you play video games on, if there’s a spot to plug in a wired headset, this mic will give you the results you want. Now do you want the clearest comms doable on one thing just like the Nintendo Swap? Most likely not.
The Swap doesn’t precisely have an enormous aggressive multiplayer scene in comparison with PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. That’s to not say there aren’t any aggressive multiplayer video games. There are. Nonetheless, I don’t see the Nintendo Swap because the go-to platform the place you see numerous aggressive high-level play the place workforce communication must be top quality. Nonetheless, the mic works and in order for you an honest mic for comms on Nintendo Swap, this can serve that function.
For all different platforms, I really feel it’s essential to make it clear that this mic may in truth allow you to win extra. It’s not going to enhance your gameplay expertise for you. It gained’t make you a greater shot or enhance your potential to dodge enemy hearth. What it’ll do is guarantee your teammates can hear you correctly. And in case you have that, it simply would possibly imply the distinction between a teammate getting the drop on an enemy as a result of they heard precisely what you mentioned about the place that enemy is coming from, and them getting taken out as a result of your voice wasn’t clear sufficient.
Meze Audio Growth Mic Overview: Worth Level
You might not take into consideration how a lot a mic prices while you purchase a gaming headset as a result of all gaming headsets include a mic. They’re both built-in, or they’re removable and are available within the field. However as I discussed earlier this can be a product for individuals who want wired headphones that weren’t at the start designed for gaming.
That very nature means it’s a must to take into account the price of each the headphones you’re utilizing with this mic in addition to the price of the mic. As a result of the 2 collectively are what you’re taking a look at on your total value. $79 isn’t essentially good or dangerous as a result of it actually all is dependent upon what you need or can spend. And with the Growth Mic from Meze you don’t have to make use of them with a pair of headphones just like the 99 Basic that are $309. Nonetheless, even utilizing them with the 99 Neo which is $199, nonetheless places this mix at upwards of $300. And the fact, I believe, is that almost all avid gamers are in all probability superb with one thing that works effectively sufficient if it means they avoid wasting cash.
I got here to this conclusion after speaking with a number of buddies about the price of the Growth Mic plus the headphones you want to use it with. And all of them mentioned the identical factor – that they might simply purchase a correct gaming headset that comes with a mic for at the very least $80 to $100 much less. Then once more, Meze isn’t actually making an attempt to seize this market. It’s going straight after the buyer who appreciates, desires, or perhaps even already owns a pair of high-quality audiophile headphones. For these shoppers, the Growth Mic presents an answer to the issue of utilizing these nicer headphones for recreation chat. In fact, the increase mic may also be used for voice calls and video conferencing. So if that’s what your wants are, the $79 value is fairly good. Particularly if it means you don’t have to purchase a gaming headset that would value $200 when the increase mic will do.
Do you have to purchase the Meze Audio Growth Mic?
Like I mentioned above, this actually all is dependent upon what you’re on the lookout for. In case you already personal a pair of good, high-quality wired headphones, they usually have a mono twin 3.5mm connection, then you must completely take into account this mic. That’s in the event you additionally play video games or want one thing for voice calls and wish to use these headphones for these functions.
Meze has created a well-rounded, high-quality resolution for folks squarely on this camp. Whereas I nonetheless assume my private desire leans in the direction of the comfort of a wi-fi gaming headset with a great mic, there’s positively a marketplace for wired headphones that use a increase mic just like the one Meze is now providing. Plus, there’s the additional benefit of no audio latency each for the sport audio and your voice. So, must you spend the cash on this?
You can purchase the Meze Audio Growth Mic if:
- You’re trying to purchase wired audiophile headphones that may also be used for gaming or voice calls/video conferencing
- You already personal a pair of wired audiophile headphones and want a gaming mic
You shouldn’t purchase the Meze Audio Growth Mic if:
- You favor a wi-fi pair of headphones or a wi-fi gaming headset
- You don’t wish to spend upwards of $300-$400
- You’re on the lookout for one thing that’s built-in
