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AAJoe

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  1. Informative
    AAJoe got a reaction from Psittac in The Unspoken TRRS problem   
    Probably correct, yeah. Don't let the marketing guy talk about engineering terms 😄 - I guess the way I understand it or think about it is it's more like the difference between the ground line and mic or headphone line, and that the more that difference is as a percent of the total line the bigger problem it becomes; so for high impedance headphones a small difference is no big deal to the ground, while for low impedance IEMs that same difference is a big percent.
     
    Again, not an engineer, just struggling to explain it roughly how it was explained to me when I was asking "Why didn't you use a TRRS cable on the Kimura?" 😄 
  2. Informative
    AAJoe got a reaction from Psittac in The Unspoken TRRS problem   
    Well, I can save you a lot of testing: Before I start, I am not an engineer, but I do spend a lot of time speaking with engineers about this kind of stuff. So this is my interpretation of what I am told, it may be inaccurate (slightly or majorly), but I am pretty sure I've got it close enough for government work.

    To some degree it is absolutely true, as soon as you share a ground between the headphone and the mic (as a TRRS cable does) some sound bleeds between the lines unless they are in "perfect" balance (like, lab environment perfect). Most of the time you don't hear or notice it because there is enough resistance on the lines that the audio is essentially too low to be audible.
     
    The longer the ground is shared, the more this issue compounds. The lower the overall resistance of the lines, the more bleed you get. And lastly, the greater the resistance difference between the ground and hot cables the more bleed you get.
     
    This is why "crosstalk" or "echo" or "audio bleeding" comes up so much more often when you use something like IEMs with a mic line, as they have long shared cables, low line resistance, and often large differences between grounding and mic/headphones. It is specifically why the Antlion Kimura has separate mic and IEM lines all the way to the end and we just include a Y adapter; to minimize and eliminate the problem.

    So, there you have it :). Hope it helps! As for removing this effect, really if the issue is the mic line transmitting the noise that offending party probably just needs a noise gate and your problem will essentially be solved for most use cases (unless its SO loud that it can be heard when they are talking, in which case... probably active noise canceling will be better). A replacement cable may help, if the cable has some balance issues, but it's probably just the device's resistance.
  3. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from AlTech in Antlion Audio releases new IEMs and Mic for IEMs with patent pending design | Patent unclear   
    Hey everyone,

    You know me, I try to be pretty transparent about things! Let's dive into your questions:
     
    1) The patent is regarding the behind-ear split, including its shape, location, etc. Is it a big enough deal to warrant a patent? Well, it's still pending and has been for a while, but we were unable to find anything that did what we do. Pretty much all of these splits occur at the IEM or where the junction between IEM and cable meet. If the patent is rejected, that's ok. We're not staking our futures on it!

    How do we feel about patents in general? As a company, mixed. We understand why people don't like them (and there are plenty, such as ones related to insulin where at least I am firmly against). However, our patent on the ModMic clasp system has already protected us multiple times from problems. Without it, we may have been in trouble as a variety of knock-offs have appeared and the patent has forced them to use inferior methods to ours. To me (not a company stance, just me) this kind of patent is fine because nobody's going to be severely harmed by it and it helps a small company like us compete. Anyway, this is more of that, the goal is to give us a little wiggle room so we don't get instantly crushed. Amongst the various ModMic knock-offs we've fended off include offerings from Audio Technica (Who even use ModMic to describe their product, wtf), Drop, and even one of our distributors (whom we no longer work with, of course). There's about a dozen out there of various sizes and to my knowledge all avoid our patent (and one we had to settle out of court, which as far as I know is no longer made anyway).
     
    Anyway, we're probably a smaller company than you think, so these kinds of protections (if we can get them) are important to our survival.
     
    2)  What have we been DOING all this time!? What have we been spending money on!?
     
    Haha, ok so the Kimura was originally planned for 2020. I think we all know where this is going. 2020 was absolute insanity for the audio market, especially microphones. All of our effort went towards securing enough units of the existing ModMics to meet demand. Throughout 2020 we had rolling stock shortages on products as we raced to produce enough ModMics while parts shortages and factory shut-downs plagued us at every turn. As a result, Kimura got delayed into 2021.
     
    In 2021 we had smoothed out the supply/demand problem and Kimura was well on its way, but slowdowns in production still dogged us, 2021 slipped into 2022. When it DID finally get done we discovered a huge manufacturing defect that wasn't included in the QC test plan. Every single unit went back to be redone. That's why it didn't make the 2022 launch window we had aimed for, but better late than never. It was frankly a nightmare I don't want to ever have to relive (especially since I was that poor canary in the coal mine that found the problem.)
     
    SO WHAT ABOUT A NEW MODMIC! Parallel to this a new ModMic Wireless is in the works, as well as more stuff. I can't talk too much about the features yet, but this is more than just a tiny face lift. We've got some big changes in mind and we hope to pull it off. However, I can say it will have USB-C and a dedicated on/off button. That much is certain. Beyond that we've got a solid list of improvements we're working on and we hope to see it available this year or early next... barring another world-changing series of events or surprise "send them all back to the factory" situations!
     
    We DO want to be releasing more products, more often, and will be focusing on that in the coming years. But, it is in our DNA to "Do one thing right instead of one thing right and nine things wrong" as some companies do. We hope we got the Kimura right, but if not, as long as there's interest in the product concept we'll keep at it until we get there. As for what's next other than "more ModMic" and "more Kimura" ... it's a secret! But we do have some interesting concepts that I've seen sketches of. Pretty crazy stuff mostly, I hope we'll see at least one of these crazy ideas in 2024-2025.
  4. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from NinJake in Good microphone in a small room with two people?   
    The best advice I have is to use some kind of active noise filtering and a somewhat aggressive noise gate (which is often part of the filter). RNNoise is free if you don't have a RTX card, but a little tricky to set up. I wrote an article on how to set it up here: https://antlionaudio.com/blogs/news/free-active-noise-suppression-without-rtx-voice.
     
    But at the end of the day the mic's job is to pick up sound, so there's only so much filtering and gating is going to do for two mics in the same room.
     
     
  5. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from DriedSponge in Schiit AC adapter broken?   
    Yeah you should totally contact them, take it from the Antlion Audio guy we much prefer it when someone contacts us about a problem so we can not only fix it for the customer but add it to a list of potential issues to make sure we fix or keep an eye on.
  6. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from An0maly_76 in Schiit AC adapter broken?   
    Yeah you should totally contact them, take it from the Antlion Audio guy we much prefer it when someone contacts us about a problem so we can not only fix it for the customer but add it to a list of potential issues to make sure we fix or keep an eye on.
  7. Informative
    AAJoe got a reaction from PianoPlayer88Key in been >10 years since I last shopped, but want durable ~$100-150 wireless headset with accurate sound, won't sweat in >43-48°C (100-118°F) ambient, etc   
    First, to answer the ModMic specific question: No you can't use them with IEMs (sadly) - Just too heavy
     
    Now... I want to bring up an important learning point that is... mostly pedantic. It's not because I am an audio snob, but rather I want to make sure you have the right adjectives to describe what you are after:
     
    Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is not connected to noise isolation. 

    The short versions of what they are is: SNR is the measure of electrical noise in the headphones vs. the noise that is supposed to be there in the recording. Basically, what does the headphone sound like if you play NOTHING and crank the volume up (This is an oversimplification for any MORE pedantic audio nerds out there). 
     
    Noise isolation is how well the headphones block out noise from the real world, such as my wife telling me to do the dishes. If I can not hear her, she has not asked.
     
    Next: Accuracy ... is... elusive. The common misconception is that if you had a "Flat" sound signature, the graph of the sound of the headphones would also be flat. This would be true if you are a robot. I assume, however, you are not a robot. Without diving into the science that I don't entirely understand, the basics are the shape of your ear changes they way things sound, so if you want to hear "as if you are a real person and not a robot" you may want headphones that are more akin to the Harmon curve. Or maybe not, it is hotly debated and I am not a scientist, but the point is flat or "reference" is nowhere near as simple as it first seems - and the real bummer here is... no gaming headset is going to deliver anything even close to what people tend to look for as reference or flat. Not that I know of anyway. 
     
    Also, I really, REALLY question the durability of headsets. This is not some "Antlion Audio" shill speech. I worked in games for 13 years before I joined Antlion and I'd burn through a headset every 1.5 years or so. When I joined Antlion 4 years ago I picked up a pair of R70x. They're still basically in perfect shape. (Prob time to replace my earpads). So yeah, I paid 3x what a headset would cost, but they're more comfortable, better sounding, and are about to pass the breakeven point on price.
     
    So, if I had to pick from the headsets you listed I'd consider the Cloud Flights and move on with my life. I don't think you're going to get a reference sound (which is very hard to do in wireless anyway). I don't know how long they'll last. It'll be cheap though!
     
    And again, I am the wrong person to ask about IEMs so anyone else may be able to chime in and help more with any reference grade IEMs that are wireless.
  8. Informative
    AAJoe got a reaction from HenrySalayne in been >10 years since I last shopped, but want durable ~$100-150 wireless headset with accurate sound, won't sweat in >43-48°C (100-118°F) ambient, etc   
    That's a lot of requirements on not a lot of budget, also thanks for the mention of our ModMics @Lord Vile
     
    The short version is you can either do some of the things you want at that budget / requirements.
     
    First, lets talk about sweat and using them outside at 100 deg f weather... You're gonna sweat, over ear headphones are going to make it worse. Simply put, you either have to use on-ear headphones or open back headphones, neither of which are going to provide good noise isolation. So that's decision number one, which is more important? You could also, as you say, go into wireless IEMs, but good wireless IEMs are expensive and you may not like how they feel or sound. It'd certainly suggest trying them, but if you're at all like me you're going to dislike how IEMs sound (Wired or unwired).
     
    IEMs with good mics basically don't exist as far as I know as well.

    The ModMic advantage (Shameless plug but Lord already brought it up) is you can attach our high quality mics to basically any pair of headphones and detach it when you don't need it (E.g. when you are outside). One model is wireless, so if you want to go full wireless you can, however, it's going to break your budget. Also, while the battery is excellent (12 hours), it's not replaceable, so it isn't going to last you 10 years. 3-6 would be my guess, depending on use.
     
    In short, you've got some decisions to make on what is most important here: Noise isolation or ear-heat. Wireless or budget. IEM (and crappy mics) or headphones.
     
    Some example combos

    Wireless: Sennheiser BT350 + ModMic Wireless = ~$240. Over budget. Decent noise isolation and sound quality, plus aptX Low Latency on both devices. Not going to be great in hot weather though.

    Open Back Wired: Philips SHP9500 + ModMic Uni = ~$130. Awesome combo from audio quality standpoint. Should be much better in hot weather than your past experiences (I don't know if wearing headphones in that heat is ever going to be described as comfortable). No noise isolation. Wired.
  9. Like
    AAJoe reacted to Joshcanread in Suggestion for Mic for headphones   
    mod mic: https://antlionaudio.com/collections/microphones
  10. Like
    AAJoe reacted to Isileth in Headphone volume too loud   
    Little late to respond but wanted to leave this here in case anyone else is having this problem and couldn't find a solution.
     
    The above solution using Equalizer APO works perfectly! Initially it had no effect but after changing the install to SFX/MFX in the config and restarting I was able to get it working. I cleared out all the settings but the preamp in the editor. I set it to -20db which is the max it would allow, that helped a little but it also lets you add another preamp and do the exact same thing to make it even quieter, so right now im running at -30db which lets me put the volume up comfortably to the 30-50 range which gives me a lot more flexibility with volumes.
     
    Thanks for the recommendation! 
  11. Informative
    AAJoe got a reaction from Isileth in Headphone volume too loud   
    Using the above link from @ShearMe you can set a pre-amp to a negative value, which will give you the wiggle room you need to set it to reasonable volumes. It won't impact quality based on a similar issue we had with our old USB sound card.
  12. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from 220VoltsallCore in At what Price Headphones offer good price/sound quality value?   
    I find we see great returns up to that 80-100 dollar range where you have things like the SHP9500, 7506, etc. Then it levels off for a bit till the 150ish range for stuff like the HD559. After that I feel like its a slow slide to the $200 range with the DT990, 599, AKG 7xx, etc. And THEN I think audio tends to drop off a giant cliff on quality. I honestly get very little difference (other than cosmetic and feel) from a $2,000 pair of Hifiman as I do the HD599.
     
    Anyway, the sweet spot for me tends to be the $80-$200 range. You can find some decent stuff cheaper and I am sure some specific "for this purpose" stuff more expensive, but in general I think that is your safe bet.
  13. Like
    AAJoe reacted to Lauen in Mic   
    bringing the blue snowball closer to your face and further from your keyboard will help a lot. I got a 12 dollar neweer stand for my snowball and although you CAN hear my keyboard it really isn't all that bad unless you slam your keys with the force of 1000 suns. I don't however have one of those clicky switches like MX Blue or anything of that sort, I have linear switches. 
     
    For a different kind of fix that requires more money, a directional mic or at least dynamic mic will help. best case scenario will be a shotgun mic, some of the better examples like RØDE NTG series can be 200 dollars pretty quickly and then you'll also need an interface for it, which will probably start at like 50 bucks. 
     
    ModMic is another option, getting the mic real close and you can turn down the gain so it'll pick up less keyboard in relation to mouth noises. 50 bucks starting price and you just plug it in and glue a little magnet to your headphones. pretty easy. 
  14. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from Bombastinator in My microphone somehow picks up my PC sounds, I don't have speakers   
    Usually this is because you've incorrectly selected stereo mix instead of your mic  - or something to that effect.

    It can also happen if there's a shared ground and you mute your mic (analog only). Those are the two most likely.
  15. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from Derkoli in USB soundcard for bad microphone?   
    Yeah the 6.35mm adapter isn't going to help - that is for sure.
     
    The USB should be a big improvement here, it's not exactly the same as having a built in USB for several reasons, but it will be close. The biggest of which is our new ModMic line has much better RF resistant shielding, we now have a pre-amp at the mic tip, which helps with the EMI by giving you a better signal to noise ratio, and the ADC chipset we use is consistent, which means it always sounds the same vs. USB sticks, which will vary based on firmware settings, chipset, and construction.
     
    Anyway, I suspect your USB solution will be perfect and not an issue If it doesn't work, drop me a DM and I will have another plan in mind for ya.
  16. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from Derkoli in USB soundcard for bad microphone?   
    Hi @Juusuhako - 

    SOOOooooo - Long story short is if you can I would switch to our new ModMic USB. If this is a recent purchase just change it out for that. If not, we need to first figure out what the noise is. Most likely it is either EMI or RF interference. EMI comes from the PC and RF comes from nearby wireless signals. It could also be a grounding issue, though that is less likely given the ZxR interface.
     
    Easiest way to tell that is jump in our Discord and DM me, @AntlionJoe or just drop a recording into the Support channel and tag @staff and we'll take a listen and give you our opinion.  https://discord.gg/Jn6x7uc

    We're here to help - but if you want to try on your own, check out this link: https://antlionaudio.com/blogs/news/whats-that-noise to help diagnose the source of the problem.
  17. Informative
    AAJoe got a reaction from Lotus. in Mod mic 5 electrical interference from ac adapter   
    @Lotus. Actually you want the TRS version of that cable:
     
    https://www.amazon.com/KabelDirekt-3-5mm-Female-Stereo-Extension/dp/B00RXNULH4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=kabeldirekt+male+to+female+aux&qid=1562352210&s=electronics&sr=1-3
     
    Note the difference in the number of black bands. I think in reality they'd both work, but the TRS cable is less likely to pick up any problems. Should resolve the issue
     
  18. Informative
    AAJoe got a reaction from Lotus. in Mod mic 5 electrical interference from ac adapter   
    Heya - Well that's a pickle. It's certainly being caused by your power.... but there's semi good news.

    We just launched the ModMic USB to "replace" the ModMic 5. I suspect it may eliminate this problem. The alternative is as Fusion says, try a different outlet. You can also test by removing all the extension cables from the ModMic 5. If the noise goes away you could try a different third party cable (Amazon Basics will do) - that could be it as well. The ModMic USB made a lot of improvements, not the least of which is revamping how we handle shielding on the cables.
  19. Informative
    AAJoe got a reaction from Cypher-Jackson in Headphones with the least noise bleed   
    Rtings I think tests noise bleed/isolation, so if you REALLY want something that is the "best" at this then that is where I'd start. However, any closed back headphones will probably isolate enough that it won't be an issue.
     
    Almost all bluetooth headphones are closed back (in fact, there are only two that aren't)... so basically the field is wide open. I'd start at the expensive level with WH1000xm3 if you need ANC or the affordable Sennheiser HD4.4bt if you don't.
  20. Agree
    AAJoe got a reaction from JabroniBaloney in Play voice and Music through Microphone?   
    I am kinda confused by this entire thread. 
     
    Just install Voicemeeter Banana.

    Set input 1 to your mic.
     
    Go to what music you want to play (lets just say its an MP3) and have it output to virtual Vaio or aux.
     
    Set output to Virtual Cable.
     
    Now set OBS or whatever to capture Virtual cable, which will be a mix of the music and your mic.
     
    No hardware is required for this stuff
  21. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from vanished in Use HyperX Cloud II Microphone standalone   
    Correct btw, hyperX uses an awkward pinout (People try plugging their ModMic into that jack often and it doesn't work because of this).

    There's some threads on Reddit you can find where people have modded their headphones / cables that have the proper pinout, unfortunately I can't seem to find them right now, but they're out there.
  22. Agree
    AAJoe got a reaction from theonlyratatoskr in Headset or Headphone + mic recommendation   
    SHP9500 + ModMic 4 w/ Antlion USB Sound Card seems about right. Should run you 70 for the headphones and about the same for the mic setup.
     
    Alternative: Sennheiser HD559 with the same mic setup. $30 extra on the headphones.

    Sound card is there mostly for the mic, headphones can be run off mobo sound or the sound card, whichever you prefer.
     
    Both are open back (you didn't specify). If you want closed back I can't think of anything quite as good with glasses at this price range. First one that came to mind was the 598 CS (now known as the Sennheiser 569), but that is 150.
     
    Of course there are other mics, I am just suggesting the ones we make  - Just to be clear on my bias as my signature shows, lol.
  23. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from mav91890 in Three different wireless headphones crackling/popping...   
    Any wireless device can cause this kind of noise. A mouse tends to make a high pitch rapid tapping/squeel. A router tends to be a lower frequency and less regular. Other NFC devices can cause even stranger high pitch whines. Cellular signals tend to be helicopter like...
     
    I should make a funny post describing interference sounds as if they are fine wine
  24. Like
    AAJoe got a reaction from mav91890 in Three different wireless headphones crackling/popping...   
    Make sure your cell phone is far away from you as a test.
     
    Also test to make sure your sample rates are the same across all devices.
  25. Funny
    AAJoe got a reaction from Gabriel Justus in Anyone staying at the Cambie Downtown Hostel?   
    If you don't mind an "industry person", I'll be there as well, though not till Friday night. Love to meet any Antlion Audio fans (or convert you to our cause) ... or just hang out and have a some drinks.
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