3.5 mic + Fulla or some alternative solution

[MindArlekin]

So, my current audio solution looks like this:

It consists of Fiio FT1 headphones and a Boya smartphone mic that I found for 13 bucks, both plugged in directly into my mobo. Mic is fastened to the chassis with a ziptie and plugged in with a 3.5f to 2x 3.5m adapter that I extended myself.

Some time ago, I had a plan to buy myself a Shiit Fulla and get a somewhat better quality mic with a 3.5 mm connection to plug into it. The idea was that this way I will retain relative compactness of the setup, so I can pack and transport it in luggage easily while having a dac\amp combo for headphones and a rudimentary but somewhat better microphone solution.

 

So, now, when I decided to actually work on this problem, I have questions for experienced people, because I'm really not knowledgeable in this area:

1. Are there any microphones with a 3.5 mm connection that are worth a damn in terms of output sound quality and can be put in place on a desk without taping/zip-tying them to anything?

2. Maybe there's something better than Fulla with the same idea of being a DAC/amp combo with a mic input?

3. Or maybe this concept can be realised much better in a different way? Like maybe there's some better USB relatively compact standalone mic and better DAC/amp that both can fit in a budget of 200 bucks?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Psittac]

Your plan is a good one. I'd go for an antlion modmic uni if you like the headset form factor.

 

Fulla is a great dac amp, if you might want more power down the road look at the gunnr but the fulla will leave you with many headphone options or be the perfect match for your ft1

 

I have the Fulla Schiit and still use it at times. It will run entirely off a phone too should you ever need that functionality.

 

If you want to save some money the sybasonic sd dac is rather good, on par or beating top end onboard. But it's not as good as the fulla.

[MindArlekin]

Well, after some research, I think this plan is viable, but it drastically limits microphone options.

 

You can't have something standing on a desk or mounted on an arm and at the same time have a 3.5 mm connection, because this connection does not carry the proper power required for a mic signal to be amplified enough so that speech could be understood without having this mic an inch from your mouth.

 

The next problem is specific to my case. I'm not really a fan of sticking things onto my headphones. And Modmic would require me to do that. An alternative would be something like V-MODA BoomPro, but its a 3.5mm single connection will not work with my 3.5 mm dual connection FT1 headphone.

 

There is an option to buy a camera shotgun mic; there are some options like MKE 200 from Sennheiser, but their main problem will be that you NEED to stay precisely in front of them at all times, otherwise nobody will hear you. And this is not an intended purpose for this very special type of mic, so spending 80+ bucks just to find that it doesn't work in my use case - not really fills me with enthusiasm.

 

Another option is to buy a USB microphone and stop wasting time. But (it's always some but, hehe) I'm not a fan of those, because of an inherent flaw in this type of mic connection. Carrying a signal and taking power from a USB port at the same time comes with a higher noise floor, and, depending on the model, it can be really annoying. Some USB mics have either a noise floor cutout built into the schematic, and some of them have onboard processing that should filter this additional noise. But both of those methods lead to a worse quality of the signal. It's not a surprise that all higher-quality microphones use an XLR interface that supplies power separately and sends only the audio signal via USB. Also, practically ALL USB mics are overpriced trash that sells 30 bucks worth of components for 100+ bucks to uneducated and unsuspecting consumers.

 

As it is usual for me, simple problems can possibly be solved by complicated DIY solutions. I have an Idea of building a microphone based on an OPA Alice with a separate 9-12V power source and ala DIYperks mic repurposed USB interface. I'm willing to throw some money down the drain to test if it is possible to do that.

As for a DAC/Amp - I guess Fulla will still work fine in this case, but now, when a 3.5 mm mic connection is not required, maybe there are some alternatives that could be better.

 

I will continue to research and will post later about what option I chose.