Tired of being that one friend with the blown-out microphone on Discord calls? Perhaps you want to try your hand at streaming? Fifine’s AmpliGame KS5 bundle might be what you need.
Featuring the stylish AM8 microphone and feature-rich SC3 audio mixer, the KS5 bundle promises high-quality audio for streamers and gamers alike with a big focus on different use cases and a high amount of control. Can it deliver? Read our full review to find out!
AmpliGame KS5 Bundle
Manufacturer: Fifine
Price: $99.99
Starting off with the microphone, the AM8 is a capsule-dynamic mic with a hefty windscreen at its top, designed for usage between 2 and 6 inches from its speaker. For its angle control, the AM8 comes with two support screws on its sides that can be either tightened or loosened to control its stability, allowing for a free 360° rotation.
Users can find a handy mute button on its top, activated by touch, as well as two knobs for headset volume and gain control on its bottom, alongside another touch button for its RGB controls. On its back, the AM8 has XLR and USB-C ports, which can be used simultaneously, as well as a headphone jack to give the microphone control over your audio levels when using it solo.
For users who don’t want to go all-in on their audio setup just yet, the AM8 comes with a simple screw-on desk base, which gives good angle control but has no height settings for the user to adjust. It does its job, but it can’t really beat a microphone arm, which thankfully Fifine does sell separately.
When it comes to its audio, the AM8 has fantastic sound quality, as well as a very high range, but it does pick up a bit of background audio at higher gains. Even with relatively low gain (30%), the AM8 picks up on things like your PC fans, setting your mouse down, and especially typing.
A very basic amount of tweaking lets users benefit from the AM8’s high range without background noise, but that’s not something that Fifine themselves can provide, since their products have no companion software. This would be the perfect type of thing for the SC3 mixer to include, but it also unfortunately doesn’t.
Users who plan to live-stream with the AM8 will have to look into noise suppression alternatives, since it feels difficult to achieve a satisfying volume while also keeping your audio clean. More casual use cases, like audio chats with friends, will probably be fine, although louder sounds, like typing on a mechanical keyboard, might leak through without proper care.
You can listen to how talking sounds like below:
You can also listen to how talking sounds like with the same settings alongside RTX Voice turned on:
And finally, here’s a clean listen with no talking:
The second part of the kit, the SC3, is an audio mixer with a satisfying amount of features, including multiple programmable buttons that hold prerecorded audio to be played on the fly, lines for auxiliary devices, 48V phantom power, different electric tones for music or auto-tuning, and even a couple of fun extras like a simple voice changer that pitches your voice up or down.
The SC3’s interface includes multiple faders for real-time sound control, allowing users to manage the microphone, line in, line out, and headphones, all of which can be plugged into the back of the mixer, with handy mute buttons at the bottom for each device.
The audio mixer is quite useful for streamers who are still figuring things out, as the gain indicator lights at the top help users understand audio levels easily. Following the included instructions can even help you control a multi-PC streaming setup with the SC3, although it lacks more advanced features related to audio quality, showing a slight focus on novelty instead.
Overall, the AM8 and SC3 are a pretty decent duo that work well together, especially for their price. It’s difficult to think of microphones with a higher sound quality than the AM8 for those just starting, and the SC3 is a fun addition both streamers and people who simply want to entertain their friends on a call will enjoy.
The KS5 bundle is quite easy to recommend, although with the caveat that users take some time to really understand both the AM8 and SC3’s settings. Both devices are about as plug-and-play as it gets, but it’s nothing new that audio equipment always requires additional quality tweaks.
You can find Fifine’s products on their Amazon store, or through their website if you want to check out the KS5 bundle or any of its items individually.
The KS5 Bundle was reviewed using a unit provided by Fifine. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.
