Reviewed in Canada on October 28, 2024
The ModMic Uni 2 has to be one of the worst products that I've ever purchased. As an audiophile, finding the "next best" has always been (and always will be) an endless endeavour, and as such, I am always on a search to find new equipment to fit my needs. After not finding satisfaction with the PC38X, I decided to go "full audiophile" and got a DT 1770 PRO for purely gaming. Because it doesn't come with a mic., I chose the Antlion Audio ModMic to fill the void. Boy, did I make the wrong bet.
For context, I am using Schiit Fulla E as my gaming DAC/for amplification needs. This thing worked perfectly fine with the PC38X (using the split cables since it doesn't accept 3.5mm TRRS to 1/4"). However, when I connected the DT 1770 PRO via 1/4" and the ModMic Uni 2 via 3.5mm port independently, I didn't see good results whatsoever. While there were no issues with the headphones themselves, the mic. had brought on an onslaught of complaints from my friends. Mainly, the fact that it was "clipping out" near the top. More specifically, when I would talk (not even yell), my friends agreed that my voice would become scratchy, static-y, and distorted at a certain volume level. At first, I thought it was a Discord issue, but after some troubleshooting, I found out that it was a ModMic issue. I went into Windows > Sound > Recording > ModMic Uni 2 Properties > Listen > 'Listen to this device' to see how I would sound with no applications, and no voice enhancements, and they were right. I even recorded myself using Audacity, and it kept clipping out anytime I'd talk. I tried lowering the mic. volume gain within Windows Sound settings, and even that was futile due to how extremely sensitive these mic. were. Basically, unless I was whispering like an ASMR content creator, my voice was distorting, even at regular speaking volumes. I tried the front jack of my PC case (that supports both 3.5mm TRS and TRRS) to use the onboard motherboard DAC, and funnily enough, it wasn't even recognized within Windows. Using process of elimination, I was able to rule out every single component, one by one, and the only feasible source of this issue pointed towards the ModMic Uni 2 every time. Because there wasn't an "exchange" option with this item, I even purchased a 2nd set of Uni 2 to see if it was only the first product that was defective, but it wasn't. The 2nd Uni 2 I purchased did the exact same thing and again, unless I was whispering OR placing the mic. at least 4 ft. (yes, feet, not inches) away from my mouth, this was going to distort and clip my voice regardless. I mean, it could've just be a bad "batch" of Uni 2s, but clearly, speculation or not, the quality control was not there, and I was severely disappointed.
Even if the ModMic Uni 2 worked as intended via the external DAC/Amp, the fact that it costs approx. $80 (at the time of this review) for THIS, is a joke. Not only did 2 adhesives (1 pre-attached, 1 included extra) out of the 3 total fall off within just a few hours, their mic. mute switch creates an intensely annoying and audible static and "click" for everyone to hear. Interestingly enough, on the Astro A40s, they also have a wire with a mute button, yet, that one works quietly, quickly, and a lot more effectively compared to this where it clicks, crackles, and causes its own interference sounds for everyone to hear. Then there are the included clips to keep the wires together. It's good that they included them, but depending on what your headphone cables are like, it's absolutely possible they may not fit because they are not thick enough. Thankfully, the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO factory cables are thick, but I've seen reviews where other slimmer/thinner factory cables don't, so it makes no sense that the clips were size-restricted.
At the end of the day, I have NOTHING good to say about the ModMic Uni 2. Every "feature" they intended as part of the product have either failed to perform, or worked just to fail shortly thereafter. It's such a shame because the product makes sense "on paper", but it has zero synergy with other products people may pair this with (i.e. DAC/Amps), and it was clear to me the quality control here was non-existent. If you are in similar shoes where you have a pair of dedicated headphones (with no mic.) for gaming, and you cannot use an external USB/XLR microphone, then I would suggest going with the ModMic USB 2, which is a far better product than this garbage. The only caveat is that ModMic USB 2 will be another 1.5x the cost of this monstrous abomination.
