Page 4 - Conclusion
The FIFINE K688 is a podcast-focused dynamic microphone that performs well in capturing voice recordings. It features dual outputs through USB Type-C for easy plug-and-play or XLR for those who need added flexibility and customization. The body is reasonably solid with a mostly metal construction and a functionally thick pop filter to reject plosives. The included shock mount works well to reduce vibrations and can be mounted onto a 3/8" or 5/8" boom arm or mic stand. The recordings captured by the K688 are clean and crisp for vocals between the 70Hz and 15kHz range. This is perfect for podcasts, and workable in some studio recordings. The cardioid polar pattern helps reject most surrounding noises, and is good at picking up directional sound. Most of the built-in features of the K688 require the use of the USB connection. There is a virtually noiseless, capacitive touch mute button that lights up indicating its status. Two knobs in the back control the microphone gain and the live monitoring volume. For monitoring, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack that also works to pass through computer audio. Using the XLR connection loses all these features, but gains added flexibility to increase the USB-limited 16-bit bit depth and 48kHz sample rate. Further tweaks can help provide better microphone gain and equalization to taste. Some downsides to the K688 are that the bass roll off is quite significant and limits its use case. Furthermore, bumps to microphone body and cable can easily introduce unwanted noise in recordings. At a price of $73 USD at the time of the review, the FIFINE K688 is a mighty fine microphone with very handy features. The FIFINE K688 dynamic microphone delivers excellent audio performance even in untreated environments, and is perfect for podcasts, voice overs, and other spoken recordings.
FIFINE provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.5/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The FIFINE K688 USB/XLR computer microphone performs well for vocal recordings at a compelling price.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Recording Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
