Zalman Zm-Mic1 High Sensitivity Headphone Microphone

Solid cheap microphone

review by csm725

So, here I was, converting to a true PC gamer. Time to get a real mic.
I was recommended the Zalman ZM-MIC1.
It clipped on to my AD700's cable nicely, the Zalman however has a very long and thin cable, keep this in mind. Some cable ties should take care of it though.
There isn't much to go over here, but the three things I will cover are - functionality, recording quality, and value.
Functionality
Okay. Save the very long and thin cable, this is relatively functional. Clips on to your headphones, standard mic plug, and just works.
Recording quality
It's fine. It records on the quiet side, so keep it as close to your mouth (or whatever you're recording) as possible. Quality is above average; overall it does it's job.
Value
This is where the mic shines. It can be had for $9 online and for that price it can not be beat.

Therefore this product merits a 4 star rating.


Ratings

Great cheap mic

review by exzacklyright

Great mic. Quality + value is definitely worth it.


Ratings

Great price-to-quality mic

review by abusori

I use this along with a pair of Audio Technica AD700's and a Xonar DX soundcard. If you set up the mic correctly, then it gives you pretty good quality, but there is a fair bit of background noise so a background filtering feature will help a bit in any programs you use it with (most voip services have an option, I believe). I've tested it with Mumble, Skype, and Steam's voip, and in all cases my friends said it sounded great. The microphone is indeed high sensitivity, so you need to make the volume rather low unless you want even your roommate eating to pick up on it; my settings are microphone boost on, and volume level on 10 (out of 100).


Ratings

Small, cheap and highly effective

review by joeytb

Picked this up from Amazon while looking for a cheap mic as it had been recommended to me through many other friends, and what can I say? It works like a charm, clips on and that is that, you may consider using sleeving to keep the wire next to your headphone cable but that is up to you.

I'm running it at 100+ and 30Db boost in options atm and still sounds clear, everyone I talk to using this says it sounds good.

Thats about it.


Ratings

Super inexpensive, good quality mic.

review by fortunex

Picked it up from NCIX for $11CAD, was very impressed by how well it works for the price.

It's quite durable (it's gotten snagged on something and been pulled from my headphone cable to the floor many times, still works great).

My only issue with this mic is that it picks up EVERYTHING. Conversations/TV from another room, your cat snoring on your bed, everything. I solved this by duct-taping a folded piece of cloth over the mic (trying to simulate the fuzzy stuff that goes around most microphones to keep P's and S's from being annoyingly crisp) and I've had no complaints since.

A+ would recommend.


Ratings

Great Mic, forget its there

review by syncmaster753

This Mic is primarily used with Teamspeak and i just put my headphones on and forget about it (once voice activation was set.)

Others have commented my voice is clearer with this Mic.

An easy product to recommend.


Ratings

Great Value Mic

review by cptasian

I got this mic when I build this rig early this year, and it has worked quite well. I didn't really get many complaints from my friends about the quality, and I thought it wasn't too bad myself. It does pick up some background noise, but I can't really complain. The thing I can complain about, however, is the fact that the mic lasted me only six or seven months. It's a great value mic, but not if it breaks that soon. I think I just got unlucky on that one, but it was great for the price I paid while it lasted. On a side note, the mic might not clip onto some headphone cables if it is too big or too small (in diameter), so there's a small chance a binder clip or something of the sort will be necessary.


Ratings

Don't go anywhere else, you've found the BEST mic for under, well, almost everything.

review by maxmanapple

After a previous disappointment with a headset, I bought this to use with my pair of Philips SHE3590 earphones, only to find that the cable grapples are not thin enough. If your earphones/headphones are of the "double thin-cable" variety, expect this to happen. Also the mic itself seems to not have very thin cables in mind.

If you find yourself in this scenario, don't panic! Attach the mic to some sort of lead (say, the webcam lead or maybe some kind of monitor lead that's showing), turn the input up to 100 and adjust the boost, and enjoy what i personally percieve as "the best technological effort to mimic human ears that has ever been priced so low". The sound quality is very good, to the point of actually considering recommending this to "novice professionals" recording with it either as a Lavalier or as a background mic. I do notice a slight but noticeable background hiss, but nothing to be worried about, as it is easily filterable. The sound range is outstanding. Expect EVERYTHING in your room, and even maybe in your house if the door's open, to be heard by the other party as if they're actually in your room (except for the fact most VoIP is mono). I was even drinking some water, and even though the mic is a good 55cm (1ft 9in) away from my throat, I could hear my gulps clearly. For some, this kind of sound pickup level is a disadvantage, but i like clarity, and clarity is what this mic delivers.

However i find some disagreements on the form of very high pitched sounds. If you eat meals on a dish, or shake your keys anywhere near this mic it's going to peak monstrously.

Build quality, well i write this in the very same day i bought it so i can't say much, but it didn't seem like it was of a very cheap quality. For all intents and purposes, i'm using this attached to a webcam cable as a sort of "background mic" so it isn't likely it's going to move much (if at all), and as such it's going to last for years to come.

I will strongly recommend this mic for as long as they still produce it.


Ratings