Microphone-K690

There is no arguing that the FiFine K690 is a Blue Yeti Clone. Same features, similar build concept, and even every button and dial is in the EXACT same position as the Blue Yeti. Does this mean it isn't a good mic? No, it is a good mic. Although, I would love to see some innovation from FiFine in the future. A part of me doesn't want to say this slightly critical stuff about FiFine because I really do like them as a company. They produce some great mics for a great price. Since I know they are capable of making good products, I know that they could be capable of even more and coming out with their own microphone concepts with great features! I'd like to see them make the NEXT Blue Yeti, not the current one. FiFine K690 Pros: The K690 functions very well. Great build quality. Reasonable price. Sound is on par with the cost. Has a slight edge when it comes to sound quality compared to the Blue Yeti. Has useful and nice features (4 separate polar patterns). FiFine K690 Cons: Carbon Copy of the Blue Yeti (Some people probably don't care about this at all). I wish it at least could do 24 bit 48 kHz, but it just simply matches the Yeti with 16 bit 48 kHz. Once again matches the Blue Yeti with a mini USB port, I would have liked to see a USB-C port on this mic. Stand is a little short, so it could be hard to get great sound with it on a desk Summary: When it comes to the K690, I believe the Pros out weigh the Cons. This is a good sounding microphone with great features, even though those features aren't the most cutting edge. A lot of people may not care that it is a clone. The only reason I do, is that I want more for FiFine as a company. If you want to watch my full review, check out the 'Audio Hotline' on YouTube.

TL;DR - If you’re looking for a good, all-around microphone that will morph and shift with you as your recording needs change, and want good recording quality, I would recommend this. With its different polar patterns, it can function as a voiceover microphone, a podcasting microphone, a streaming mic, an audio/video conference mic, a beginner SFX or foley mic, and it even does decently at recording instruments. At its price, it is an incredible value. First of all, I need to provide some context so that both the people who just want a high quality microphone, and the more discerning readers among you can get a reference point for why I’m equipped to make this review. I am an amateur audio recording enthusiast, and in my humble collection of microphones reside a Shure SM7B, a Rode NTG2, a Techzone Audio Products Stellar X2, a Sennheiser E614, an Audio Technica AT2035, a couple of Audio Technica ATR2100x-USB mics, a Golden Audio Project D2, and some wireless Samson systems. I’ve owned a number of other microphones in the past, from the likes of the aforementioned brands, as well as Blue. I’ve also worked with various flavors of digital recorders from Zoom and Sound Devices, and hired and worked on set with audio folks who own Schoeps, Lectrosonics, Neumann and Zaxcom gear. I’m no expert, but I’m a pseudo geek, and I *love* gear. I used to follow Curtis Judd and Podcastage religiously, until I discovered that my devotion to them was draining my wallet (I was buying stuff they reviewed, even though I didn’t need any more gear) When I got the opportunity to review the Fifine* K690, I initially scoffed at the idea. I’d owned budget Chinese audio gear in the past, and they were mediocre at best. How much better could they have become? The photos looked good, though, and my contact at Fifine who reached out to me to request a review agreed that I was not bound to say anything positive if my assessment revealed that there wasn’t anything positive to say. I told her I was in. I’ll gloss over the packaging and appearance with the exception of saying that it’s really quite nice and better than expected at this price point. Packaging discarded, I checked out the build quality of the mic. It has heft, and feels very solid. The finish is really quite nice, and the silk The included base has a small footprint, and the mic swivels smoothly in the base, while staying put when you place it at a weird angle. You can easily mount the mic on a standard mic stand or boom arm with the included adapter, which screws into the bottom of the mic, but Fifine made a very curious choice for the size of that screw thread. Perhaps this is my own ignorance on display, but I would have chosen a 1/4”-20 female screw thread on the bottom of the mic to ensure compatibility with the vast majority of grip gear. Instead, the size is strange and appears to be non-standard. I then plugged it into my 2013 Mac Pro using the included USB cable (very strangely dimensioned at 9.84 feet long), turned my monitors down, slapped my Sony MDR7506 monitor headphones on, and spun up Adobe Audition. After selecting the Fifine K690 as the input, I gave it a whirl. I started with the cardioid polar pattern first, as that’s the one that I use the most, and started recording. Color me impressed! Upon playback, I was a little shocked at how good this jill of all trades microphone performed. I’d turned the gain knob on the mic all the way down, and the signal was strong, with almost no background noise. I don’t know if there’s a built-in pop filter or not, but plosives were minimal, even though I kept saying ping pong pang punk right into the microphone. I spun the microphone around as I kept babbling to test off-axis rejection, and was rewarded with very little pickup on the back side of the mic. I then ran through tests with the other polar patterns, and voila! Omnidirectional was indeed omnidirectional, stereo was stereo and the figure 8 (or bidirectional), worked as claimed. For the price, I think it’s really hard to beat the value of this mic. Time will tell whether it will stand up to the rigors of regular use, but its utility cannot be denied. I use it for Zoom, for letting my daughter record her singing, and for calls home via Google Voice. It has a built in mute button, which is much easier to access and use than the mute button on Zoom, or having to press the Zoom keyboard combination to mute. If I was a podcaster, I’d take it on the road with me and save time on setup, and give my back a break. It now sits on my desk, taking centerstage, while my SM7B sits on its boom stand, viewing it askance, probably muttering less than savory things under its breath. I never thought I’d say this, but this might be the only mic I’d need. Does that mean I’ll stop watching Curtis Judd and occasionally getting one of the mics he recommends, even if they can only be used in limited situations? Nah, I like audio gear, and this K690 will someday join my SM7B in envy. But until then, it's a solid, all-around replacement that simplifies my audio chain significantly and works well for my current needs. *It’s pronounced like you would say the word “fine” twice in a row. I had to know since I was having too much fun making up pronunciations, and emailed them to ask

This microphone is seriously awesome. There are quite a few USB microphones out there, and Fifine has made an excellent one. I already own the Blue Yeti and I wanted to see how this compared, as the features (and looks) seems pretty comparable. In most categories, the Fifine microphone is actually a clear winner! Here is a quick pros and cons list. WHERE THE FIFINE K690 WINS: - Quality and feel of buttons and knobs - Price WHERE THE BLUE YETI WINS: - Live monitor audio quality - Includes a pop filter - Overall reliability WHERE THEY ARE EQUAL: - Audio recording quality - High quality weighted stand Let me explain some of those things. So firstly, the audio quality is basically identical. Except if you're a major audio snob - but then why are you buying a USB microphone? I would say maybe the Blue Yeti has a very slight "warm" tone by comparison but this is something that can be easily compensated for in editing and is not really a measure of quality. The biggest PRO to me of the K690 is the buttons. I absolutely hate the buttons and knobs on the Blue Yeti. The Yeti's mute button only works about half the time, but the K690 has a springy button with plenty of feedback. Plus, the light changes color to show it's muted, unlike the flashing vs. static red light on the Yeti. The knobs also tend to turn a lot more comfortably. The Yeti's mode knobs require a lot of force to change. Otherwise, the layout is the same on both microphones, but the K690's are far more comfortable! Where the Fifine K690 fails for me is the live monitoring. As in, when you plug in a pair of headphones so you can hear what is being picked up by the mic. The quality of the live monitoring is significantly lower than the quality of audio actually being recorded. And that also goes for using it as a playback device for your computer. Audio sounds a bit tinny and like there is a bit of reverb. On top of that, the headphone jack is not the most reliable. I often need to spin my headphone jack around to get it the perfect ideal spot in the output hole, otherwise I only get audio out of one ear. It's possible I got a bad unit, and that this is not the case across all models. I also don't believe this is a deal-breaker to most people buying this. I have pretty high standards for headphones, so this affected me more. And my solution is just to not use this monitoring feature and just use the microphone as a microphone. I have used it for ASMR, Discord calls while gaming, and work calls, and it has performed well. I actually have this mounted to my desk for easy use, while my Blue Yeti gets used in a more soundproof area for recording voice-overs. So, this will definitely be a microphone I use often. And for around $30 less than the Blue Yeti, I think it is a very good purchase! I have previously used and reviewed a $30 Fifine USB mic and decided that it had an amazing level of sound quality for the price, so it's no surprise that the K690 was also amazing.

I had an issue with the supplied power cable which originally worked but burned out after a month and suddenly I sounded muffled. A bit of research found a replacement cable: USB type mini-B so I bought a high quality cord. Since then I sound clear and crisp, just a bit tinny but I expect this for the price. Monitor headphones (not included) sound fantastic through the 3.5mm jack. The supplied stand is okay, but I would like it to have a bit more counterweight and be taller. I have the mic on a 2" box to avoid cable stress. I'm happy with the quality compared to a mic that costs twice as much.

I purchased this microphone to improve the quality of voice recordings that I do, and I am very happy to say that it will fit the bill nicely! I was really impressed with the overall look and feel of this microphone. The unboxing of it was surprisingly nice -- it's in a very well-presented package. Everything about this feels very high quality, from the metal casing of the microphone itself, to the substantial stand included, and even the "Fifine" branded USB cable. It was simple to install -- just plug into the USB port on my Windows computer and it was immediately recognized. I tweaked a couple of settings in the Sound control panel as suggested in the instructions, and tried a test recording. The sound quality is excellent, and this is the first USB microphone I've purchased that I haven't returned. Other USB microphones had horrible buzzing and static -- this Fifine microphone had very clear audio with no distortion or background interference. I like that it has an optional headphone jack on the bottom if you want to monitor audio right through that output, but also like the flexibility that I can use the USB microphone to record, but continue to use my computer speakers for playback. This is the second Fifine microphone product I've purchased, and I've been very pleased with the quality of both of them.

I needed a better microphone for Zoom calls. The Fifine K690 met my expectations. If I were a musician, I might want something better, but it would cost more. Given that Zoom compresses data which reduces sound quality, this is more mic than most folks need. It has great features. And it's good enough even for those recording music or other sound files. I don't think there's another mic that delivers as much bang for the buck for the non-musician. If I were a musician wanting to use a USB microphone, I'd go with the Samson G-Track Pro, which is probably an even better value given its sound quality and capabilities. Update: As it turns out, I wound up giving this mic to my wife and buying the Samson because my voice is very soft. The Samson does a better job of picking up my voice without adding internal noise. On that mic, I can set the gain to max without problem. My wife, who has a more typical vocal volume, has no problem with the K690. In fact, it exceeds her needs and expectations. I could have kept using it and it would have been alright. However, given how much I'm on Zoom these days, I ultimately decided to spring for the G-Track Pro. My mic was missing one of the pins that holds the mic to the stand but I contacted Fifine and they sent another. They were great about following up and making sure it got through so A+ for customer service. They lack a customer service number so all communication is by email. But they respond promptly with good command of the English language. Most importantly, they were responsive and accommodating. So bang for the buck, assuming you have a reasonably loud voice, the K690 is a great mic and a great deal.

Arrived very fast, well packed. I have to say this is a very good microphone. I would say it's very comparable to my YETI. I bought this as a backup to my YETI because the price was reasonable. So if you want a YETI mic and just dot have enough money to buy one absolutely try this microphone. I think it's worth the purchase. Has all the same dials and plugs as YETI. Very solid mic not plastic and sounds very crisp and clear.

I've had this mike for several years. It has 4 directional setting which actually work. There is a convenient mute button on the front. Durable. For talking and even recording a room conversation this is a fine mic. Low noise and it pick up the individual speaker well. I have not used it for music so can't address that.