Finding your groove: getting into vinyl with Audio-Technica
I’d like to think that I could’ve been friends with the late Hideo Matsushita, founder of Japanese Hi-Fi powerhouse Audio-Technica. If I could, I’d travel back in time to 1960’s Tokyo, where a young Matsushita curated “vinyl listening sessions” at the Bridgestone Museum of Arts, exposing visitors to the sounds and possibilities of high end audio and the warmth of vinyl records. I imagine sitting with him in a mod coffee shop, listening to the stories of what he witnessed in those sessions, the conversations he had with visitors, and what ultimately motivated him to head back to his small apartment above a ramen restaurant and start an audio company of his own. In the histories I’ve read regarding AT’s humble beginnings, Matsushita’s motives seem clear. Produce high end audio at affordable prices, bringing audio excellence into spaces and to customers that simply didn’t have access to it before. His first two products, the AT-1 and AT-3 phono cartridges did exactly that, and...
Dec 6, 2023
As a bonus, I replace the mounting mechanism to use a ModMic-style magnet attachment using 2 base clasps (one of which I cannibalized to replace the orientation of one magnet attached to the MiniMic). I've also been using a handy PS4 controller headset controller for muting the mic when I'm on PS4 (not shown, see parts list).
All in all, I've went through too many iterations to get to this point, but all is good now. At time of writing, the base mod cost an additional $36 for the cables, plus $18 for the Modmic clasps, and $11 for the PS4 thing. I'd say it's probably worth the money if you have the headset already, since you can grab the MiniMic and extra cables for less than the ModMic 5, which also seems to support single-cable mods like this (and you'd still need to buy these cables, you'd just not need to think about the clasps).
Result:
If I'm gaming, I use this setup. If I want to listen to music, I detach the mini-xlr adapter and mic, and plug in the original K7XX cable that is attached to my PC.
Advantages:
- single cable
- weight is only on the headphones, not on the mic
Disadvantages:- Possible quality impact
- No mic volume slide (possible to alleviate with additional mods)
Parts List:3.5mm male-to-male extension: http://a.co/gwriBFc
3.5mm female-to-male headphone/mic Y splitter: http://a.co/gZtBJns
Mini-XLR to 3.5mm adapter: http://a.co/7rzFYlr
Modmic Base Clasps: http://a.co/erkdWf8
DualShock 4 headset mute/volume control: http://a.co/38UqYNz
NOTES:
Be wary of the parts you buy. I ended up with more than one bad cable on this journey