The urge to try out new technical gadgets oneself is often strong among tech nerds. Just like with our MeinMMO tech author Jan Hartmayer and a quirky microphone. He painfully learned what it means to burn money.
Every gamer knows: A proper nerd needs space for his hardware and I definitely don’t have that. About 10 m² for two desks with computers for two people. It gets cramped quickly.
When my partner and I talk to friends via Teamspeak (yes, it’s still around) at the same time, one is too loud, gets heard twice, or one of the two microphones is too quiet. Often, we are not understood properly. I have already tried dozens of setups, settings, and microphones, but no solution was truly satisfactory.
That’s why I was even more excited when I spotted the Mutalk 2, a device that could solve my problem in one fell swoop. It’s a kind of muzzle mic that you strap over your mouth. This way, no sound is supposed to escape, but the voice is still recorded clearly. However, I was skeptical about the sound and appearance, and therefore had a nagging feeling before the purchase.
If only I had listened to my gut feeling…
While I’m writing these lines, I’m eagerly waiting for the release of the GabeCube—uh, the Steam Machine. What the console-PC brings with it, you can see in the following trailer:
To get the mic running, a miracle was needed
The Mutalk 2 is not officially sold in Germany. Only via eBay for about 150 – 200 Euros and coupled with a hefty surcharge for customs and import, was I able to snag such a muzzle microphone – and then had to wait several weeks for the delivery. Here I slowly but surely began to regret the purchase of the device.
As if that weren’t enough, the device didn’t work immediately with my hardware. No Bluetooth connection and purely wireless, so no other connection options. This settled after several attempts, but it was still annoying. Why it suddenly worked? No idea, even I as an expert have no clue and can only describe it as a miracle that it finally worked.
But once connected, the spooky business was not over. Windows initially didn’t recognize the device as a microphone, but only as a speaker. The problem persisted even after several restarts.
I didn’t let myself get discouraged and tried again the next day. Again, the problem was resolved after a few restarts. Why? I still have no clue. Slowly I began to believe that the device was cursed.
Those who want to see the appearance of the Mutalk 2 for themselves.
Surprise: It’s not worth it!
My initial tests were sobering, and I quickly found that: The sound quality is poor. The sound is dull, and even most cheap gaming headsets sounded better to me. Not a good sign for such an expensive product.
Well, if it had at least solved my original problem, that would have been alright with me. But no, negative. The audio was too bad for me to actually want to use the muzzle. In addition, there were more problems that bothered me:
- The wearing comfort is a disaster. The strap constantly exerts pressure on the face/head, and one sweats really terribly when wearing the microphone. Especially during longer gaming sessions.
- The appearance is also terrible. With the microphone on my mouth/head, I would never dare to go into a meeting, let alone out in public. An absolute no-go.
- Without an additional piece of rubber, nasal tones are not picked up, which in turn further worsens the sound quality or diminishes the wearing comfort when using the nose adapter.
Even after numerous further tests, I had to face the bitter truth. The Mutalk 2 is absolutely not for me, no matter how I flip it. I really enjoy trying out tech gadgets with passion and am nearly always satisfied after a purchase. But the Mutalk 2 is one of the few exceptions that wasn’t worth it.
Unfortunately, the time for a return had also passed and I slowly realized that I had wasted both my money and my free time. To this day, I regret the purchase and could slap myself for it. Another user, however, had just the right instinct regarding his hardware: Gamer planned gaming PC with 32 GB RAM, but then buys double: 8 months later, he doesn’t regret the decision at all
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