Newskill Apholos PRO, test of this gaming microphone with RGB

Index

Technical characteristics and specifications

The Newskill Apholos PRO is a recording microphone designed to provide professional quality audio transmission. This microphone is of the type rear electret condenser possesses 4 different sound recording models, which we can easily select by means of a selector built into the microphone itself. The different types of polarity offered by this Apholos PRO are:

• Cardioid
• Bidirectional
• Stereo
• Omnidirectional

Newskill’s Apholos Pro offers us a -36dB sensitivity, with a difference of +/- 2dB (0dB = 1V / Pa at 1KHz). Response from frequency ranges from 30 Hz to 18 kHz, has an output impedance of 32 Ohm and offers a mic gain of -12 dB to a maximum of 12 dB. The maximum SPL of this model is 130 dB. The voice is sampled in high fidelity, 24 bits at 192 KHz.

This microphone has a very elegant RGB effect with color change, as well as with an Eco mode or an ambient mode to adapt to each need (whether it is a game, a streaming or a work meeting). Among the commands that we can find on the microphone itself, we can highlight, above all, a button to deactivate the microphone, to turn it off, and a polarity selector which will allow us to switch between its 4 different modes. The selected mode can be known by the LEDs on the top of the microphone.

To prevent unwanted noises and sounds, this mic features a removable super strong metal stand. This stand allows us to adjust the recording angle, and the mic is designed to withstand small impacts without being damaged. This will be fixed to the support by means of elastic bands so as not to come into contact, not to generate noise due to friction or movement and to offer the best possible quality.

The microphone is Plug & play, it will be enough to connect it to the computer so that it is operational in a few seconds, without configuration and without needing to install anything else. In addition, thanks to its mini-jack audio connection, we can connect our favorite headphones.

External analysis of the Newskill Apolos Pro

The Newskill Apholos PRO comes in a fairly large cardboard box, in which dark colors predominate. On the front we can see a photo of the microphone in question, with its lighting. In the meantime, on the back we will have the detailed technical specifications of this complete professional microphone.

Inside the box, the first thing we will see will be the micro instruction manual, accompanied by a cardboard envelope. In it we will find the typical Newskill merchandising, such as, for example, a sticker, a code to register in your club and a door hanger.

And, under a good block of foam (to protect) we find the microphone. This is perfectly protected from all kinds of blows and possible damage that may appear during transport.

In addition to the microphone, we will also find the USB-C cable to connect it to the computer, and a screw that we can use in case we want to place it, for example, on an arm to have it high.

As can be seen, the microphone is completely black. The material of manufacture of this microphone is plastic, as well as that of the structure which surrounds it. However, the base of it is made of metal, which provides excellent strength and stability. In addition, the microphone is never in contact with any surface, but is “in the air”, avoiding possible unwanted noise.

At the back we will find a gain regulator, thanks to which we can adjust the sound of the microphone to the optimum volume. You can also press this regulator to switch between the 4 operating modes of this microphone.

Also behind, at the bottom, we will have the USB Type-C connector, as well as a mini-jack to connect headphones and be able to listen to music from the PC through them. We will also have a small regulator to raise or lower the volume.

At the top we can see a series of LEDs that will allow us to know at all times what type of microphone we are using. And also a touch button from which we can mute the microphone.

Finally, at the bottom of the microphone we will find a button from which we can adjust the lighting. Every time we press we can change the color, and if we keep it pressed we can turn it on or off.

Test: how does it work?

A good thing about this mic is that it doesn’t require software to set up and use the mic. Absolutely all of its possibilities (from mode to gain or lighting) can be controlled by means of the knobs included in the mic itself. The only thing we need to do to start it is connect it to a USB port on the computer and wait a few seconds for Windows to automatically install the drivers on the PC.

As we have already explained, this microphone has 4 operating modes. The first of these is Cardioid mode, a mode designed primarily for recording vocals (in a stream, or podcast) or instruments. Records only sound sources located directly in front of the microphone. And we can see that it is activated when we only have one LED lit at the top.

The second of the operating modes is stereo. This is designed to primarily record voice and any instrument. Use the left and right channels to capture wide and realistic sound. We can tell that it is activated when we see two LEDs lit horizontally.

The third of these operating modes is bidirectional. This is intended to record instruments and, above all, interviews. When we turned it on, the mic only records from the front and back, but not from the sides. Hence, we can see it shown at the top with both LED indicators lit vertically.

And finally, we have the omnidirectional mode. This mode is designed for recording conference calls or other events in which we want all sound to be recorded without a hitch, no matter where it is coming from. In this mode, the microphone picks up sound from 4 sides and, therefore, it will tell us when we have the 4 LEDs on the top of this Apholos Pro Newskill on.

We can see some of its specific features from the Windows Sound Manager itself. To do this, we will simply open the Settings menu, and go to the System> Sound section. From there we can change the source (in case of having several microphones connected), see the volume and do a sound test from “Device properties”.

From Windows, we can also open the advanced properties of the device to see all its options in more detail. As we can control everything from the microphone itself, here we will not have a lot of options to configure, although we have some interesting sections like, for example, seeing the volume of the microphone, and having the possibility to configure the microphone. ‘sampling of the captured voice (which, by default, is maximum quality).

We will now see a quality test of this microphone. For her, we connected it to the computer via its cable, we placed it on the table about 25cm and we have it in medium gain and cardioid mode. During the test we will test the different gain levels and the different capture modes.

In addition, we can use this microphone without any problem, and without any additional configuration, in any other recording program. For example, the Newskill Apholos PRO is ideal for use with programs like OBS or Audacity, because by not relying on any other software, we make sure that those recording programs can have full control over it.

Conclusion: how is the Apolos Pro Newskill?

Of course, Newskill has done everything to offer us a microphone that meets our expectations. The Apholos PRO has everything we could look for in a mic for streaming. Starting of course with its quality. As we have seen, this microphone gives us excellent quality when it comes to picking up our voice.

Thanks to its selector, we can choose at any time the type of microphone we want to use, being able to adapt to all kinds of needs without having to change the microphone again and again. The gain regulator is also a great addition through which we can make sure we are heard without a problem at all times, or adjust it to eliminate unwanted background noise.

Generally speaking, we did not find any negative points with this microphone, although it is true that we have made some improvements such as, for example, an indicator that shows us the gain volume at the top, or an anti -pop filter, because it is not included. No other effect on RGB lighting would have been bad either. But, otherwise, we are faced with an exceptional unity. In addition, its price (100 dollars) is more than adjusted to be a microphone that does not have much to envy to others which cost two or three times as much.

For all this we have decided to give this Newskill Apholos PRO our price of oro.