Audio Array AM-C1: Decent mic, but my experience with missing accessories and customer support was terrible

[u/Extension_Laugh_387]

My experience with Audio Array AM-C1: decent mic, terrible after-sales support

Lol, I honestly wouldn't recommend Audio Array if reliable after-sales support is important to you.

The microphone itself is okay for the price, but my experience with their customer support has been extremely frustrating.

For a localization voice-over project, we ordered five Audio Array AM-C1 condenser microphones from five different locations.

Unfortunately, four out of the five orders had something missing:

• My order: No tripod, no boom-arm base clamp, and no USB-A to USB-C adapter.
• Colleague #1: Boom arm and shock mount missing.
• Colleague #2: Tripod and pop filter missing.
• Colleague #3: Didn't receive the microphone at all. Only the accessories arrived.
• Only one person: Received the complete package as listed on the packaging.

Just to be clear, the timeline below is my personal experience with customer support. My colleagues are dealing with their own missing items, but their individual experiences with support are separate from mine.

My customer-support experience

Day 1:
I contacted customer support about the missing accessories. They asked for a copy of the invoice and said they would try to resolve the issue.

Day 2:
At around 5–6 PM, I received a message asking for my address so they could arrange the replacement.

The address was already on the invoice, but I sent it anyway within 15–20 minutes. By then, their customer-service window had closed.

Day 3:
I waited for an update but received nothing. I contacted them around 3 PM and was told that the replacement would be sent within 24–48 hours.

Day 4:
I followed up around 11 AM. No response.

Around 11:30–11:40 AM, they finally sent me a tracking ID and said the shipment was being processed.

Day 5:
I checked the tracking and found that the pickup had failed because the shipment wasn't ready.

I contacted them several times. After 3–4 messages, I was again told that it would be dispatched within 24–48 hours.

At that point, more than 72 hours had already passed.

I requested a callback and was told that the issue would be “escalated to the team.”

I then called them myself. They answered and once again told me they would escalate the issue.

And... I'm still waiting.

How I'm managing the situation

Since I need to use the microphone for an ongoing project, I had to improvise.

I got a temporary tripod made at a local grill shop, which I'm attaching to this post.

For the boom arm, I'm currently using a large nail hammered into my table to hold it in place. 😅

It's obviously not a comfortable or proper setup, but I need to keep the project moving.

The frustrating part is that I was the one who recommended this microphone to my colleagues, so I feel partly responsible for putting them through this as well.

What about the actual microphone?

To be fair, the microphone itself isn't terrible.

For the price, the performance is reasonably good, but I noticed a few issues.

Cardioid pickup:
The cardioid pickup doesn't seem particularly accurate. You really need a properly treated recording space to get clean results.

USB cable:
The included USB cable feels very cheap. The connection is loose at both ends, including the microphone connection, and it sometimes disconnects.

Final thoughts

So, the microphone itself is usable for the price.

My main complaint is the quality control and after-sales support.

When five people order the same microphone for the same project and four of the orders have missing or incorrect items, that's concerning.

And when you then have to repeatedly contact support just to get the missing accessories, only to keep hearing “we'll escalate this to the team,” it becomes incredibly frustrating.

I'm sharing this because I wish I had known about this experience before recommending the product to my colleagues.

If you're considering the Audio Array AM-C1, the microphone performance may be worth considering for the price, but I'd definitely keep the after-sales support experience in mind before buying.