IEM Cable With Mic: Gaming, Calls and USB-C Options

An IEM cable with mic is a detachable earphone cable with a microphone built in, so your in-ear monitors work as a headset for games, calls and voice chat. Null Audio makes Ethos MKIII Pro-Gaming, an analogue 3.5 mm cable with a recording-grade microphone, and offers a microphone option on selected configurable cables.

This guide is for anyone who wants to talk through their IEMs without a separate headset. You'll learn how an IEM cable with mic works, which plug suits a phone, console or PC, and what each of our options can and can't do.

What is an IEM cable with mic?

An IEM cable with mic is a replacement cable for in-ear monitors that carries a microphone on the cable itself. The earphone end plugs into your IEMs as normal. The player end carries both your audio and your voice.

Most stock IEM cables have no microphone. That is fine for listening, but not for a team chat or a phone call. Swapping to a mic cable turns the same IEMs into a headset, with the isolation and fit you already have.

Analogue or digital?

There are two ways to do it. An analogue mic cable ends in a 3.5 mm headset plug and relies on the device's own headphone output and microphone input. A digital mic cable ends in USB-C or Lightning. It contains its own DAC (digital-to-analogue converter), amplifier and microphone, so the phone or computer only sends and receives digital data.

A DAC is the chip that turns digital audio into the analogue signal your IEMs play. For more on why phones need one, read IEMs with your phone: USB-C DAC cable, dongle or Bluetooth?

IEM cable with mic options compared

All of these are in our gaming IEM cables with mic collection or linked from it.

Ethos MKIII Pro-Gaming: an analogue cable with a microphone

Ethos MKIII Pro-Gaming is a special version of our Ethos Plus cable with a recording-grade microphone probe. It is designed for gaming, where clear voice pickup matters as much as the sound.

What it is made of

The conductor is silver-plated copper, UPOCC cast. Silver-plated copper is a copper conductor with a thin silver layer on each strand. We describe the Ethos sound as textured, with tight, controlled bass. The cable has little memory effect and is very flexible, which helps on the go.

The cable is 1.2 m (48 inches) long. Pin contacts are 99.9% gold hard plating over brass, and joints use our custom 10% silver solder. It starts at USD 89 and carries our 1-year warranty.

The Xbox adapter

The box includes a 3.5 mm CTIA-to-OMTP adapter for Xbox. That adapter exists because headset plugs are not all wired the same way, as the next section explains.

Which plug works with your phone, console or PC?

The right IEM cable with mic depends on the socket you are plugging into.

3.5 mm headset sockets

A plain stereo 3.5 mm plug is TRS: tip, ring and sleeve, 3 contacts. A headset plug is TRRS, with a fourth contact for the microphone (Wikipedia). There are two layouts. The OMTP standard puts ground on the sleeve and the microphone on the second ring. The CTIA standard reverses them. A headset wired to one layout needs an adapter on a device that uses the other, which is why Ethos MKIII Pro-Gaming includes one.

Phones

iPhone 15 and later use USB-C, while iPhone 5 to iPhone 14 use Lightning (Apple). On a USB-C phone, a 3.5 mm headset cable needs a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter that carries the microphone. Our configurable cables can also be built with a USB-C or Lightning DAC plug, and a microphone option is offered on selected cables, so ask us which combinations take one.

PCs and laptops

On a PC with a combined 3.5 mm headset socket, an analogue cable such as Ethos MKIII Pro-Gaming plugs straight in. If you are unsure which socket you have, contact us.

Consoles

Ethos MKIII Pro-Gaming includes the CTIA-to-OMTP adapter for Xbox. For other consoles, contact us before you order.

For more on plugs, see our player plug guide and 3.5 mm, 2.5 mm or 4.4 mm balanced?

Can you get a mic on an upgrade cable?

Yes, on selected cables. A microphone option is available on some of our cables when you build them to order. Every Null Audio cable is built by hand in Singapore with the connector and plug you choose.

A microphone needs its own contact. A 4.4 mm balanced plug already uses all 5 of its contacts for 4 signal wires and ground. Ask us which cables and plugs can take the microphone option for your IEMs.

Whichever cable you choose, the earphone end has to match your IEMs. Our IEM connector guide and 2-pin, MMCX, IPX or Pentaconn Ear explain the options. MMCX sockets can loosen with frequent swapping (Audio-Technica), so if you switch between a mic cable and a music cable often, handle the connectors with care. How to make your IEM cable last covers this.

Cable noise

Microphonics is the noise a cable makes when it rubs or moves (Sennheiser). Ethos is designed with little memory effect and an ultra-flexible build for use on the go and on stage.

What about wireless calls?

If you would rather have no wire to the device, Nyx+ is a Bluetooth 5.3 cable for IEMs. It handles phone calls with Qualcomm cVc noise cancellation.

Nyx+ supports LDAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, AAC and SBC. It plays for up to 20 hours per charge, with a range of up to 15 m. The cable is 58 cm long, weighs 15 g and charges over USB-C. A wired cable, by contrast, never needs charging or pairing.

Choose your IEM cable with mic

Start with the socket on your device. For consoles and 3.5 mm headset sockets, choose Ethos MKIII Pro-Gaming. For USB-C phones and laptops, ask us about a configurable cable with a USB-C DAC plug and a microphone. Then check your IEM's connector with Find My Cable, which covers 400+ models.

You can browse both in the gaming IEM cables collection. If your device or IEM isn't listed, contact us and we'll tell you what fits.

Frequently asked questions