| |
Mic |
Details |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
| A |
Electrovoice RE-50
|
Dynamic Omni
link
average street price $150 |
Easy to use, resistant to wind, plosives and handling noise. No phantom power required. |
Relatively low output, picks up more room noise than more directional mics. |
| B |
Rode NT-3
|
Condenser Hypercardioid
link
average street price $200 |
Big, vivid sound, inexpensive. Can use internal 9-volt battery for phantom power. |
Very succeptible to wind, plosives and handling noise. |
| C |
AKG C-900
|
Condenser Cardioid
link
average street price $100-150 |
Warm, tight sound, durable. |
Hard to find, requires phantom power from recorder or external supply. |
| D |
Beyer MCE58
|
Condenser Omni
link
average street price $250 |
Forgiving omni pick-up pattern, relatively resistant to wind, plosives and handling noise. Louder output than most dynamic omni mics. Long handle. |
Can sound thin and edgy on some sources. |
| E |
AKG C-1000
|
Condenser Hypercardioid
link
average street price $220 |
Big, vivid sound, inexpensive. Can use internal 9-volt battery for phantom power. |
Succeptible to wind, plosives and handling noise. |
| F |
Sennheiser K6/ME66
|
Condenser Shotgun (modular)
link
average street price $500 (for K6 and ME66 together) |
Very directional, blocks extraneous sound well. Very light. Mic preamp and capsule are modular, so other capsules, providing different pick-up patterns, can be swapped-out for versatilty |
Succeptible to wind, plosives and handling noise. |
| G |
Shure SM58
|
Dynamic Cardioid
link
average street price $100 |
Super-durable, no phantom power required, inexpensive. |
Can sound boomy or dull if not positioned correctly. Somewhat succeptible to plosives. |
| H |
Electrovoice 635A
|
Dynamic Omni
link
average street price $100 |
Super-durable, resistant to wind plosives and handling noise (although not quite as much as the similar RE50) very affordable. |
Low output, can sound thin, not as isolated from wind or vibration as the RE50. |
There are, of course, many more mics to choose from, and we'll discuss those in Tools Talk
Return to Transom Handheld Mic Shootout article. |