I've owned it for about two weeks (so I haven't had too much time to test the mic). I will list the pros and the cons.
Pros.
1. Really affordable Condenser ($99).
2. 100 times better sounding than the MXL 990.
3. It's got a gold grille (goes well with my ghetto look).
4. Great on Male Vocals (Bass, Baritone & Tenor).
5. Great on Female Vocals.
6. It came with a shock mount and a generic 20' XLR.
Cons.
1. It's not a Ribbon.
2. It's got a gold grille (not good if you don't like the ghetto look).
3. It's too sensitive for a Live room (unless you close mic).
4. I can't come up with more cons.
Why did I get it? Well, I'm doing voice overs and it's mainly speech (my wife and I). While the E835 that I have is great, I wanted a little more senstivity (I'm that kinda guy
). I've tested it with my nylon string acoustic (Spanish) guitar, my voice, my wife's voice. For $99 I can't rave about it enough. This mic is great as a large condensor mic for acoustic guitar and vocals (perhaps even as an overhead for drums). I would probably not recommend this mic if you are doing Electric Guitar, Marilyn Manson type music, Rock or Rap. It would probably sound great with any acoustic instrument (Piano, violin, Bass, Cello, Clarinet, Sax, etc).As far as sensitivity this mic can pick up the sound my PC HD (recording & control room are one) makes. When I play the acoustic guitar, I have to watch my placement and ensure that my gain is not turned up too high, otherwise I'll get some clipping (but that's true for just about any Condenser Cardiod mic), when I'm pluck a string too hard.
Personally, I love the coloration this mic gives on the low freq. It's just a nice warm sound that you will never get out of the MXL 990. For my voice (Bass) it picks up all the details on the low end, without making it sound muddy. I also love the coloration it gives to my wife's voice, which has a low voice for a woman, and the smooth sound. Don't get me wrong, I still love the E835 as a Dynamic, but I've yet a lot to do and play with this MXL to see how it handles.
I would like to have my wife play the violin on it, and see how it handles it and our upright piano to see how that turns out. Anyway, that's my review of this mic. I hope it help someone out there, and feel free to post your opinion about the mic or my review.
