Cheap cheap mics? PROAR/Bai Fei Li C414?

[Rodgre2]

I initially wrote a disclaimer that was longer than my real question, trying to defend myself for even daring to claim to be a professional engineer, while asking about what might appear to be a microphone given away inside a McDonald's Happy Meal. I decided I don't care if I get judged about this. It's 2023, not 1983. Lots of great recordings can be made with cheap gear.

I'll get to the point. I have been curious about these particular AKG C414 wannabes, branded either PROAR or Bai Fei Li.

https://www.amazon.com/PROAR-Microphone ... B0C9BSHJCG

I see that most of these recent entries into the look-alike mics seem to be aimed at the "content creator" and not the professional or even amateur recording engineer, as the only reviews/demos I have seen are treating them as such. I am just at least CURIOUS as to how these would perform in a real world studio situation where you might actually use a real 414, like say, drum overheads or acoustic guitar.

Has anyone had any experience with them, good or bad?
If they are actually terrible, has anyone looked into using them as a suitable body to roll your own by upgrading the capsule and head amp?
Are they are at least as usable as any other inexpensive Chinese-made condenser made over the last 25 years, which have been proven to hold their own in many situations?

Looking for real experiences here, not just conjecture that they are crap because they are cheap.

Thanks!
Roger

[digitaldrummer]

No I have not ever tried these (but I have tried a lot of cheap mics). just looking at specs.... 40Hz-16Khz, 126dB max SPL. Already nothing close to a C414. That fake brass ring around the capsule to make it look bigger? And that guy doing the video (a shill for a lot of cheap mics - typical YouTube crap)...

There are good quality items coming out of China but I doubt this is one of them. Some of the Monoprice mics have been decent quality, but in the end I bet if you really compared any of them to a better mic, you'd go with the better mic. And that's been my experience. If I had just saved my money and bought a better mic, I wouldn't have a bunch of crappy mics. If you get into the $250-$500 range, you can get a mic that you might keep forever, vs. these that you probably won't? then again, it's Amazon, so what have you got to lose? Buy them, try them, and if they suck, send them back for your refund. And if you are happy with them, then keep using them.

btw, Lauten Audio LA-220 V2 (b-stock) -- for $287. More $ yes, but way better mic. https://www.lautenaudio.com/shop-mics

And to be fair, I bought another cheap mic the other day - the Zoom ZDM-1. $50 new, I got it open-box for $25. Probably as useful as a 57. I even tried it on snare and it was decent. But I didn't really need another mic either...

[kslight]

I don’t have experience with that specific mic but I have owned some cheapies (mainly Monoprice as well as MXL and Studio Projects).

I am skeptical that this mic is a 414 substitute in anything besides appearance, but it’s probably functionally at least works as a mic, depending on context, and might be okay especially with some processing. Not necessarily great or ideal, but could get the job done if necessary. What I find to be the best use for cheapies is in situations where bringing out the big guns doesn’t make so much sense - on a club stage where theft and damage risk is elevated, or to stick them on toms or whatever…or if you plan on sound replacing drums anyway…

I tend to think that a good quality mic is a mic for life - or if you invest today it’ll serve you well, and if you have to sell it tomorrow, you probably won’t lose much money to sell it, if any.

[winky dinglehoffer]

You might find some info here: https://groupdiy.com/threads/c414-body.83519/

[The Scum]

That GDIY thread answers the important question: it's an electret condenser capsule, not a real back polarized one. With that funny perforated brass halo.

Doesn't mean it can't be used as a microphone - again, on the GDIY thread, they say it wounds pretty good.

It would fall over in a hearbeat for my favorite spots for real C414's: I like them in MS or Blumlein, so the lack of figure-8 quickly stops that.

[vvv]

The new CAD is worth a try.