Got to disagree with you on the box. I don’t have a dedicated studio space so any time I have a nice box that I can keep my mics in I prefer to have it. And I’m willing to pay a little extra for it. I think the box is more personal preference than a true con.

I like the design of this Blue mic and I was thinking about buying it but I went with Rode NT-1 kit (mic + cable + AI-1 interface pack) which I bought as a bargain brand new for 999zł (I'm from Poland, 999PLN=230 USD) and I love it! The best mic I've ever had! For my voiceovers it's even better than SM7B which I also own and use it for recording outside 🙂 Great vid, greets 😊

For the price it sounds pretty good and very nice quality as well. Thanks for showing it.

Great review, finally a good comparison review with actual examples. I love the sound of NTI and I actually don't want to get the blue spark anymore because of this video. Currently I'm rocking one of the cheapest XLR microphones (Devine m-mic XLR). I'm confident the audio interface plays a big part of the audio quality too. Do I need to replace my Devine Centro 2i2o with a more expensive one in order to get a smooth sound with a nice bass? Or shall I buy an equalizer? Thanks for you review!

YOU seem to forget that this mic is used for Live Band vocals and to mic amps and other instruments, and as such needs the wooden box for transport as these condenser mics are somewhat fragile during daily transport…We use this mic exclusively for multiple live performance applications…😊

What’s really great about this is, anyone upgrading from the noisiness of a usb mic (AT2020 for me) to the clearer XLR quality on the spark it appears to be great value considering the next steps up drastically jump in price, and for me personally, it’s the look man, when I think about how many massive artists I’ve seen use a mic the looks like this and have exploded, it’s weird to think about them on different styles of microphones. That is purely an aesthetic take, obviously much more goes into the subjective “good art” category for rappers. To me though, it seems like the best next most logical step. It’s a Career maker in my books.

wooden box regardless is better than no box or a cardboard box. No company ever gives you discounts for no box. Can't believe this would be a complaint? Nonetheless, well done review. I love how you switch seemlessly between all the mics and how you test all the switches as you go without fuss.

I like the box to store other mics when I am using the Spark. Who wants cardboard? Use it for guitar picks or slides.

I hated the Yeti beyond belief, but I'm gonna give the spark of chance. It does have an extended bass response compared to the competition at this price and is quite smooth; on top on that tho, it's the -20dBs pad that I'm in love with! This means you can throw in on a cab, as a bass-drum mic, bass cab or guitar cab mic, or if you're so inclined to compressing your voice at a 15:1 ratio, you can engage it to get a "radio voice". I found the 12dB per octave roll off to be quite smooth and didn't think it took off anything from your chest voice, in fact I thought it added a good amount of clarity. Very ribbon-like. Similar as well to the SM7B, as was pointed out by a professional voice-over artist who reviewed it. Definitely a steal!

I actually saw your yeti review. I actually got the yeti when it first came out more than a decade ago and it’s mostly done ok for me. However, I was annoyed when I discovered that I couldn’t use it with the software that came with newer versions of it. Apparently the firmware couldn’t be updated. Then I made the really dumb decision to purchase the pro version of the yeti that could work with XLR and usb. That turned out to be an exercise in frustration with the Windows version of the software seeing it but not the Mac. Fortunately, I purchased it from best buy and I have total tech so I’m taking it back and getting the spark in its place. They’ve got nothing else in its price range that will leave me enough store credit to get a travel interface.

a challenge if you want I just got a podcaster II prod, and I have a blue spark original ( yes the golden one) if you could compare that mic on that intercase with the Neumann TLM103 vs Neumann U87 Ai ...

Layman here: I can't tell a hoot of difference in sound between the two.

the biggest different in sound between blue spark and NT1 in my opinion is just that the blue spark sound a bit muffled in comparison which can be fixed up w an eq. Im thinking to buy the blue spark or bluebird

The rode nt1 seems to have a pretty noticeable presence scoop for some reason

I easily found the Blue Baby Bottle which is 2 levels higher than this one (as far as Blue Condenser mic retail prices) for 200 and have seen many Spark’s sell around 100.

So your gripe is that they provide a wooden box to store the microphone in. Mine is stored in the box as I like to look after my gear! Better than those flimsy pouches others provide.

Edit: I finally got one of these, used and YES, YOU SHOULD GET ONE BECAUSE IT SOUNDS AMAZING. IMy Blue Snowball, also sounds good but it is a bit noisy, and takes some trial and error to get a decent sound for recording guitar, and some noise reduction, BUT THAT IS IN MY CASE because i have a noisy computer, it does sound good if you set it up properly. With the Spark I just plugged it in to my focusrite solo, set it in the right position and it sounded perfect right from the start without any editing. Get one, you will not regret it. Old comment: I have a blue snowball (white) and I tried one of these yesterday and I was amazed! Do you think this one is better than the shure p120? I am going to use it for acoustic guitar recording.

First Blue I've desired! Personally love the box, but an optional non-box discount would be great. Remember: XM8500 is a FREE mic, inside a $20 SM58 travel case 😉

Nice video. Do you happen to have an opinion on the MXL R144?

Blue spark is kinda weird. It's a condenser mic but to me it has a little bit of that dynamic sound which actually comes out really nice!

Connected to the boom arm until it dies. That's how I want to describe my emerging career in voice over and narration.

i wont deny, i have been using a blue snowball for years now, i dont hate it, sure i have used better sound equipment, but i mostly use my mic for quick discord calls and video games, but lately ive been wanting to up my audio setup for speach and looking at getting a proper mixer which has a xlr input, but on guitar center i am finding blue sparks at just like 70 bucks basically brand new with everything included, sure i dont think at the original price id go for it, but for the sound quality to the new used prices going on right now, im not complaining at all

this thing on sale for 88 dollars, is it worth it? coming from a blue snowball, will use for general chatting and meetings. I already have a scarlett solo that a family member is not using. Or should i save some and go for fifine am8, or the behringer xm8500

Blue mic sounded good to my ears. I expected to prefer the Rhode NT1 but the Spark might have edged it out on your voice.

heh, I do like the box... of course I have the blue spark, which has a MUCH better box that also holds all the accessories.

First! Another great video. What’s your favorite part of the mic? 👀

oc16 sounds a lot brighter than the spark. i agree though it doesnt need a fancy box, take that money away and give a normal box and include a pop filter.

Hi there ! What's the difference between the Spark SL and the Blackout Sparl SL ? Is it only about the color ? No other improvements ? Thanks all ! :)

I can't believe I'm going to say this but the spark did sound better than the Rode NT-1 on your voice to my ears. I prefer the Rode NT2A and the OC18 better though

But it gave you Covid?