Which is the best condenser mic under £200? You decide!

Рет қаралды 12,004

Күн бұрын

Condenser Mics under £200 bit.ly/30cWsA6
In yesteryears finding a great sounding microphone came with a hefty price tag and limited options. Nowadays you don’t need to spend a small fortune on a microphone to achieve great, useable results. With thousands of microphones to choose from, all varying in price and sound quality, where does one start?
In this video self-confessed micaholic James Ivey (who owns over 150 mics) draws on his many years of experience in the world of microphones to shows us 4 of his favourite large-diaphragm condenser microphones that are available today, under £200 and which he feels delivers you the best bang for the buck.
James tests the 4 chosen microphones in spoken word, male vocal and acoustic guitar tests, so you can hear what these amazing value for money microphones sound like back to back and decide for yourself which you prefer.
--
0:00 - Intro
1:28 - Audio Technica AT2035
3:18 - Sontronics STC20
4:54 - Rode NT-1A
6:29 - Aston Origin
8:17 - Back to back comparison
9:13 - Outro / Conclusions
Which do you think sounds the best?
--
Check out Studiospares News for New Products, Advice & Tips, Reviews, Masterclasses & more!
www.studiospares.com/news
Subscribe To Our Newsletter!
goo.gl/Uvo2cU
Let's Connect!
Website ▶ www.studiospares.com
Facebook ▶ / studiospares
Twitter ▶ / studiospares
Instagram ▶ / studiospares

Пікірлер: 58

@trevormurrell546 Жыл бұрын

Considering its performance and price, the STC 20 is a beast. I own a pair of them.

@StudiosparesTV Жыл бұрын

Can't go wrong, excellent mics.

@stevewatts9128 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. Always good to have a listen to what's around. The Audio Technica rather had the edge I thought.

@StudiosparesTV 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Steve, certainly agree with that! It's great when you can have a chance to hear what mics sound like back to back, that way you know you're making the right and fair choice! Awesome, the Audio Technica AT2035 is a fantastic mic, a firm favourite amongst some of the staff here!

@vibeconnoisseur6700 2 жыл бұрын

I met trevor coley (founder of sontronics) the other day. Came into uni to mic up some drums, acoustic and electric guitar, vocals and room mics. Got shown the full range apart from the st and the solo dynamic. Can vouch for the quality. Personally never heared a drum kit be recorded so clearly. Looking for expensive high end mics ? I'd go for sontronics. Real frequency response, ridiculously smooth roll off in the high end and a lifetime warranty ! Definitely preferred the st and then the astin in this video 👍🏼

@StudiosparesTV 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, Trevor is a wealth of knowledge. He was a guest on our January webinar, which is on our channel! We're a big fan of the Sontronics range here

@rodrinies 3 жыл бұрын

this video deserve more views, liked it a lot, ty man :)

@StudiosparesTV 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much. Do you own any of these mics?

@rodrinies 3 жыл бұрын

@@StudiosparesTV Noo but I’m thinking in buying the Rode NT1-A

@willycanuck 3 жыл бұрын

That Aston - wow!

@StudiosparesTV 3 жыл бұрын

The Aston is such a great mic and certainly popular among our customer base! Thanks for checking out our video Willy!

@technoman36 3 жыл бұрын

They all sounded good on my laptop speakers so I'll try on some better ones later. I have a couple of AKG C3000 and Samson C01s. My brother is an AT2030 user which I heard against a Reslo Ribbon microphone years before I went for the AKGs.

@StudiosparesTV 3 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear! Definitely listen to the test again on some different speakers to see if you choices change! (Be sure to let us know!)

@backdownthehill 3 жыл бұрын

I saw this at the precise moment I ewas looking for a decent mic. Thanks. I'm going for the STC20

@StudiosparesTV 3 жыл бұрын

What perfect timing! Great choice going with the Sontronics STC20, we're sure you'll be super pleased with what it can do! :)

@HarvinderSingh-yy8th 2 жыл бұрын

@@StudiosparesTV yes, STC is winner in all respects.

@27dmusicproductions30 3 жыл бұрын

Cool beans nice stuff loving the Aston. Great compare.

@CircusNormal 3 жыл бұрын

Don't be fooled, the Aston is fucking shit, sold mine and bought a Sontronics. The amount of post processing you have to do with the Aston is a piss take! Take my advice and avoid it....

@27dmusicproductions30 3 жыл бұрын

@@CircusNormal what was the issue with it?

@CircusNormal 3 жыл бұрын

@@27dmusicproductions30 Just an absolute pain in the arse mate. There's so much scooped out from around 500 to 5k you'll end up with an inordinate amount plugins on the channel trying to give some life to it. Ideally you need a microphone to be as fuss free post as possible in post. Plugins should be used first and foremost to enhance not fix, well not straight away anyway. I've got a Mercury now and it's colossal, SSL eq and the SSL comp and boom, done. Of course that's a £1500 quid unit but I've also got an STC3 and it pisses all over all of the other mics in this test! Yeah the Aston looks pretty quirky and it has loads of very (questionable) amazing reviews, some of them saying it's a U87 beater (is it fuck) but don't be fooled, it's crap.

@StudiosparesTV 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for checking out the video! Yeah it's great to compare microphones back to back to see how they compare to one and another! The Aston is a great mic, certainly popular among our customers!

@CircusNormal 3 жыл бұрын

@@StudiosparesTV You're never going to be able to compare microphones with a KZfaq video, it's impossible! And I really don't want to affect your Aston sales so sorry if I come across a bit crass......... but really, they are shit, bought one, used one and gladly sold one. The Rode is pretty decent though, had one of those too but the STC3 is easily the best of this bunch.

@techtechuw597 6 ай бұрын

AT2035 smaller diagram and lesser sensitivity was noticeable. To my surprise i really liked the STC20 more than the Rode NT1A. The STC20 seems to produce a more richer/fuller sound than the others, the Aston being the thinnest sounding of this selection.

@paulviramundo 3 жыл бұрын

I won't say that I prefer the Rode out of these 4 (the AT & Aston sound a little bit more pleasing to these ears) but one thing that should be added is that the Rode NT1A is one of the most easily modified mics out there. It's a great mic but can be even greater if you spend a bit more. I've had mine modded for about £450 & now I can honestly say that I cannot tell the difference between it & a Neumann U87 (& I've made a side by side comparison).

@StudiosparesTV 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Paul, thanks for checking out our video! The Aston is certainly proving itself to becoming a favourite from this test. Can't say we are too familiar with post purchase modifications with the NT1A, what exactly have you had modded to yours?

@HarvinderSingh-yy8th 2 жыл бұрын

U87AI is just 2-3 % better than NT1a. If little crispness of NT1A is decreased, it will sound like U 87 Ai.

@mirkomarkovic3438 2 ай бұрын

@@HarvinderSingh-yy8th 😅

@gremasaurusrex985 3 жыл бұрын

Not knowing much about mics, I started off with a AT2020. It was ok but it wasn't as sharp/bright as I wanted. I quickly wanted a bit of an to upgrade so I got a RODE NT-1A because of opinions elsewhere. I really like the quality of it (any flaws are down to my vocal editing I would admit). I do like the sound of that AT2035 though. Do you have a vid of the next upgrade from the *around £200* catagory? I'm still learning the ropes and the NT-1A is doing fine, but I'd like to see where it goes from that. Great vid, thanks.

@joelonsdale 3 жыл бұрын

I loved my AT2020 and had it for years, using it in a professional capacity. Also got an NT1a. I've also got some expensive microphones, but these two cheaper ones are reliable and very useable...

@gremasaurusrex985 3 жыл бұрын

@@joelonsdale yes I agree. I know my NT1a will be involved in recordings for many years to come, great mic.

@StudiosparesTV 3 жыл бұрын

The AT2020 is a fantastic mic and incredibly popular, great first microphone choice! We don't have a video as of yet for the next price bracket above £200, but that is definitely something we'll consider for the future, watch this space! If you need any guidance or advice with anything you can always have a chat with one of our Sales staff, they have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they'll be happy to share with you to help with anything you may need! Just give us a call or email: Tel: 020 8208 9930 Email: sales@studiospares.com

@gremasaurusrex985 3 жыл бұрын

@@StudiosparesTV thankyou.

@HarvinderSingh-yy8th 2 жыл бұрын

Upgrade to STC 20.

@breezeee122 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome informative video, do you mind if I ask what interface you are using?

@StudiosparesTV 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! James is going straight into his beautiful Audient ASP 8024 Console. We’re very jealous! Wouldn’t it be great to own one of these?!

@breezeee122 2 жыл бұрын

@@StudiosparesTV yup it very much would be, thank you!

@stockportfolioanalysis Жыл бұрын

What condenser is best value for recording vocals? Was thinking of AT2020 or AT3035? Or should I get something else? I have decision paralysis.

@StudiosparesTV Жыл бұрын

It's all about personal preference in this price range, they are all great options, but one may be better suited to your voice. the Imperative Audio Lucent is a great allrounder for voice and acoustic instruments.

@Son-Of-Gillean 2 ай бұрын

AT2035 clear winner for me.

@StudiosparesTV 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@SUZ0Y 6 ай бұрын

I currently have a Rode nt1a and wanted to switch to a new microphone but I'm not sure if I should buy a Sontronics STC-2. I could get it new for 100€ (instead of 250€), is it worth it?

@StudiosparesTV 6 ай бұрын

They're both great mic so really it comes down to personal preference and what inspires you to create!

@ScottRandall31 3 жыл бұрын

I own the AT. In order I would go: ST, AT, Rhode/Aston. The AT has the most natural tone. The ST has the most full tone. IMO.

@StudiosparesTV 2 жыл бұрын

It's good to hear everyones opinions. Do you own any of these mics? Do you have a go to?

@HarvinderSingh-yy8th 2 жыл бұрын

ST sounds best.

@JWN77 5 ай бұрын

for me the sontronics stc-20 are the best, i have one, very good mic.

@StudiosparesTV 5 ай бұрын

Sontronics make great products! We're glad to hear you're enjoying yours!

@powersliding 2 жыл бұрын

stealing a neumann tlm103 would make it a mic under 200 quid although it wouldnt be a nice thin to instigate

@StudiosparesTV 2 жыл бұрын

Best to air on the side of caution and pick one of these instead!

@princeanyaoha7338 3 жыл бұрын

How about akg p420

@StudiosparesTV 2 жыл бұрын

We may have to do a part 2!

@HarvinderSingh-yy8th 2 жыл бұрын

P420 is almost OK, BYE-2 CM. It is preffered for voice over and broadcasting.

@Liza_audio_lab 2 жыл бұрын

Best mic?

@StudiosparesTV 2 жыл бұрын

That's for you to decide! Which do you prefer?

@Liza_audio_lab 2 жыл бұрын

@@StudiosparesTV audio technica 2035 or rode nt1a,

@HarvinderSingh-yy8th 2 жыл бұрын

Sir, honestly isn't STC 20 sounds the best.

@StudiosparesTV 2 жыл бұрын

The STC is a fantastic microphone, like all of the Sontronics range! Great choice.

@HarvinderSingh-yy8th 2 жыл бұрын

@@StudiosparesTV Sir, according to you which sontronics mic sounds best for high quality professional recording. I want to open home studio using ID, 14 Mkii+ Audient ASP 880 pream. Pl. guide. I shall be very thankful to you. Good knowledgeable video.