Let me get some experiences - opinions!

They´re different in many ways, but they´re all condensers and about same price!

Cheers

 

Last edited: Mar 23, 2016

For a cheap but great sounding mic, I went with the Behringer C-1. And it works great! Nice, detailed sound to it, sounds great on vocals as well as acoustic guitar.

 

The mics listed in your survey retail for $300-$500. To most people, that's not considered a "budget" mic.

My recommendation for a true "budget" mic of high "for-the-price" quality would be the AKG P220 (usually selling for less than $150; lucked into one myself for $100):

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/condenser-microphones/akg-p220-project-studio-condenser-microphone

 

condenser*

You haven't explained your purpose what are you going to be using it for?

i've not used the se x1 can not give an opinion
I've used the c214 and although akg are a solid brand i can't recommend it only because i've used 414's and they're out of this world.
rodes are a great starter mic as they usually always have bundles that come with cables, stand, pop filter.

but you should really try before you buy and not take recommendations.

 

C-2 and B-5 are also pretty cool. Might want to low pass them a bit.

 

I'd try find two multi pattern condensers with a high SPL and low noise floor, that way I would be able to get more 'bang for my buck'. Recording drums or a piano could get very interesting .
For recording voice overs or vocalists i'd look for anything that could survive a rap session lol..

The Telefunken ELA M 251E looks like a good buy though
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ELAM251E <- Just joking

 

Last edited: Mar 22, 2016

I agree US $300 to $500 is not real low-end budget. I guess I'd go for the multi-pattern NT2A. Surely the C214 is a great mic, but it's not the mic that puts AKG on the map. The NT2A is the flagship mic of RODE. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to use SE Electronic mics.

On the really inexpensive range, I'd choose the NT1, or the Audiotechnica 20xx series. I've just bought a patched pair of RODE M5. I'm just testing them. I believe they pack more than the less than 200 bucks they retail for.

 

avantone cv-12 is my vote for condensers in that range.
sm7b for dynamic mics.

 

Just to say, if the NT2A is the Rode flagship, what then is the Classic II?...
What is the "Budget", by the way?

 

Look no further !!!!!
http://astonmics.com/

Design, manufactured in the UK and they sound incredible ( I have both )

It cost 199 UK pounds for the small one and 299 UK for the bigger one.

Can not talk good enough about this bad boys !

 

US made CAD Equitek E-100 S (not the Chinese E-100 2). Got mine for $325 from B&H. Phenomenal large diaphragm condenser.

 

The C214 is a fine LDC cardiod mic which is solid and with a good mic pre-amp delivers fine results in my very humble honest opinion and experience. The C314 is one to go for if You like/want the quality sound of the C capsule plus other electronic designs used by AKG but do not want to pay through the nose for such.

As mentioned above you need to really clarify what your main use(s) will be as it is difficult to pick out a complete all around work horse that will cover every area as well as it will others.

The most important thing for me first of all is having a quality, clean microphone pre-amplifier (along with ADC and DAC plus monitoring and headphones) to begin with or you can spend thousands on a microphone but it will not give back what you think you're putting in as the pre can not deliver and/or the rest of the chain has very weak links, So it's like pissing into the wind and hoping for the best, Almost expecting it not to soak you.

So even though I voted AKG 214, I'd scrap that and just say a Shure SM57 and an SM58 or a Sennheiser e845 instead of the SM58.
With that pair (or similar) you'll get usable results and not be wasting alot of money which you could be saving up to spend on the more important areas as mentioned.

If you've already got a decent front-end singal chain setup and a decent monitoring setup then ignore those parts

All the best to all as always

Dean

 

Stellar CM6, CM5; SM7B (dyn), Mojave 201, SE4400a, KSM32.

SDC mics, check out :

12 Gauge Mics (card/omni)

http://www.12gaugemicrophones.com/

Line Audio (card/omni)

http://www.lineaudio.se/

Little Blondie (omni)

http://www.littleblondie.com/

 

An awesome vocal mic and a true budget condenser is ISK Starlight.
http://www.iskproaudio.com/
Also check Cad m179 out for instruments.
http://cadaudio.com/products/m-series/m179
Both of these could be had for less than $150

 

http://www.oktavamod.com/

 

Also, you just can't go wrong with a SM57

 

Ok! I have both the C214 and NT2-A and have tested the SE Electronics sE X1 Tube, so I was asking some feedback for an allround use of these mics! The C214 can do nearly any job, but is a little restricted (cardioid) and with very few sittings! I bought the NT2-A some time ago because I needed a mic with the 8-figure option (for room reflections) and found out it sounds brilliant but havent much experience with it yet!

Low budget: For me a 300 - 500 us/euro mic is low budget, but I seldom buy mics brand new (full price) and I got the NT2-A for about 140 euro ... so I guess that´s pretty low budget for most people.

So if you should choose between these 3 mics for allround use - what would you prefer?

Thanks for the many replies so far!

 

if you already have the NT2 and the C214 then whats the issue?

you still haven't mentioned what the purpose is for?

if you was buying your first i'd say the NT because it has more features and you can get them pretty cheap with bundles
but out of the two you have it's the AKG

i like the akg sound they have a nice coloration to their mics. built solid and should outlast the rode
also the fact it has a big pad on it helps because it'll sound AWESOME on bass! when paired with a good dynamic and honestly they sound great on everything, i've recorded everything with a 414.

Outer kick mic. bass guitars, electric, violins, horns, vocals the lot they are just that good.

BUT

seeing as you have a few hundred spare you might want to invest in a different mic if i was you i'd next go for a Shure Sm7B not so good for all around but amazing on snares. vocals sound great and so do guitars.

 

You seem to have very similar tastes and experiences with mics that I love and use often, I fully agree with the Shure SM7b call it really does cover everything that a quality dynamic should and it is built like a tank. Having already some decent LDC mics with the Rode's multiple polar patterns has you covered but a bullet proof SM7b will definately bolster your setup even further.

After that you might want to look into the really small capsule omni designs, There are a good number available by the likes of Earthworks, DPA and Josephson plus the more common names, Getting in on the ribbon mic action is well worth it also, A quality matched pair is always worth having in your cupboard along with more specific stuff like Kick drum, drum clip on mics and PZM/Boundry Layer models are all worth investing in, So long as you are going to be making the most out of all of them

It is all about having a good balance of quality along with options that after awhile you'll know instinctively which type of mic is going to work well on whatever source you're presented with.

So yeah a big +1 on the SM7b as Rick Barratt suggested with quality reasoning, All the best to all as always

Dean

 

I like the condenser pair from my Pyle PDMK7 7 piece drum mic set, they make good OH mics. The tom mics are okay, sound nice on bass and guitar. only 130 for all the mics tho.
I also have had good success using my MXL 990/991 pair (got for 90$), good for guitars, vocals, etc. The 990 is similar to a AT2020 or something.
Also got a Behringer C-4 pair (for 60$), they're okay in certain situations, but have some harsh high end response.