Huge selection of Microphones!

   

AKG Perception 220 Condenser Microphone
From AKG

The Perception 220 is a large-diaphragm microphone designed for a variety of studio applications, yet is rugged enough to use on stage too. The Perception 220s true-condenser capsule features a cardioid pattern that minimizes off-axis pickup and del...
Brand: AKG Model: PERCEPTION220 Dimensions: 4.40 pounds

Spectacular Microphone I have had this mic now for about 3 months and have done a number of recordings of drums, vocals and acoustic guitar and mandolin with it. Due to its design, it is obviously not good for live performances with lots of electric and amplified instruments, but in a studio session where you isolate individual instruments, it is the best microphone I have ever used. It reproduces the sound "going in" very accurately, over an impressively large range of frequencies, without any colorations at all. Specifically I used it for an overhead mic for a drumset, and both the cymbals and toms were nicely picked up. For vocals, it is best to sing into it at a distance of 0.5 - 2 feet, depending on how powerful the respective voice is. The same holds true for acoustic instruments like guitars and mandolin. It is a spectacular experience to play an acoustic guitar into this microphone and listen to the PA output or monitor. A friend of mine likened it to "being able to stick your head into the body of the guitar". Very highly recommended. Cant beat it for the price. I bought this mic about 3 years ago. It still gets more use than many of my other mics. I've used it for the kick drum, for the bass, and I still prefer it over my 57's and 58's on guitar. It picks up more of the air and still remains focused. You wont go wrong buying this mic. Truly Great Overall: I have had this microphone for a while. It can be used to record just about anything from vocals, to acoustic guitar, to drums.. you get the point. This mic is great i love to use it. Ease of use: Setting it up is a sincheasy, I use it with a tripod and pop filter and just plug in the mic cable and your set. It had two switches on it to help get the sound you want and get ride of the sound you don't want. The mic itself: When recording i must make sure nobody is in my house, this thing will pick up a pin-drop from a mile away. When i pause recording i can hear what people are saying in the floor below me. Using it to record acoustic guitar is incredible. Every pick and strum can be heard with extreme clarity. Like i said, this mic is great, the only thing that I don't like is hearing what people say about my singing in other ends of the house (joke). but really if this is your first mic or if you wanna record live music I highly recommend this mic.

   

Cobra HG M73 70 Series Dynamic CB Microphone
From Cobra

Designed for CB users who want to step up from their stock microphone at a reasonable price, the HighGear "70 Series" microphones combine handsome looks with stellar workmanship.
Brand: Cobra Model: HG-M73 Number of items: 1 Dimensions: 2.50" h x 5.00" w x 8.50" l, 1.50 pounds
The microphone has a nine foot cord, a left side PTT button, and attaches to the CB via a 4-pin connector. The dynamic mic is built with a heavy-duty ABS shell – just in case you come across another destructive canine. What's in the Box One HG-M73 CB microphone and a one year warranty.
cb mic do not buy,stock mic definately works better,and modulation is horrible on the cobra hg m73.

   

AZDEN CAM-3 On-Camcorder Mini Audio Mixer
From AZDEN

Add & Mix Sound From 3 Sources Simultaneously ; Does Not Require Batteries ; Attach To Camcorder Or Handstrap; Dim: 3.25"H X .25"W X 2.125"D; Weighs 3 Oz
Brand: Azden Dimensions: 10.00" h x 11.00" w x 11.00" l, .35 pounds

videographer-excelent mini audio mixer I've had the opportunity to use the azden cam-3 for the first time at a wedding anniversary and I plugged in my three mics to it; on channel 3 I plugged in my stereo shot gun mic and I moved the slider on the Cam-3 all the way up to increase the audio signal and I notice that this mic was my weakest one, so I increase the audio levels on my camcorder accordingly.The wireless and the interview mic had stronger audio signals so I moved the sliders down for channels 1 and 2 to adjust the audio for each one of them accordingly. It gave me the flexibility to open and shut each mic just the way I needed. I was hesitant about buying this audio mixer because of the first bad review that this person gave to the Azden Cam-3, but now that I myself used it I can tell that he just did not know what he was doing, that is why I took the time to post this review. Great product at a great price. Keep up the good work Azden. How to get 2 mono mics and one stereo mic mixed into a camcorder Ok - you're all set to record an interview. Your interviewer has one radio lapel mic and their subject has been mic'ed with your backup radio mic on a different frequency, but they have the mic way too close to their mouth and dwarf the interviewer. You have a stereo shotgun mic on your hotshoe mount for B-roll footage and you're ready to go..... Except for the fact you have 3 microphone sources and your camcorder has one stereo mic input - plus your two radio mics have different output levels causing one channel to clip occasionally as your two radio mics have unequal levels and you must unplug everything to use your shotgun stereo mic, which isn't easy to do with today's tiny cameras. That's where this comes in. There are 4 jacks and 3 sliders on this compact product just slightly bigger than a DV tape in its case. You have inputs 1 and 2 which are left and right mono inputs great for radio mics, each with their own amplitude slider to get your levels equalized and bring two separate mono sources to a stereo output. Input 3 is a stereo input for a stereo microphone that you might use in shooting b-roll footage. If you want to kill it from the interview mix, just slide the volume for mic 3 all the way down and its gone. You can also mix in some of the ambient sound with a touch of the 3rd slider. Sure it would be nice to have a mixing board on the back of your hand strap to manage audio, right? This is the only product I could find that even comes close. The next step is a 4 channel audio production set which dwarfs the size of most camcorders today. On the back of this case is a clip which can be rotated 90 degrees into 4 positions to clip onto anything and hold on tight. Since everything is passive and well shielded noise is not an issue, but be sure your mics are powered (most video cameras want separately powered mics anyways, even if it is a button cell in the mic case). The very low output from unpowered dynamic capsules won't do as well as a condenser mic with a button cell inside giving you 7mv RMS or so of output. The mixer comes with 2 cables, a mono-stereo and a stereo-stereo to connect it's 4th jack (stereo mic mix out) to your camera's stereo external mic in. All jacks are 3.5 mm, 1&2 are mono, 3&4 are stereo (with 4 being the mix output and 3 being the stereo mic in) This is a great accessory for anyone with more than one mic in use on a portable camera and at the price it's a very affordable solution for the convenience in setup it offers. If you have ever cursed that your camera doesn't have 3 mic-inputs with knobs for each, then this is the next best thing, and easier to use while shooting than the camera's controls. There is one really minor negative that won't affect most users - being a passive device not requiring a battery, this mixer will not output a signal higher than the input signals from your sources. If used with powered mics this is not a problem, but really low level outputs will be low level going into your camera. If you know you want to record a weak signal (say an electric guitar) you'll want a pre-amp to go on that signal. You can attenuate strong signals down with this to get equality. My unit stays with my 2 radio mics and receivers in their case and gets used every time I hook up external mics to my camera. It is a clean and lightweight solution to a messy cable problem in the field. I give it 5 stars because it handles most everything in an elegant simple manner with a minimum number of parts and is designed for today's smaller HD camcorders. Form definitely follows function in the product design. Azden Cam-3 works It does just what I need it to do which is balance two microphones. It does not amplify the weaker, but lets me control the one that is always too strong.

   

Plantronics .Audio 995 Wireless Stereo Headset
From Plantronics

The Plantronics .Audio 995 digital wireless PC headset combines the wireless technology with superb audio drivers to deliver exceptional performance up to 30 meters from your PC. All the controls are intuitively placed for quick and easy control: volume up and down are positioned on the ear pod and with the microphone mute activated when the boom is stowed you will always be in control. The 40mm speakers deliver studio-quality audio with maximum bass response perfect for music, multimedia, gaming and PC chat. The lightweight design ensures excellent comfort for hours of use.
Brand: Plantronics Model: Plantronics .Audio 995 Dimensions: 3.75" h x 10.50" w x 9.00" l, .30 pounds
Freely roam from away your desk while making Internet phone calls or listening to your favorite music with the Plantronics .Audio 995 Stereo Headset. This lightweight, ultra-comfortable headset delivers full-spectrum stereo with a 40-foot wireless range. The headset also features on-ear controls for iTunes and Windows Media Player, so you can control your music without being tethered to your desk. With a 40-foot range, you won't be tethered to your desk while making Internet calls or listening to music. View larger. Plug-and-Play Wireless Functionality Set up is as simple as can be: just plug the wireless USB adapter into your computer's USB port and you're good to go. There's no software to install, no configuration, no hassles. Once plugged in, you'll be able to roam up to 40 feet from your desk without interrupting your PC calls or music. And thanks to the convenient on-ear controls, the .Audio 995 lets you skip tracks and adjust volume on iTunes and Windows Media Player remotely. Outstanding, Full-Range Audio Quality The .Audio 995 features dual 40 mm speakers that deliver crisp, clean treble with deep, rich bass. The sound is so clean and rich that you won't believe it's wireless. Whether you're listening to music, playing a game, or watching your favorite DVD, you'll hear every detail. Make Crisp and Clear Internet Calls Experience exceptional call quality when you use the .Audio 995 to make Internet calls with Skype or other Internet phone services. The person you're talking to will also hear you with superior clarity thanks to the headset's noise-canceling microphone, which is designed to reduce background noise. And thanks to the Fast Mic Mute feature, you can quickly mute the microphone by simply raising the boom. Smart, Adjustable Design for All-Day Comfort The .Audio 995 sports a lightweight design that stays comfortable all day and all night, making it perfect for listening to music during all-night study or marathon gaming sessions. The adjustable headband lets you customize the fit, and the soft, swivel-mounted speakers cushion the ears comfortably. The Plantronics .Audio 995 Headset is backed by a one-year warranty. What's in the Box Wireless Stereo Headset, USB wireless receiver, USB charging cable Get up and away from your desk and roam around with the .Audio 995.
Best Wireless Headset at this time Lots of reviews out there, but mine is a bit more objective due to the testing I have done. Probably, like you, I was in the market for a headset to use with speech recognition, Skype, music playback from iTunes, etc. But I wanted to cut the cord on my Logitech USB headset. So a few months ago I went out and purchased the Logitech ClearChat Wireless headset. Between this latter headset and the Plantronics 995, there really is not much else on the market as far as non-bluetooth wireless headsets go. These headsets use a USB 2.4 GHz transceiver. This is much better than bluetooth, which constantly needs pairing and has sub-par performance when used with speech recognition, VOIP, etc. due to low bandwidth. Testing and using the Logitech ClearChat Wireless headset, I was pretty impressed. It worked with Dragon Naturally Speaking/MacSpeech Dictate, as well as with Skype. However, what I did not like about the Logitech ClearChat headset was that the ear muffs were too small (many complain about it) and there was constant static whilst speaking to someone on Skype (Skype to phone calls). Additionally, the more you move around with the ClearChat, the more static there is, and the range was acceptable but not great. To make my testing objective, I was switching, on the Skype call, between the USB headset and the wireless ClearChat one. The static was only present with the ClearChat headset and not with the USB headset. So, having read all the great reviews about the 995 Plantronics, I went down to the store, exchanged my ClearChat for a pair. I then phoned from Skype to a telephone (same person) and tested the reception again. This time, there was hardly any static at all (user feedback): their comment was that it was "much improved" from the previous wireless headset. I also got better range with the Plantronics as well. In addition, the speech recognition seems to work a bit better too, and is actually working amazingly. Seems even better than my USB headset. Furthermore, I tested some iTunes playback and no question the Plantronics has fuller, deeper, richer sound than the Logitech ClearChat headset. The only thing I like better about the ClearChat headset is that you can quickly switch the headset off when you don't want it to be connected to the receiver. With the Plantronics, you can quickly switch it on and off too, with auto-pairing (nice), but there is only one button, not a switch, which needs to be held down for 2 seconds to turn the unit off or on. The only issue is, unless the unit is off your head, you won't be able to see the solid blue light turn to red then off. So if you want to shut it off and leave it on your head, it is not possible to get confirmation from the headset that it is off. However, you will see the blue light flash on the receiver, from solid blue, and that is confirmation you have turned off your headset. But it also indicates the headset is out of range, so the only way to really no for sure that your headset is turned off is to remove them from your head and look to see if the light is off on the side. Thus, the ClearChat's simple on/off switch is superior in this regard, where you can turn the unit off without the need to remove it from your head for confirmation. At any rate, this is sort of minor because most times you can be confident that a flashing blue light on the receiver indicates you have successfully turned off the headset, so you won't be needing to remove it. And I like to power down the unit frequently to save on battery life... As for battery life, I think the Plantronics is better than the ClearChat as well, and both demand roughly the same charging times. Of note, when you first get the unit, charging it may be a bit quirky. You should calibrate the battery (the ClearChat headset took 2 days before it was fully charged, for instance). Other than that, do yourself a favor and get the Plantronics wireless headset. It is truly liberating to have the cords cut, and it works extremely well with speech recognition. 4.5 out of 5 stars, because of the on/off procedure and paltry instructions that do not explain how to turn the unit on/off. In addition, nothing is perfect. But a 4.5 out of 5 star rating for me is a huge compliment to anyone. I am very critical of everything, and demand a lot from my computing products. Plantronics: well done. Remember, hold down the power button on the headset for 2 seconds ONLY to turn it on or off. The good news, and the bad news The good news first: I like this headset. The sound is good, a bit thin for music, but good for skype and gaming, which is what I use this for. It's comfortable, and I love being able to walk around my apartment while wearing the headset and talking to someone. The bad news, there's a couple little quirks: -If the battery dies in-use you have to stop using the headset, plug it in and charge it with a usb cable. While it's charging you can't use it (why?) -Nonreplacable battery, so you are basically paying to use it for a year and a half and throw it away after it stops holding a charge. The usb cable doesn't carry audio (again, why?) Love the headset, it works well, I just wish they: 1. made the battery replaceable and 2. would have the usb charging cable carry audio so you can use it when the battery is dead. If I had known all of this beforehand I might have specced out other headsets more before purchasing. Good sound super easy installation Plantronics .Audio 995 Let me start with something that amazed me. I plugged the USB dongle into the computer, started Itunes, hit play and music started coming from the headphones!!! I did not have to configure a single thing. The control panel in WinXP showed the Plantronics as a first device automatically. When unplugged, I had to restart Itunes, but that was it, the sound was once again coming from my main speakers. That level of ease of operation has to be commended. The sound quality and controls. The controls on the left earpad are volume up, down, pause, play and skip track. They all work as advertised. The volume of the headphones at maximum level is loud, but not very. I can easily tolerate maximum volume, which I could not do with my none too efficient Sony EX51 earbuds. If I had to estimate efficiency in standard terms I would guess ~97db. The sound is typical of larger and over the ear headphones. For me this sound is exemplified by good bass and slightly inadequate treble. 20-20khz advertised frequency response. For reference the 995 sound better than an old Consumer Reports best buy Sony MDR CD180, but not as good as renowned Koss clip on KSC75 (a true best buy). The 995's treble is actually pretty good, while the midrange has a slight listening thru a pillow quality. I had a chance to compare these to a Altec Backbeat Bluetooth wireless headphones, and find the Altec headphones slightly more accurate despite a slight hiss in the background. I tested the built in, fold away microphone with windows XP recorder, and once again the ease of setup (none) was amazing. The sound quality was excellent. If you ever consider these for use with Skype or other computer based internet VOIP (phone) applications you will be pleased. The range does appear to matchy the 40ft claim, but subtract 10 ft for each wall in the way. Battery life is claimed to be 8hrs (have not run them down the first time yet) and the recharge time is 2-4 hrs (headset only, the dongle is powered thru USB). I wish these and the Altec BackBeat's would also have a wired connection such that you can use them with a MP3 player directly. The Altec's dongle allows you to wirelessly transmit any audio source thru a mini stereo plug, but that forces you to give up the track skip function. The good sound quality makes me want to use them with a TV and a stereo, how about an optional audio in dongle as well? In summary, the incredible ease of use and very good sound quality will make me use these more often than I initially thought.

   

Rode NT2A Vocal Condenser Microphone
From Rode

The RODE NT2A is a professional, multi-pattern studio condenser microphone.The NT2A is based on the legendary NT2 - thetonebehind countless recording hits of the last decade. A professional large capsule (1 inch) studio microphone incorporating three-position pick-up patterns, PAD and high pass filter switches conveniently located on the mic body.At the heart of the NT2A is the Australian designed and manufactured HF1 dual diaphragm capsule. The frequency and transient response of this transducer has been voiced to complement today's modern recording techniques, and yet still evoke the silky smooth character of the legendary microphones of the 50's and 60's. These features provide the flexibility and superlative audio characteristics that make the NT2-A one of the most versatile condenser mics available.RODE NT2A FeaturesLarge 1 inch HF1 gold sputtered capsuleOn body control of polar pattern, HPF and padThree position variable polar pattern: Omni, Cardioid & Figure 8; all controlled on the mic.Three position variable high-pass filter: Flat, 40 Hz or 80 HzThree position variable pad: 0dB, -5dB or -10dBUltra low noise, transformerless surface mount circuitryWide dynamic rangeHigh strength heat-treated steel mesh headInternal capsule shock mountingSupplied complete with ZP1 zip pouch and RM2 stand mount
Brand: Rode Model: NT2-A Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, 2.42 pounds

Not just a vocal microphone This microphone is doing a great on instrumental section and solo recording. With great sensitivity and low noise doing live recording of a solo (saxophone) and the sax section at the time is possible. Also a good room ambiance microphone. Interesting detail I think it's interesting that the item weight is 2.4 pounds, but the shipping weight is 2.2 pounds. They must pack it with helium balloons! At any rate, I've used this model and like it very much.

   

Unidirectional Microphone
From AUDIO TECHNICA

What's the difference between the types of directional microphones? The primary difference between omnidirectional microphones and unidirectional microphones is that omnidirectional microphones pick up sound 360 degrees around, while unidirectional microphones must be pointed at the source of the sound in order to pick it up. If the voice or sound is to the side of the microphone, the microphone will not pick the sound up clearly. If behind the microphone, the sound may not register at all, no matter how close it is to the actual microphone. Despite the common image of a microphone with a rounded end, unidirectional microphones do not usually come in that distinctive shape. unidirectional microphones. Unidirectional microphones are usually used where too much background noise would be picked up by an omnidirectional unit.
Brand: Audio-Technica Model: 20 Dimensions: 2.75" h x 3.25" w x 12.50" l, .80 pounds

I miss mine I am an aspiring recording artist, who's budget simply does not allow the purchase of expensive equipment to record on (yet)... In lieu of that, I use equipment that has value...or more than one quality... The only examples that I have as of the present is my Harmon/Kardon CDR20 which, even though it put a [large] dent in my pocket, provided me some very good quality CD recordings. Actually, with the use of that and my teenage boombox, I proceeded to make my first demo. Another example is the Athlon XP 1700+ headed computer that I use to record on now that put an even bigger dent in my pocket... Its uses are of many, so again, I come out in a less sacrificial stance...Now, as far as the first demo that I mentioned in the previous paragraph...it took me some time and creativity, but I did it...and it sounded good. Since I started the recording with a much less valuable Coby microphone, I was able to see the instant difference that the ATR20 provided. My voice sounded more balanced and alive, where as though the Coby microphone which costed about 50% less sounded like, well, a cheap microphone--over-exxagerated voice, with much less presence. The Audio-Technica is a clear winner...and it didn't make me sound like I was performing at a concert or anything. Just like a studio, without the added quality (how much could I expect from my boombox'x mic mixing capabilities which were fully automated? )...Over the year, I've been away from home, and although I have been able to record better sounding musical/vocal mixes via my recently purchased computer, the quality of the voice is apparently less realistic. I am almost as anxious to get back to that microphone as I am to my wife and children...:-)I am here to tell you, that this microphone is worth it. Of course, the ATR30 has a wider frequency range and probably better sound...but for the Amateur, I'm going to advise going with the ATR20. And with the fact that I see it here for about twenty dollars, I am tempted to buy it again just to have it while I'm here... It work great! When my new software had trouble recognizing my usb mic, I was told I needed a more traditional mic - this little guy is awesome - works great - the sound is fantastic. It comes with equipped to plug into my computer as well as traditional audio components. Good Product for the Price We used this mic, attached to a camcorder, to record the opinions/reactions at our church's Vacation Bible School. The kids loved being interviewed. We showed the film at the closing ceremony. Sound was good. Mic picked up interviewee only, not the background noise. (There were 160 kids- a lot of background noise!) Good product for the price.

   

Av-jefe Tcm-128st Lapel (Tie-clip) Camcorder Microphone 3.5mm Mono Connector & On/off Switch
From AV-JEFE

3.5mm Mono Connector & On/Off Switch
Amazon Sales Rank: #24490 in Musical Instruments Brand: AV-JEFE Model: TCM-128

   

Shure MX412D/S 12-inch (30 cm) Desktop Gooseneck Condenser Microphone, Attached 10-foot (3 m) XLR Cable, Logic Functions, Programmable Switch and LED Indicator, Attached Desktop Base, Supercardioid.
From Shure

The Microflex Gooseneck microphones bring a whole new meaning to the word flexible. Beyond their fully adjustable goosenecks lies a new level of flexibility the new Microflex interchangeable condenser microphone cartridge. Designed for easy replacement and available in cardioid, supercardioid and omnidirectional polar patterns, the interchangeable cartridges offer wide frequency response and accurate sound reproduction for a broad variety of applications, such as houses of worship, courtrooms and conference centers. Plus, the condenser cartridges fit every model in the new Microflex product line for enhanced convenience and consistent sound. Every Microflex Gooseneck features high sensitivity and balanced, transformerless output for maximum immunity to electromagnetic hum and RF interference, even over long cable runs. Includes a silent mute switch with LED indicator.
Brand: Shure Dimensions: 4.00 pounds

Great for public meetings This mic is just plain great for meetings. I am a public official on a government board with 8 other members. Each Board Member has one of these mics which feeds the PA system. I find it very sensitive, the on-off switch reliable, and the quality is good. My opinion is "Highly Recommended" very dependable system Since I purchased the Shure MX418, my fellows notified me significant upgrade in P.A. system.

   

Crown Sound Grabber II Pressure Zone Condenser Microphone
From Crown

The Crown Sound Grabber II is a Pressure Zone Microphone for budget applications such as recording conferences and speeches. It works great with camcorders, picking up clearer sound than built-in microphones. Other uses include "no-fuss" music recording just place it on the floor near the musical ensemble.
Amazon Sales Rank: #24878 in Musical Instruments Brand: Crown

   

Shure SM7B Dynamic Vocal Microphone
From Shure

The Shure SM7B Dynamic Vocal Microphone is a cardioid studio mic with a smooth, flat, wide-range frequency response appropriate for music and speech in all professional audio applications.The SM7B features excellent shielding against electromagnetic hum generated by computer monitors, neon lights, and other electrical devices. The SM7B has been updated from earlier models with an improved bracket design that offers greater stability. In addition to its standard windscreen, it also includes the A7WS windscreen for close-talk applications. The SM7B Includes a foam winscreen, close-talk windscreen, and a locking yoke mount.Shure SM7B Features:Flat, wide-range frequency response for exceptionally clean and natural reproduction of both music and speechBass rolloff and mid-range emphasis (presence boost) controls with graphic display of response settingImproved rejection of electromagnetic hum, optimized for shielding against broadband interference emitted by computer monitorsInternalair suspensionshock isolation virtually eliminates mechanical noise transmissionHighly effective pop filter eliminates need for any add-on protection against explosive breath sounds, even for close-up vocals or narrationNow shipping with the A7WS detachable windscreen, designed to reduce plosive sounds and gives a warmer tone for close-talk vocalsYoke mounting with captive stand nut for easy mounting and dismounting provides precise control of microphone positionClassic cardioid polar pattern, uniform with frequency and symmetrical about axis, to provide maximum rejection and minimum coloration of off-axis soundRugged construction and excellent cartridge protection for outstanding reliabilityReplacement cartridge: RPM106
Amazon Sales Rank: #1992 in Musical Instruments Color: gray Brand: Shure Model: SM7B Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, 5.00 pounds

BEST VOICE MICROPHONE THERE IS! If you are looking for a microphone for voice-overs or broadcast use, THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO BUY. The Shure SM-5 and SM-7 microphones are the best voice mics ever made. The large SM-5 is no longer made, so you can only find it used, but the SM-7 is just as good. Either one, you have the best. Don't let the price fool you. I have brought this in to studios that have $3000 Neuman condenser mics and they laughed when I said I wanted to use my $300 Shure mic instead. I told them to put up both mics and do an A/B test while I spoke into each of them. The three other audio engineers in the studio had to agree, the Shure was better and it was a night and day difference, not hard at all to decide it was best. This mic has a warmth and rich sound no other mic can give you. Even industry publications like MIX MAGAZINE and RadioWorld have done reviews where they did the same tests and said the same things about this mic in comparison to the expensive condenser mics... -------------------------------------------- from MIX MAGAZINE, March 1998, page 53: Eric Paul has made a career out of recording country giants like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and many others: "My favorite overall microphone for voices is the Shure SM-5. If they can't get a Shure SM-5, they can still get Shure SM-7s, which are still available. If you've tried out three very expensive tube mics and you aren't happy with any of them, then the next step should immediately be a Shure SM-7. I will almost always guarentee you that if the expensive mic doesn't work, an SM-7 will. For some reason, people sound better on them." ---------------------------------------------- from RADIO WORLD, February 18 1998, page 62: Joe Stack, director of engineering for ABC radio said: "When I worked at WATH in Athens, Ohio, I had someone call and offer me ten RE-20s for the three SM-5s we had. I turned him down." ------------------------------------------ from EQ MAGAZINE, July 2006 issue: The SM7 is perhaps most famous for being used as the vocal microphone on Michael Jackson's Thriller engineered by Bruce Swedien. ----------------------------------------------- Some interesting facts about the SM-7... "When we were doing "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad" I ended up with 6 Shure SM7's. That is a fantastic mike." - Bruce Swedien The Red Hot Chili Peppers have used the SM 7 on vocals on every album they have done. You can see James Hetfield from Metallica singing into a Shure SM 7 on the "Some Kind Of Monster" DVD. ---------------------------------------- Another thing I have noticed in the studio, is that some of my other mics require gating and downward expanders on the mics to get rid of room noise, but the SM-7 doesn't need it. It is quiet all by itself. And to save many hours trying to edit out mouth noises, clicks and smacks from voice-over talent that use expensive CONDENSER microphones, just have them use the SM-7 next time, and no more wasted time editing out mouth noises anymore. Throughout the years on the Howard Stern Show, they have replaced and tried all sorts of microphones, from the Electrovoice RE-20 to Neuman mics. But if you notice, the Co-host, Robin Quivers, STILL uses the Shure SM-7 and refuses to change to any of the other mics. You can see throughout the years on the TV show that although the mics are always changing for everyone else, Robin ALWAYS has the SM-7 to this day. Since the Howard Stern Show has moved to Sirrius Sattelite, the show had to buy new microphones, (couldn't take them with from CBS) and everyone seems to be using the same mics they did before. Robin has another SM-7 so she really likes this mic! It looks different now, because she has the larger windscreen that now comes with the SM-7. The Grail I can't do more than underscore the endorsement of this mic by the previous reviewer (FOX). If you haven't started in the mic-collecting business, trying every trendy dynamic and condenser mic in the hundred dollar range and below, you might actually save some bucks by cutting directly to the chase and going for this one. I've always wondered why I can't reproduce the sounds of our local NPR outlet, and I finally realize it's because they have the Shure SM7B and I don't. It enhances the voice with depth and richness and filters out the pops and unwanted percussives (face it, those separate pop filters are cumbersome to use). It's very directional and "selective" (rejecting room ambience and background noise), so it's perhaps not the ideal mic for all applications. But for announcing, broadcasting, vocal performance and vocal recording, I don't see how anything could possibly equal let alone surpass it. My favorite vocal mic You know how your singing/speaking voice always sounds richer in your head than it does on tape? This mic makes you sound on tape like you sound in your head. The Good: * Thick low-mids, a nice presence bump, and an agreeable proximity effect that has none of that "Help I'm trapped in a box" sound you get with an SM58 or other dynamic cardioid vocal mic. * Off-axis noise rejection makes this a good choice for live room recording, where a condenser mic would get too much bleed. * There's just something about the giant foam wind/pop screen that is fun to sing into. This is a friendly mic that sounds great. You should know: * You'll need a pre-amp with 60dB gain to get a proper level out of this mic. Most computer audio interfaces with built-in mic pre's have only 30-40db of gain. As a test, if an SM58 in your setup requires that you max the gain, you'll definitely need to pair this mic with an external pre-amp (you probably need one for your SM58 too!). * This isn't intended as a hand-held live mic, though people have done it.

   

Icemat Siberia In:Ear Headset
From Icemat Audio

The Icemat Siberia In-Ear offers a combination of functionality and portability not found in other headsets. Specially designed for PC gamers, portable audio enthusiasts and VOIP, the Icemat Siberia In-Ear comes complete with a removable clip-style lapel microphone for VOIP, network chat, and voice recording. A detachable dual-port audio control offers easy access to volume control. Also included are replacement in-ear buds and a cleaning device.
Color: White Brand: Global Marketing Partners Model: 10070 Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP, Mac OS X Original language: German Dimensions: 2.00" h x 4.40" w x 5.20" l, .24 pounds

I love them These are great, I use them for gaming at night and take them to work in my mp3 player in the morning Convenience: Most headphones only have a short cord, with these there's the option for long and short with the extension. I've got plenty of room now. And I can leave the bottom half plugged into my computer, so when I come home I dont have to pull the computer out just to stick in my headphones and mic. Sound Quality: I can pretty much hear myself breathing when I dont have any sound coming through them. They block out outside noise, and I'm hearing things in music and in games I never heard before even with speakers. And the best part is the volume is turned way down. You dont have to crank it up in order to overshadow the background noise, there is none. Comfort: They are a tad bit itchy, but that comes with any inside the ear earphones. One thing I like is that it fits easily inside your ear, I have small ears and the headphones for an ipod or any other inner ear-phones kill my ears after 30 mins, these are very comfortable. And they dont fall out or need repositioning, they fit right in. Assets: It comes with 3 sets of rubber things for the ear peice, all different sizes, some with out the lips. Extention for the mic and the earphones A small grey bag to put them in to carry or for storing. Fantastic item! Is a godsend in busy, noisy places Perhaps the reviewer above should turn up his bass on his mp3 player. I never noticed any huge reduction in bass myself. An assertion that stock earphones are superior to these is a huge exaggeration. I think these are a wonderful quality product, compact and well designed. I have a bose sound-reducing headset that is far too bulky to carry around for every day use. In the library, sounds of chattering around me fade into nothing - even announcements over the loudspeaker fade to a murmer that I sometimes miss. I travel often by plane and train, and even though these are not as good as the Bose in these situations, still far superior to normal earbud technology. I have not yet tried out the mic function so I cannot speak as to that, but the earphone function is rated 5 stars. Highly recommended!! Somebody doesn't know SOUND. Hey folks... this headset / mic combo is "the b*lls". It doesn't get much better than this. I dont think there's any way I could beat the deal I got. 10 bucks for my set. I love it. The microphone works great at work for Skype on my laptop. I have the Mic mounted on my computer (didn't want to get wires tangled by mounting on my shirt) and I can sit back and have a normal telephone voice with the other party hearing me just fine. I don't know much about background noise with the mic although I have used it at home with the TV on across the room. So maybe it's good with eliminating b/g noise. The headphones are cool too. As another reviewer notes... I have heard things in my music that I've never heard before. So the response these have is awesome. And the headphones are great on the subway too ( I live in NYC and take the train to work every day -- playing games on my PSP the whole time is much better with these headphones). Audio Level is good and I don't have to press it further into my ear to hear something over the train (I've done that with other headsets). The comfort level isn't great... but I've gotten used to it... and in the middle of a socom game, it's probably better to hear what I need to hear. The iPhone... these are not iPhone compatible out of the box. You'd need a coupler for that b/c there's only one jack on the iPhone. I would suggest getting something different for the iPhone. I imagine walking around with a separate mic would REALLY be annoying. I haven't tried the other attachments that came with it yet... but I imagine the optional "ear cuffs?" (don't know what they're called) are probably more comfortable but don't cancel outside noise as well. The fact that it comes with an extension is also straight DOPE. Haven't used that yet either... but I love the concept. Bottom line is... If you can find these head phones, get them. After using them, I'd probably pay more than 20 bucks if I had to replace them. For 10 dollars, it's a steal.

   

Xbox 360 Wireless Microphone
From Microsoft Software

The Xbox 360 Wireless Microphone lets you sing and talk with certain Xbox games that support the Xbox 360 Wireless Microphone.
Amazon Sales Rank: #525 in Video Games Brand: Microsoft Model: N9D-00001 Released on: 2009-08-12 Platform: Xbox 360 Dimensions: 2.50" h x 6.50" w x 10.50" l, .75 pounds

Beware of Lag issues with Rock Band games First thing's first: On 9/25/2009, an update was released to enable functionality of this microphone with all Rock Band games (thus, previous reviews mentioning that issue are now moot). I can confirm that the mic now does "work" with all Rock Band games. However, the functionality of this microphone is utterly horrid (with the Rock Band games). In short: there is a very noticeable lag when singing into the microphone. The lag causes you to hear an echo when singing in game and causes your timing and pitch to go out of whack - making it near impossible to play songs on harder skill levels. In order to confirm that there was definitely an un-fixable issue with the wireless microphone, I did a little test and played a specific song on both the stock/corded and wireless microphones (both multiple times). Each time, I got double (sometimes triple) the score with the stock/corded microphone. It appears that the lag introduced by the wireless microphone is throwing off the timing, and it may have an issue with the pitch as well (however, I can't confirm the latter). Let me stop for a second and state that I have exhausted all avenues of trying to correct this problem. I've tried calibrating the audio/video lag in the Rock Band settings, and I've tried switching audio sources (from TV to receiver). This lag issue is a result of a poor wireless connection between the microphone and the game console - meaning that no in-game setting can fix the issue. It should also be noted that numerous users on the Rock Band forums are complaining about this very same issue with both the wireless microphone and the "Lips" microphones. Is this something that can be corrected through a future update? doubtful. First of all, the issue is likely hardware related. If there is just a laggy connection between the microphone and the xbox, then no software can fix that. Further, it took about 8 months since introduction for Rock Band to issue this update (on 9/25) so I highly doubt that their development team is going to jump to fix this particular issue. Plus, the microphone still "functions" - it's just a much worse experience than using the corded microphone. So in conclusion, I absolutely recommend against purchasing this microphone. At $50, you're paying a lot of money to remove the wire from your existing microphone. If the thing doesn't work just as well as your corded mic, it's certainly not worth $50. Also, if you're really into getting high scores through the vocal sections, you will encounter nothing but frustration with the timing issues. Personally, I rarely even sing and I couldn't deal with the lag and the echo, so I know that it'll really irritate the hard core singers. If you absolutely must go "all wireless" with your Rock Band setup, I'd advise you to wait and see if Rock Band officially announces a fix. If not, make sure you have an easy means to return the mic in the event that the lag affects you. Happy gaming! Working Great but not with Rock Band 1 or 2 yet... I actually love this Mic and if it weren't for some key features I would of returned since it currently has not been patched to work in Rock Band 1 or 2. Hopefully by the time the Beatles Rock Band comes out this will be working. Pros: Battery Life lasted about 3 weeks and has a sleep mode when not being used. Material is nice to feel and it's pretty durable. Wireless works fine and it's range is a lot more then I ever needed. Looks great with the lights but they only really come into play with the game "Lips" by Microsoft. A lot better then the standard Mics that ship with most Rhythm games. Has a motion sensor in it which some games take advantage of. Cons: A little tricky to sync at first but after that I never had a problem. Does not work with Rock Band yet. (apparently this shouldn't be an issue by mid-late September.) The top of the microphone twists off so you can put in the batteries. It locks in but always feels loose. The base is little thick. If you use a Mic stand make sure you have a Microphone clamp to hold it. Happy with my purchase overall but I really want to test this thing out in Rock Band. Good mic that could have been Great..... The wireless 360 LIPS microhpone mics are extremely well made. Alot fancier then the standard USB microphones used in Guitar Hero, Rock Band or Karaoke Revolution games. They sound better as well. Less distortion then the USB mics. The mics are comfortable and have flashing lights to give them a little bit of flare. Thats personal taste. But I thought it was nice. So why are these mics good and not great...well they have flaws. The system of turning the mic on and off is honestly rediculous and confusing. The system of connecting your mic with the xbox 360 is equally rediculous and confusing. They use LED light indicators to show when a mic is on or off, when the batteries are running low. Things of that nature. But I'll be darned if I could totally figure it out. They did it this way to avoid putting buttons on the Mic. I can understand that...but it makes it a royal pain to get it up and started. The next flaw is of course game compatibility. Most games that this works with, it works with perfectly. LIPS of course, flawless. The Beatles Rock Band, flawless. Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero almost flawless, however sometimes they have trouble recognizing the mic. You may have to go into the options and make sure the mic has been selected or it won't work. Not hard but it sometimes happens. Then we come to Rock Band 2....ok...heres the thing. They added the online patch for Rock Band 2, as reviewers have noted, you need that patch. If you can't connect to Xbox Live to update. You won't be able to play these on Rock Band 2 right out the box. The next thing is...the lag...the lag is not necessarily as bad as I thought it would be. In fact it doesn't really sound as much like a lag, more like a background echo. It depends on what type of person you are...I can tolerate it. But if your a perfectionist. It could be annoying. You can try some fixes, lowering your mic volume will reduce the echo. You'll barely be able to hear yourself. But you should still perform well on the game. Overall I found the mic worth it. But I enjoy LIPS alot...which is what its made for. If you want to buy this just for Rock Band 2 for an all wireless setup. Wait awhile. Because its not perfect. If you want to buy this for several music based games however. I saw go for it. Its a good mic, but it does have flaws which prevent it from being great.

   

Sony ECMMSD1 Stereo Zoom Camcorder Microphone for DCRHC20/30/40/65/85, DCRVX2100, HDRFX1
From Sony

The ECM-MSD1 Gun Zoom Microphone is a high-grade stereo microphone with directional pick control. It synchronizes with your camcorder's zoom feature for seamless audio/visual pickup of one person in a group. This microphone is perfect for taping weddings, reunions, parties and other busy environments.
Brand: Sony Model: ECM-MSD1 Format: CD Original language: English Dimensions: 1.30" h x 4.70" w x 6.40" l, .26 pounds

Bad In Almost Every Way I ordered this mic after having to return the ECMHS1 (because it was, in reality, totally non-directional). Well, this one actually IS directional, but it is such a pain to use I wish I never bought it. 1st of all, you should know this mic does not work with the "smart shoe" available on most Sony camcorders - this means it will not receive any power from or transfer sound data to the camcorder through the shoe. Therefore it is battery powered. This may seem like a minor problem, but it means you need to remember to turn it on and off each time you video, otherwise you will have either a soundless video or a dead battery. Believe me, at some point you WILL forget this. Not being smart shoe compatible also means you have to plug the mic into a jack on the camcorder - this can be a real hassle if you have a small device and are trying to loop the cord around so it isn't in the way. (In my case the jack is under a rather cheap plastic cover that threatens to break off with repeated use.) (As you might expect, I highly recommend you check whether a mic is smart shoe compatible. Of course, that means the mic doesn't need a battery or audio plug - not that it will simply fit into the shoe. It's a great feature.) Finally, while the engineers at Sony have done some amazing things over the years, they weren't able to do even a half-decent job designing the cap that covers this mic's battery. This cap will fall off with even the slightest touch. This can be INCREDIBLY annoying. Mine fell off several times - fortunately I always managed to find it. I finally put a piece of duct tape on to secure it (doesn't look great, but at least the color matches). Considering the high cost, this mic is a really bad investment. While the non-directional mics in most camcorders are pretty pathetic, this is a VERY poor substitute. Good sound, but poorly designed I have to agree with Scipio's review. I have stopped using this mic for a few reasons. 1) I forgot to turn it on one time and lost a lot of valuable sound on my footage. 2) I never know if it is working or not as it doesn't integrate with the camera, so how do I know when the batteries are dead?? Scares me to use it not knowing if its working or not. Sound quality was great for the few times I have used it, but I'll be looking for a hot shoe mic now. I like it! I bought this mike to go with my Canon mvx150i which has an appalling problem with tape noise being picked up by the internal mike. I wanted a compact solution, so I steered away from the bulky canon zoom mike. This mike solved my problem beautifully. The quality of the sound is wonderful and the tape noise is non-existent. And it's small and cute. As the previous reviewer points out: This mike does not work with the smart shoe. And if you forget to turn it on and you have the mike plugged into your audio in, you get silence. However, I've *never* had the battery cover pop off. And its not a zoom mike. It has a wide and a narrow setting. Not the same thing at all.

   

SteelSeries Siberia In-Ear Headset (White)
From Global Marketing Partners

The SteelSeries Siberia in-ear headset effectively blocks background noise, allowing for listening and IP-telephony in noisy locations. The headset is specifically designed for a multitude of uses including MP3-players, laptops, the Sony PSP and other consoles (sound isolation allows for low volume settings) as well as IP-telephony. The headset consists of in-ear earphones and a seperate unidirectional microphone that can be attached to both cord and clothing. The length of the cord on the in-ear headphones is optimized for use with MP3-players and similar products. An extra long cord is included for use with comptuers. 3 sets of plastic sleeves (6 sleeves in total) are included in with the headset. Available in both white and black editions.
Amazon Sales Rank: #64822 in Consumer Electronics Brand: Global Marketing Partners Model: 51007 Platform: PlayStation2 Format: CD Dimensions: .24" h x 7.70" w x 4.30" l, .20 pounds
Manufacturer Description The SteelSeries Siberia In-Ear Headset passively reduces background noise, allowing for listening and IP-telephony in noisy locations. The headset is specifically designed for a multitude of uses including MP3 players, laptops, the Sony PSP and other consoles (sound isolation allows for low volume settings) as well as IP-telephony. The headset consists of in-ear earphones and a separate unidirectional microphone that can be attached to both cord and clothing. The length of the cable on the In-Ear Headphones is optimized for use with MP3-players and similar products. An extra long cable is included for use with computers. Three sets of plastic sleeves (six sleeves in total) are included with the headset. What's in the Box: Headset, three sets of plastic sleeves (six in total).
Cord jumble. This isn't really a headset; it's a pair of headphones bundled with a completely separate microphone. What you can't see in the pictures, and is not very clear in the description, is that you get pair of earbuds that work as headphones. *Separately* you get a microphone with its own cord. SteelSeries tried to make this a little less of a hassle with two little clips intended to mate the two separate cables into one, but it doesn't work in practice. So what you end up with are two sets of cords that will always be getting tangled up with one another. You must put on the earbud headset and then run the separately-corded microphone. The earbuds were comfortable enough, and sounded alright to me (though I am far from being an audiophile, and fact am hard of hearing). They're plenty loud. The microphone seemed to reproduce my voice well enough. SteelSeries also includes a 6-foot extension cord (with dual female jacks on one end and dual male plugs on the other end), and several sizes of insert sleeves, to fit your ear canal. Additionally you get a little grey drawstring bag to store it all in. The bag is a bit small if you want to fit all the bits into it. I give SteelSeries an A for effort and a D for execution of this product; hence the one star review (sorry guys!). I also tried their Siberia USB external soundcard, which I was more pleased with. I have reviewed it separately.

   

SteelSeries Siberia Full-Size Headset (White)
From Global Marketing Partners

The SteelSeries Siberia full-size headset was developed in cooperation with professional gamers to ensure that the soundscape, specifications and comfort is suitable for long gaming sessions. But the SteelSeries Siberia full-size headset is also designed for multi-functionality. Apart from using the headset for PC-gaming, this product has been designed so gamers can use it with their favorite MP3-player, handheld gaming device or practically any other kind of portable digital device. And that is why the headset features a separate microphone, so users can enjoy music on the road without having to bring carrying unneccesary gear. The cord length has been optimized for use with MP3-players and similar products, and comes with an additional extra long cord for use with stationary computers. Available in both white and black editions.
Amazon Sales Rank: #8288 in Consumer Electronics Brand: Global Marketing Partners Model: 51000STEEL Platform: Windows Format: CD Dimensions: 4.70" h x 10.60" w x 9.40" l, 1.50 pounds
Manufacturer Description The SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset was developed in cooperation with professional gamers to ensure that the soundscape, specifications and comfort is suitable for long gaming sessions. But the SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset is also designed for multi-functionality. Apart from using the headset for PC-gaming, this product has been designed so gamers can use it with their favorite MP3 player, handheld gaming device or practically any other kind of portable digital device. And that is why the headset features a separate microphone, so users can enjoy music on the road without having to bring unnecessary gear. The cable length has been optimized for use with MP3 players and similar products, and comes with an additional extra long cable for use with stationary computers. Wasn't this headset once known as the Icemat Siberia? Yeah, it was. We launched both SteelSeries and Icemat back in 2001 and decided to consolidate products and branding in 2007. It's still the same award-winning product. What the difference between this headset and the H-line (5H v2, 4H and 3H) of SteelSeries headsets? We designed this headset for multi-functionality. Everything from the separate microphone to the cord length on this product was designed so you can use it both for playing games and use it with MP3 players, handheld consoles and such. And, as you might have noticed, the visual design makes a somewhat bigger statement about personality.
Great Headset! I have gone through a bunch of headsets, Plantronics, Logitechs, and Sennheisers, all of them broke between the period of 6 to 12 months. Recently, my Steelseries 5HV2 broke, (well, the audio on the right ear piece went out). This headset is replacing the 5HV2 I had. I love the styling of this headset, definitely an eye pleaser and unique in its own way. Furthermore, I finally get to hear what bass sound like. All the headsets I used in the past were lacking in the bass department, even the 5HV2; however, this headset takes the crown. This headset is great for playing first person shooters and listening to music. I'm very pleased with my purchase. Comfort and Style I'll make this simple: If you enjoy both a well constructed and comfortable set of head phones - look no further. These babies get the job done. The people who designed the Steel Series Siberia full size headset actually remembered that mostly humans would be using their creation. Comfort and style - what a concept. And, the sound is excellent. As a bonus, this headset comes with an unobtrusive and useful microphone built into the cable extension. This is a well thought out product. Highly recommended. Not very stylish, but comfortable and sounds great Despite what many reviews say regarding these headsets, they are not what I would call stylish. However, when I am listening to music or gaming I am not really looking to impress people so the styling is a minor point to me. The sound quality is good, if not just a little bit lacking in the bass department. With this, however, it is very easy to hear many sounds that were more subtle or not as noticeable with other headsets, which can be especially good for FPS or similar games. The unit comes with two options for your cord length, 3ft (shorter than you think,) or more cable than most will ever need, looks like about 10ft worth or more. This amount of cable just sits on the ground by my computer and I worry about rolling over it with my chair, but it can be useful having this larger amount. The shorter amount is perfect for ipod or airplane length. The headset is very comfortable to wear for extended periods and I have not had any issues with ear comfort. One of my only real complaints about the headset is that it is an open style headset, so you will get a little bit of noise from your environment in your set. It is minimal but noticeable. It was actually mentioned before I purchased them, but it was difficult to get an accurate estimation of how much this would affect me. It would probably still purchase these again even with that drawback, however.

   

Plantronics Foldable USB Stereo Headset (Optimized for Laptop Use) (Audio 470 USB)
From Plantronics

The Plantronics .Audio 470 USB headset combines portability with your choice of analog or USB connection. Outstanding digital sound quality makes Internet calls, music, and DVDs sound even better. A personalized fit, lightweight design, and fingertip controls deliver hours of comfortable use for discerning mobile professionals -whether working or relaxing.
Brand: Plantronics Model: .AUDIO 470 USB Format: CD Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, .75 pounds

Surprisingly good results with DNS 9 Preferred Okay, I'll be honest and reveal that I bought these on a lark. After moving to a new home, I found that my Telex Digital USB microphone that I'd been using for DNS 9 Preferred and had been training for so long had been smashed inside a packing box. This was disconcerting because that microphone is no longer made. Coming to Amazon.com, I specifically looked for USB headsets that reviewers said worked well with DNS 9 Preferred, and I was amazed that so few people had reviewed microphones for use with this program. Just about the only USB headset that anyone had mentioned at the time as being good with voice recognition software was this one. At about 30 bucks, I thought it was worth a try. So I plug it into the USB port and do the shortest training I can find, creating a new user for use with this microphone. To my shock, dictation on this microphone after such short training was even better than I had achieved in many months of training on the Telex USB Digital microphone! This fact was made all the more bizarre because DNS 9 Preferred's user set up did not appear to like this microphone at all: this microphone only achieves a signal-to-noise rating of 18-19, while the Telex was easily up into the mid-20s consistently and easily. Go figure. But I sure am NOT complaining. True, the build is a bit fragile feeling, so I'm not sure just how "optimized for laptop use" these truly are. Yes they fold up very small, but they don't do so without resistance, and I'm not quite sure how much folding and unfolding they will take before breaking into tiny pieces. But, for a desktop where I can simply hang them up when I'm not using them, I think their build quality will not be such a big issue. I didn't think I'd use it, but the shirt-pocket volume control and mic mute have come in quite handy when watching streaming video, catching up on some TV shows I've missed during the move. I'm not quite sure how significant the Dragon/Nuance/ScanSoft/whoever-owns-them-this-week rating of the low signal to noise ratio for these is. It might not be great for all programs, but it seems to work well for DNS 9, and that's all I use them for. The one star negative I added in, making this a four-star rating, comes from what so many of us have come to experience as the "Chinese Build-Quality Syndrome." (Don't try to make an acronym out of that) I hope these are sturdier than they appear, and I hate to have to handle them with kid gloves -- o.k. I don't own any kid-gloves (it's a metaphor!) -- but it's solid tech, and for 30 bucks I don't think one can do much better. IIRC, I think the Telex was in the $90 neighborhood some years ago. Lastly, I don't think that the Plantronics stereo headphone-component of these will replace my Grados or AKGs any time soon, but the sound quality is much better than expected, and it definitely is useful for speech playback. If you want to listen to Strauss, Mahler, Tchaik, or Branford, well, refer to the above models.... Excellent for conferencing and music I purchased this headset mainly for use with Skype and TeamSpeak. I tried it for the first time last night and it did not disappoint. The sound quality from the mic was better than I expected when I did a Skype test call. The guys I was chatting with in TeamSpeak said it sounded great. One pleasant surprise was the audio quality of the headphones. I played some of my music and the bass response was quite acceptable for everyday listening. The headset was truly plug-and-play on my MacBook Pro in both Windows XP Home (using Boot Camp) and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Excellent microphone for speech recognition software I just got this new Plantronics 470 microphone with a USB adapter to replace two old Plantronics headset/microphones that I have been using for the past 2 1/2 years. I use the microphone primarily for speech recognition, using Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 8.0 professional. The first thing that I've noticed using this microphone is that the recognition accuracy increased tremendously! The playback is also loud and crystal clear. I could barely hear the playback on the older Plantronics microphones, but the playback volume and voice quality on the new Plantronics 470 microphone was about 10 times better! I have tested the Plantronics 470 on my IBM laptop and work desktop computer using the USB adapter, and the volume and quality appears to be the same on both machines. In the past, I usually get worse recognition accuracy with my laptop than my desktop computer. The superior quality of this microphone is due to the external USB soundcard and adapter that comes with it. This external soundcard appears to minimize electrical interference and noise that plague the internal soundcards. I am glad I bought this new microphone, because I don't have to make as many corrections in my dictation anymore! The only problem I have with this headset is when I put it all my neck and bring it back to my head, I would lose a few strands of hair which are trapped by the top folding mechanism.

   

Nady Center Stage MSC3 Mic/stand/cbl Kit
From Nady

The Center Stage from Nady is a Neodymium Dynamic Microphone with mic clip and tripod stand. Advanced high-output neodymium cartridge provides maximum clarity and definition, even in noisy environments, Unidirectional cardioid pattern reduces feedback, special-design internal cartridge mount for lowest handling noise and quiet performance, withstands highest sound pressure levels without overload or distortion, rugged all-metal contstruction, external on-off switch on handle, and includes 20 foot microphone cable. Also includes mic clip and sturdy metal tripod adjustable for performers up to 6ft four inches.The Center Stage can be used with any standard mixer, powered mixer/amp or mic preamp.
Amazon Sales Rank: #37 in Musical Instruments Color: Black Brand: Nady Model: CENTER STAGE Dimensions: 4.00" h x 4.00" w x 32.00" l, 4.20 pounds

Great Buy! I had purchased 2 of these microphone with stands for my two daughters for Christmas. I couldn't have been more pleased with a product.My daughters love them and use them atleast every other day. I wanted to buy them a micrphone and stand that would hold up and I am so glad I saw these. Other kid microphones with stands would cost 39.95 each and up. This was an unbelievable buy and the sound quality is great, very sturdy. Their not kiddie looking either (they look like a professional micrphone and stand) so they can be used for a very long time to come. And no problems at all with the shipping... they were packaged very well and shipped in perfect timing. I'd give this company 10 stars if I could. AWESOME PRODUCT FOR KIDS AND US ADULTS!!!!!!! my daughter loves this My daughter is 7 and loves to perform. We have gone through two of the plastic microphones for kids and they just brake easily. This one is sturdy and I am impressed enough with the sound. We ended up buying a karaoke machine to use with it so she could play her CD's and sing. She feels older because it's an adult version looking mic. It is about 32" off ground (the shortest it can be and you can lean the mic down so a smaller child could use it) and then extends so an adult man could use it. It's versatile and fun. Great Mic! My daughter received this mircrophone for Xmas. She absolutely loved it. Sturdy stand. Unfortunately, the mic and mic cord had a loose connection and it stopped working. Requested return info online through Amazon and it was shipped back at Amazons cost. A new one was shipped out almost immediately. I was very impressed! My daughter has new one and it works great!

   

Easy Touch Headphone Microphone - Easy Touch ET-264
From Easy Touch

Easy Touch Headphone Microphone - Easy Touch ET-264
Color: Blue-Silver Brand: Easy Touch Model: ET264 Dimensions: 5.50" h x 2.50" w x 11.50" l, 1.00 pounds

Good for the price Sound quality on earpiece and mic are good. As sturdy as any modestly priced headset. Does put pressure on ears after extended wear.

   

Motorola Earpiece with Boom Microphone
From Motorola

Motorola is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. These include software-enhanced wireless telephone, two-way radio and messaging products and systems, as well as networking and Internet-access products, for consumers, network operators, and commercial, government and industrial customers. Also there are end-to-end systems for the delivery of interactive digital video, voice and high-speed data solutions for broadband operators. And surely there are embedded semiconductor solutions for customers in the networking and computing, transportation, wireless communications and digital consumer/home networking markets and embedded electronic systems for automotive, industrial, transportation, navigation, communication and energy systems markets.This lightweight earpiece with boom microphone allows discreet communication even in high-noise environments.
Amazon Sales Rank: #888 in Cell Phone Accessories Brand: Motorola Model: 56320 Format: CD Dimensions: 2.70" h x 4.80" w x 9.90" l, .20 pounds
Plug in with this handy headset and boom microphone and keep your radio where it's most comfortable: clipped to your belt. This single-earpiece headset is PTT- (push-to-talk) and vox (voice-activation)-compatible so you can talk and listen, hands-free, with your Motorola TalkAbout 270, 280, T289, T5300, T5320, T5400, T5410, T5420, T5600, T5620, T5700, T5720, T5800, T5820, T6200, T6210, T6220, T6250, T6300, T6310, T6320, T6400, and T7200 Series radios. Further, the headset is PTT-only compatible--meaning you can talk at the push of a button and listen in all cases with the TalkAbout T5100, T5200, and fr50 and fr60 radios, which are not vox-capable. The headset is designed for great sound, even in noisy environments. What's in the Box Headset and a user's manual.
Motorola Headset 56320, GOOD, A+! I use a Motorola Talkabout T6400 in whats called an "Airsoft Game", much like paintball, but with a military simulation twist. Anyway, communication is a very important thing, thus we all use two-way radios. Holding the radio and carrying it in my hand just was not an option, as I use an airsoft gun that takes up two hands. I bought the T6400 with a clip and all, but needed a headset. I saw many products outthere, some ranging from $20-100. I was tight on money, so I decided to go with this particular item. For $10, or whatever it is, you can't really beat it. The capabilities are as follows (especially if you are looking for the VOX feature)PTT and VOX compatible with Talkabout® 270, 280, T289, T5100, T5200, T5300, T5320, T5400, T5410, T5420, T5600, T5620, T5700, T5710, T5720, T5800, T5820, T5950, T6200, T6210, T6220, T6250, T6300, T6310, T6320, T6400, T7200 Series, fr50 and fr60 radios. PTT-only compatible with T5100, T5200, fr50 and fr60 radios are not VOX/handsfree capable, therefore, headset is manual PTT only. On to the field testing and use..After doing some prelimenary tests to adjust my volume and whatnot, I got out in a game. My teammates said they could hear me loud and clear, almost too loud they said, haha. I could hear them perfectly as well. However, the ear piece that hooks onto your earlobe would occasionally fall off, now I have a small ear which was probably the problem. The VOX feature that I can use on my two-way works pretty well using this headset. It will pick up your voice almost everytime within a tenth of a second, and agian, transmit everything 'loud and clear'. Be careful when whispering those things other people aren't supposed to hear ;) it will pick up EVERYTHING. Whoopsies....I would highly recommened this item for any type of "irregular" use. As far as using it in the car, or however else, I do not think it would be my first choice because of the bulkiness, etc.The clarity is an A+, the price is an A+, the receiving earpiece gets an A, and the ear piece itself, well a "B" for falling off my ear. Good Luck! Excellent Product Better Then More Expensive Ones. I paintball a lot and have spent well over $100 in different mic's. This one is the only one that my team uses now. It stays on, is very clear and works well for everyone on our team, young, old, big or little ears. We also use it for cycling. Very happy with this product My wife and I purchased this product to use when bicycling with Motorola T5950s. This was our first experience with mic/earphone combinations, and we've been very pleased with it. The sound is very clear and easy to understand and we've had no trouble with the device staying on our ears--even though my ears are much larger than my wife's! We've also found them to be quite comfortable--even after two hours we haven't noticed any discomfort. The only negative we've noticed is that there is a 1/2 second or so delay before the VOX (voice activated transmission) kicks in, so we have to start each transmission with an "Aaaa..." before we speak to activate it. That's a function of the radio's VOX, though, and not a problem with the mic/earphone!! Based on our experience, we'd highly recommend the Motorola 56320.

   

PylePro PDMIK4 Dynamic Microphone with Carry Case
From Pyle

Providing high-end performance at an affordable price, Pyle products offer hard-to-find features customers demand. These components will provide the professional and occasional enthusiast with an unbeatable combination of performance, flexibility and price.PRODUCT FEATURES:Can be used for karaoke, stage performance & PA systems;Unidirectional pickup pattern to minimize feedback;Dynamic microphone;Durable metal construction;Wide frequency response: 50Hz,15000Hz;Neodymium magnet designed for high output;Sensitivity: -73 +-3dB;Mic Body Material: Zink Alloy;Impedance: 600 Ohms;Includes hard carrying case & 15' cable with phone plug.
Brand: Pyle Model: PDMIK4 Dimensions: 7.00 pounds

   

Olympus ME-15 Microphone
From Olympus

Olympus ME-15 is a highly sensitive miniature tie-clip microphone with frequency response from 100 - 12.000 Hz. It is ideal solution to record your own voice or from other people nearby.
Brand: Olympus Model: 145045 Format: CD Dimensions: 8.66" h x 19.68" w x 51.57" l, .2 pounds
The Olympus ME-15 Microphone is a small, lightweight tie-clip microphone that can be conveniently clipped to the tie or collar. The microphone can also be fixed under a jacket or shirt for easy concealment. The ME-15 is an ideal accessory for Olympus digital voice recorders. The mic's cord is 3.3-feet long and the entire unit weighs only 11 grams. A tie pin-type clip is also included with the microphone. Note: When using the ME-15 with Olympus Pearlcorder microcassette recorders, you will need the Olympus PA-1 plug adapter (sold separately). What's in the Box ME-15 microphone and tiepin-type clip.
Good for lectures Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R34XL5V2QUWQ9J Quick Video about the Olympus ME15 Useful and Quality Microphone for a Great Price I purchased this mircrophone with the Olympus WS-331 Digital Voice Recorder. The WS-331 is a great recorder, and the use of the external microphone makes it even better. I can simply clip the microphone to my lapel and it picks up my voice easily. The quality of recording is improved simply because I am not trying to hold the recorder steady in front of my while I dictate. One of the best things about this microphone is that the connecting wire allows me to leave the recorder on my belt while keeping the microphone on my lapel. I've used this to record lectures for my students, and the quality of the recording is very good. Me-15 with WS-320M I use this microphone with an Olympus WS-320M digital recorder. I am a Pastor/Evangelist and I use this combination to record my sermons when I am preaching away from my home church. In addition, I use it to record my lectures at the Bible college where I teach. This microphone provides much better sound reproduction than the built in mics on the digital recorder. I can achieve some pretty decent recordings using this product.

   

Recording Guitar and Bass: Getting a Great Sound Every Time You Record (Book)
By Huw Price

Guitarists are forever striving to capture their instrument's sound in the recording studio. This hands-on guide describes the techniques that capture pure guitar sound. The book provides practical advice for creating a studio space, choosing and using amps and microphones, processing and enhancing sound with effects, and special approaches for recording acoustic and electric bass and guitar. It also includes techniques and tricks from top engineers and producers. A companion CD demonstrates variation created by different amplifiers, microphones, positioning within the studio, EQ applications, and more.

About the Author Huw Price is a freelance record producer and sound engineer, with many years' experience recording guitars in the studio and in live situations. He lectures at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is a contributor to The Guitar Magazine. He has worked with David Bowie, Primal Scream, Ian Dury, Nick Cave, and many others.
Im a recording newb, learned a lot from this book. This is a great book. Ive been playing guitar just for fun for a few years but dont know anything about recording. This book along with 2 others: Sound Advice on Equalizers, Reverbs & Delays (Instantpro Series) and The Mixing Engineer's Handbook, Second Edition have given me a pretty good solid base of knowledge to get started. A good thing about this book as that he doesn't just tell you what you are supposed to do and leaves it at that. He tells you a lot of "why" too, often times going into technical details. I imagine that some people may think the technical explanations of impedence and the difference between tube types are excessive. But for me, going into the technical aspect helped me better grasp the higher concepts. I like the plentiful supply of pictures and illustrations in the book. Written content is still plentiful. A good balance. This book gets bonus points for including a CD. Many books out there on this subject are suspiciously missing this obvious inclusion. Its one thing to be explained how something sounds, its another to also be able to hear it. The CD helps connect the sound with description. There is a section in the back with interviews with different engineers so you get opinions from multiple professionals, not just the authors. Thats a good thing. Topics that are not covered in this book are equipment and materials on guitars and basses themselves. So you will not find an explanation about pickup types or the knobs on the guitars. Although there is an interview in the back with a pickup engineer. It is also light on the effects section, such as equalizers, delay, reverb etc. But there are other books that go into detail about that, like the ones I mentioned above. I was also considering getting The Recording Engineer's Handbook. My friend got it. I borrowed it and skimmed through it real quick. I am happy with the Recording Guitar and Bass book though. The Recording Engineers book is also fine(even though it doesnt come with a CD), but it is much broader. So if you are going to be working with MANY different instruments you may like that book better. But if you are going to focus on bass and guitar, this book is better than the Recording Engineer Handbook one. This book goes much more in depth in topics specific for guitar such as: amplifiers and speakers. Overall Im happy with it, especially for the price( I got it for less than $10 I believe). However, keep in mind this is just about recording. For complete end to end knowledge of the music making process you will also want books on mixing and mastering.

   

Sony ECMZ37C Microphone for Hi8 & Digital 8 Camcorders
From Sony

A small, lightweight microphone for camcorder / Super Uni-Directional Pickup / Phase-Tube Noise Reduction System
Brand: Sony Model: ECM-Z37C Dimensions: 2.20" h x 5.30" w x 8.50" l, .38 pounds

Works Great~ Yeah, I'm well aware that this is a "mono" mini-shotgun mike. It records good sound and is great for making a micro-budget movie. Not a stereo mic This is not a stereo microphone like Sony and Amazon web sites claim it to be. I have noticed it right away after the box has arrived. You can see for yourself that the plug is mono. I don't know why Sony claims it to be a stereo microphone on their web site. Disappointed...not a stereo microphone Sony's misleading advertisement states that this is a stereo microphone. It's not.

   

New Mini 3.5mm Voice Microphone for PC Laptop Skype
From Generic

This is an ultra-portable Mini Microphone. It uses a standard 3.5mm jack, and is Plug and Play: no software to install! It's an excellent addition to your laptop or notebook setup, & is suitable for internet telephony applications like VOIP or Skype. Talk to anyone, anywhere! Microphone settings are adjusted from your PCs audio control panel.
Brand: HDE

Excellent mic for Skype Works perfectly with Skype on my old HP laptop. Sensitive enough to pick the voice clearly without picking up the ambient noise that much. Very good mini mic This mic is great for travel and great for my vista laptop that has the mic port in the front. Easy to travel with too. The sound quality is pretty good. Great if you are video chatting with someone. It does pick up noise from my TV when I use it so that's why I gave it 4 stars. There is a flexible mic that is a lot taller and has a noise cancelling feature that is the same price but better quality. I would recommend buying that one over this, but this one can be placed in your pocket and it wont be very awkard. It's about as long as the a laptop mouse touch pad. Great Mini Microphone Device It's small, lightweight & very convenient. The perfect mini microphone I have been searching for my Skype & Yahoo Messenger Call. It's so easy to bring around with me. I just store it inside my laptop bag. Sometimes I even carry it with me inside my pocket if I use it frequently. Great device for a small price to pay! :-)

   

Logitech Xbox 360 Vantage USB Microphone
From Logitech

A high-performance microphone for karaoke games.Licensed for PlayStation 3
Amazon Sales Rank: #1665 in Video Games Color: White Brand: Logitech Model: 981-000057 Released on: 2007-09-18 Platform: Xbox 360 Number of items: 1 Dimensions: 2.75" h x 6.00" w x 11.50" l, .80 pounds

Works with Rock Band I am not a singer but this is fun to use with Rock Band. I bought the game without the instruments and use my GH III wireless Les Paul. This is a corded microphone. The fifteen foot length is plenty for most situations. It can plug directly in your console if you have a free slot or into a USB hub. If you prefer black you can get the same Logitech Vantage model that's marked for the PS3 and PS2. That's what I did and it works fine with the 360. The microphone also works on Windows Vista. Just plug it in and the driver will be installed automatically. Works well with Xbox 360 RockBand I bought this because I did not need the complete instrument set for RockBand. I was worried if the game would recognize the microphone or not. The microphone worked very well and would recommend it to anyone looking for one to purchase to use on RockBand. Use Logitech Vantage USB Microphone with Windows Vista This microphone can also be used to record with a PC. I've used it to record my voice & guitar on a laptop running MS Vista and it has given me surprisingly good results, considering the investment. I just plugged it into a USB port and Vista did its thing installing drivers, etc. and said the device was ready to use. Opened Audacity and started recording. Can't beat it for simplicity and cost economy.

   

PylePro PDWM2600 Dual UHF Wireless Microphone System
From Pyle Pro

Professional Dual UHFTwo Microphones Included Power On/Standby/Off Switch Audio Mute Circuitry For Quiet Operation Advanced Companding Circuitry Dual RF Indicators Dual AF Level Meters Dual Volume Controls Individual XLR Balanced Outputs 1/4'' Mixed Unbalanced Output Operation range: Up To 150 ft. Frequency Range: UHF 710-850 MHz Batteries and 1/4'' Audio Cable Included 110V/220V selectable Half Space Rack Mountable Rack Ears Included Dimensions: 8.4'' x 5.3'' x 1.8''
Amazon Sales Rank: #2616 in Musical Instruments Brand: Pylye Model: PDWM2600 Released on: 2009-08-24 Number of items: 1 Dimensions: 15.12" h x 3.27" w x 10.10" l, 4.47 pounds

Great sound and distance!! Excellent wireless mics I bought for my daughter. The sound quality is very good and range was better than expected. Anywhere in the house ranging in 70 feet and on different floor s you could here me clearly. I would not have bought them if not for the previous review. Be careful if you drop mic, might loosen contact inside mouth piece. Its very easy to fix with soldiering iron or just electric tape. If not for the previous review I would not have bought it. Keep the reviews coming in!!!!!! Definitely not Shures, but good mics for the money. I'm a part-time Karaoke host at a couple local bars in my town. A contemporary of mine put together the Mother-of-all-Karaoke Rigs: 12-channel mixing board, Electro-Voice speakers, preamps, compressors, sonic maximizers, Shure x-series wireless mics, intelligent EQs--and everything he bought was from professional music supply houses and brand-new. I'm exactly the opposite; this isn't my career--it's just a fun hobby. I have a Mackie 808S 8 Channel Powered Mixer driving two JBL loudspeakers and a floor monitor. Period. My rig sounds pretty decent, and I didn't break the bank assembling it. After all, it's not like Britney Spears or Eminem are performing at my shows. However, I liked my buddy's wireless mics, so when I off-handedly asked him what the four of them set him back, I nearly passed out when he said "Oh yeah! I got 'em on sale! Only $659 apiece!" After a gagging spit-take, I said "Looks like I'll be sticking with my Seindheisser corded mics for a while." That was until I found this Pyle setup on Amazon here. Okay, they're not Shures. That much is certain. But for the money, they're really decent little mics. They feel lightweight and plasticky, but have a semi-rubberized coating on them much like my ThinkPad does. The power switches are recessed and fairly rugged, and the battery compartment cover screws onto the bottom of the mics snugly and with authority. On the back are two balanced XLR outputs--one for each mic--and a single unbalanced 1/4" mixed output. You could use this set on a professional rig, like I do with XLR cables, or connect it to your home stereo with the 1/4". And the sound? It sounds very decent. The radios work well, with no interference at all. However, the unit puts out an inordinate lot of highs, so to stave off feedback I have to pot down the high EQ on the channels it's connected to. But they still sound good nonetheless. Besides, unlike my buddy, who will doubtless get a peptic ulcer worrying about his wicked-expensive mics in the hands of inebriated revelers, because of the low price, I worry significantly less about Drunkie McDrunkelstein dropping it--I could replace the whole set with less than half the proceeds from a single gig, if necessary. All-in-all, these mics are a good value for the money. I've been very happy with them. Great microphone system i have been using this microphone for more than a year in a school, and it has been great. i have no trouble with it. I use rayovac rechargeale batteries, and i never have had a problem.