if you need a dull and lifeless mic somewhere in your cabinet, this is it, i'd otherwise steer clear. if i could travel back in time and convince myself that after all that research and comparing microphones, that i had chosen THE WRONG budget/entry level tube mic, i would, but i can't... and this mic sucks and i'm stuck with it AND after blowing almost two hundred dollars on this turd, i'll be unable to make any frivilous microphone purchases for a long, long while... i would highly recommend trying ANY OTHER tube mic in this price range.

Sound
the sound is not that great (i.e. sucks) and for microphones, good sound is sort of necessary... for VERY limited use in a mix this mic would be great, but it's definitely not an all-around or all-purpose mic. i tracked an entire song through this this and thought it sounded great, until i put my MUCH cheaper mxl on a backing vocal and it was the only track out of eight that sounded clear and present. the mic is missing highs, missing lows, and just sounds muddy and lifeless in between. even after switching out tubes and later replacing the entire capsule and diapragm, the mic isn't great, but better... HUGE disappoinment, try a different tube mic unless you want to spend more than a hundred bucks doing upgrades to get it usable (and if you already bought it, google apex 460 for possible mods).

Features
the features are pretty cool,… read more the figure 8 can be used for some cool effects, omni for a room mic, etc... but it sounds bad.

Ease of Use
easy to use, but sounds bad. if you're picky with sources it has it's moments, mellow acoutic guitar maybe...

Quality
seems well put together, but sounds bad.

Value
if this mic were a hundred dollars cheaper, i'd think more highly of it... but it's not, and i don't.

Manufacturer Support
no idea, i voided the warranty.

The Wow Factor
it looks pretty cool (better than the picture), but sounds bad.

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