Studio condenser mic on sale at Amazon for $20.99

[peskypesky]

and it gets great reviews

[peskypesky]

welp

impossible to post Amazon link

look for Neewer NW-70

[Spike]

So, did anyone order this mic? I got a few Amazon gift cards for Christmas and have been thinking about ordering it but I just ordered a Presonus PD-70 December 18 (still hasn't been delivered...USPS...), so I really don't need it but, it's not really about needing it, right?

[toomanycats]

I know the standard answer this question, but it's still hard to wrap my mind around how it is that they can manufacture a piece of technical equipment like this on the other side of the planet, ship it to the opposite side of the globe, sell it for $20, and turn a profit. I understand the concept of "economies of scale," but it's not like they're selling 10 million of these things.

[peskypesky]

I know the standard answer this question, but it's still hard to wrap my mind around how it is that they can manufacture a piece of technical equipment like this on the other side of the planet, ship it to the opposite side of the globe, sell it for $20, and turn a profit. I understand the concept of "economies of scale," but it's not like they're selling 10 million of these things.

slave labor?

[peskypesky]

[andrewsrea]

Condenser mics have surprisingly simple components. I've traced out my 1969 Neumann U87 and there is not much to it. Many brands (MXL, AKG, etc.) copy it almost to a T, except they replace the discrete class A transistors with ICs and substitute additional ICs to perform the low-impedance balancing.

If you use mass-production of surface-mount components, are okay with out of tolerance components, have capitalized in machinery, plus have low-cost labor, plus don't need to make a profit (China is not Capitalist) - you can bang these out. You are not getting a gold-sputtered precision diaphragm, which yields multiple patterns, but you aren't getting that with the copies I mentioned. I bet this gives the $200 and less condensers a run for the money. The one test the demo did not do was high SPL, which I suspect this would fart-out. These us ICs which are typically run at 18V DC for reliability purposes.

Back to my Neumann (mine would sell for $4K), the discrete handpicked components provide a noise floor that is below human hearing. The output transformer provides perfect balance and adds some harmonics. Which combined with the precision gold-sputtered diaphragm, provides a 3-D like quality. It also does a cardioid, figure-8 and omni patterns. So like the guy in the demo said, that mic would be hard to hear the difference in a busy rock mix. You'd hear the difference in a solo vocal, violin, guitar or high SPL horn section. My Neumann uses all 49V DC phantom power and 51V DC if using the internal battery, so it has super-high headroom.

There are a ton of times the $20 mic would do perfectly. I just happened to buy my U87 used in 1987 for what I thought was a back-breaking $380.

[Mossman]

plus don't need to make a profit (China is not Capitalist)

Communist countries are just as capitalist as we are, the difference is; in communist countries the government owns most, or all of the capital. They are very much interested in profit. There are a few privately owned companies in China, but a large percentage of their revenue goes straight to the government (Huaiwei, for example, is reported to provide about one third of the CCP's annual income), but the majority of Chinese businesses are directly owned and overseen by the Chinese government.

[Sinster]

I picked up a "cheap" studio mic BM-800 (exelvan) for like $4.60 back in 2018. Not bad for what I paid for it.

Here's my little recording of all the cheap mics I have. The GXL 2200 and my Rodes NT1A (Not recorded) are the ones use all the time. The Pyle I use once and a great while. The BM-800 I use it less than a great while . My Blue Yeti haven't used in a while since I went with the RODE (use it when gaming as well)

[nomadh]

I dont know crap about mics. I'm singing now so just tell me. Will this make me sound like Crosby Stills AND Nash or Chris Cornell?

[Milkman]

I dont know crap about mics. I'm singing now so just tell me. Will this make me sound like Crosby Stills AND Nash or Chris Cornell?

This is what I do to get that Cornell vibe.. any mic will do:

[tlarson58]

I know the standard answer this question, but it's still hard to wrap my mind around how it is that they can manufacture a piece of technical equipment like this on the other side of the planet, ship it to the opposite side of the globe, sell it for $20, and turn a profit. I understand the concept of "economies of scale," but it's not like they're selling 10 million of these things.

I have the same question about Harley Benton 335s. Decent reviews and a strong following here on the forum, but slave labor is definitely a concern. More research needed.