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I'm not going to write an article. I'm just going to toss down some random thoughts to save both you and I time.
$199 @ Zzounds.com
The ADK S51 is the 3rd prize in this months ADK Metal Mayhem contest.
I hate writing microphone reviews because there aren't too many times that a microphone REALLY stands out as being superior. There is no clear consensus whether a Shure SM57 or a Royer R121 is better on guitar cabinets (or maybe 1,000 other options). The choice is purely personal and, frankly, I can make due with either them 99% of the time. The only time a mic warrants a review from me is when it replaces some mic in my collection as a go-to mic on a given source or it ties a more expensive microphone. With the ADK S51 MK5.2 I feel obligated to let you know about this awesome sounding microphone.
I'm buying four of these ADK S51 MK5.2s microphones. They will officially be my tom microphones, bass cabinet microphones, and serve general purposes where I need a little extra top end. I prefer my Gefell M930 or Neumann KM184 slightly on acoustic guitar depending on what I'm going for.
Yes, I'm comparing this budget mic to German mics that cost 5x as much.
The top end boost on this mic is VERY reasonable. The old timers that use ribbons on everything won't be into this mic. More modern guys who can't fit vocals with a huge bottom into modern dance song will appreciate the slight boost up top.
I got confused and thought this was a $500 mic. (Too many mic reviews going on.) After I had concluded that I wanted four of them I saw the price. When I realized this mic goes for $199 at Zzounds and Musiciansfriend I laughed.
At $199, this thing provides a mostly neutral sound with a little bit of top end added. For a song that was more of an R&B-type thing I chose it over my Peluso 2247 short body, Peluso 251, and even the ADK TC-47AU even though all of those mics are badass.
On a screamo vocal that needed more edge that most pop stuff I've been doing lately, I couldn't find a more ideal mic in my closet. (My Soundelux U99 is dead and needs to go to the shop. It probably would have won on that vocal.)
The ADK S51 MK5.2 condenser microphone is priced in that ballpark of the Audio Technica AT4040, Rode NT1a, and many others. While I am surprised how good a Rode NT1a was for the money, I'm finding with Rode that you need to move up to the $300 NT1000 to get to a mic I can use on a daily basis without flaws that I consider closer to the objective. If you are absolutely stuck at $200, you can't beat the ADK S51 MK5.2 from what I've heard so far. There may be a Studio Projects mic that compares.. Not sure. The Audio Technica mics require a poorly made shockmount that is not going to last you five years. To replace/fix it costs half the price of the mic and that rules them out of my recommendations for anyone in the market for such a mic.
I don't hear any objective flaws with the ADK S51 MK5.2. What does that mean? It means that when I put this up against my Peluso 2247, Peluso 251, and Gefell M930s all of the mics were usable. I didn't hear anything “cheap” that would have ruled out the S51. That's why it can work on lead vocals even when I have mics laying around that cost 13x as much. It has its character and on the right source it just sounds right just like any other high end microphone.
I have no problem saying that this is my #1 recommendation to beginners looking for a good starter microphone because you CAN NOT outgrow it.
Brandon
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