Sterling Audio ST69 Tube Condenser Mic

[MikeSaidThis]

I have heard all sorts of things about this mic and that mic and when it really came down to me purchasing a new mic, It came down to what I got for the money as far as features, quality and most importantly, sound.

I did some research online, in local shops and just reading reviews on this forum and out of all the mic's I looked into, for the money, the Sterling Audio ST69 seemed like the most bang for its buck.

At right around $600 new (anywhere from $275-$450 used) you get a Large Diaphragm, Tube Condenser mic, with multiple polar patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional, and figure 8) and a 10dB Pad and High Pass filter.

I took it home, checked it out and I was impressed by the clarity of this mic for the money. Being somewhat of a vocalist myself, I have been recorded on various high end mic's, and to my ear, the ST69 sounded pretty damn close. It comes with a proprietary 7 pin XLR cable to connect to the included external low noise tube power supply, a shock mount, and a pretty solid carrying case.

I will admit that the shock mount is pretty awful. I can't recall how many times I have to re-adjust it during tracking, which is very upsetting because everything else seems to be really great thus far.

The mic it self seems to be really well built and I have had no issues with the cable shaking loose, or the switches for the pad, filter or polar pattern sticking or not engaging properly.

The mic is clear, and present with a hint of color like higher end mics but lends itself well to processing and mixing. It isn't hard to have the vocals or acoustic guitar out front in the mix and sound very natural and organic. I typically use this mic on vocals, and acoustic guitar, but it also makes for a very suitable room mic for drums or electric guitar. I have also found myself using it behind guitar cabinets to add to the tone of my e609 and sm57's.

All in all, If you are in the market for a great value tube condenser mic, I feel that the ST69 is a definite contender. There are better mic's out there if you are willing to spend the money, and there are also worse mic's IMO for more money as well.

[brandondrury]

I will admit that the shock mount is pretty awful. I can't recall how many times I have to re-adjust it during tracking, which is very upsetting because everything else seems to be really great thus far.

For some reason there are only two types of shockmounts. The Peluso style and the piece-of-shit style. That's the only two they make in my experience.

The Peluso style has the mic screw directly into the shockmount. It doesn't need little rubber pad things or screws to tighten them. That style always sucks. The only way to get around it is to tighten them HARDCORE....as in slightly harder than is possible by hand tightening. When you take the "smart ass" approach, most do okay in terms of keeping the mic from sliding.

Then comes the issue of the way the mic "revolves". In other words with a "standard" setup they like to drift downward so that they end up almost sideways....sorta. That comes down to the quality of the shockmount. I had a MXL V69 shockmount simply pop and break when I overtightened it, but if you undertighten it, it moves. Unacceptable.

There are better mic's out there if you are willing to spend the money

Like what? Is this based on your particular voice or are you making an across-the-board declaration? Just curious about your experiences and opinions.

Excellent review!

Brandon

[MikeSaidThis]

The Peluso style has the mic screw directly into the shockmount. It doesn't need little rubber pad things or screws to tighten them.

Well that's the thing! The ST69 screws into the frame of the shockmount. It isn't clamped or anything similar to the MXL style. The part that sucks about it is the piece that actually screws to the mic stand and you tighten to get the right angle on it. It doesn't properly tighten, and the mic begins to sag or tilt. It is such a bitch to keep in place. I have managed to fix it temporarily with some blue lock tite... but without that I would have no way of keeping the mic positioned correctly!

Like what? Is this based on your particular voice or are you making an across-the-board declaration? Just curious about your experiences and opinions.

Well, Kind of both! I have personally tracked vocals on a few different mics with me being the "vocalist." I have recorded on U87's, a Telefunken U48, AKG C 414's, a Blue Cactus and one or two Manley's. I have engineered with a Telefunken ELA M 251 (my buddy worked for Telefunken building mic's for a little while) and a Cactus and several different situations with a U87. So it is mostly based on my voice and experiences with being the "artist." I find U87's pretty rewarding because of the ****th and clarity, but at the same time, like you mentioned in KHR - Setting Up, tube mic's are not for beginners... It took me a while of messing around to be able to work with the characteristics (even with the ST69) rather than have them work against me.

Excellent review!

Thanks!! It was my first! Hopefully there will be more to come!