Nady SCM-800 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone – Studio quality, great for vocals, acoustic instruments, recording, podcasting, and more!

I purchased a pair of these microphones just because I didn't believe they can be this cheap. And I was astounded by the sound.I use these mics for classical piano recording. And for this purpose I need neutral sounding mics, and Nady SCM-800 fits the bill.These mics use medium size capsules (not large as advertised); this is a capsule with rim termination. And because of this, it has less coloration. It sounds clear, and has a balanced response. I was satisfied out of the box.Weeks later, I ordered a few fancy audio capacitors, and replaced the cheap ceramic capacitors which were used. And wow! the sound just opened up, and the sensitivity increased by about 3 dB. I replaced the incoming coupling cap going into the FET transistor with a metalized polypropylene axial film cap 0.001mF, as well as the two caps leading from the FET to the symmetrically balanced output transistors with the same kind of caps, but 0.1mF value. The total cost of the fancy capacitors is $5.Just out of curiosity I wanted to compare the moded mic against the original. So I bought another pair. This time turned out to be more troublesome. The mics arrived on schedule; however, when I connected them to the mic pre-amp, one mic has loud hum. Instead of thinking through, I repacked it and requested a replacement. And wow; Amazon sent me a replacement in less than two days!I was very happy with the handling of the replacement, and tried to do the comparison again. And to my surprise, the replacement mic also suffered from hum noise. I was first disappointed, and thought of returning both mics and get my refund. But just before I was packing, I thought I should try to see if there might be a grounding problem.I opened the mic, and realized that the paint job of the cylindrical shaped metal housing was at fault. The black paint covering the outside body also covered the rim on both ends of the cylinder, and as a result the cylinder is well insulated from the ground. Not only does the housing have no shielding function, it also enhances the hum.To fix this problem I used a piece of sandpaper and remove the black paint off the rim of the cylinder.And voila! It worked. There is no more hum.In case you run into this problem, I would suggest to do the same.I purchased the capacitors from a site called justradiosToday I did a comparison with my expensive mics (Schoeps mk21 wide cardioid and Gefell m296 omni ) I was surprised to realize that my moded Nady seems to sound better for certain use..... No kidding!

The nady SCM-800 is well made and sounds good. Tone is transparent which is a good thing for my purposes. The one drawback of this mic for me is that it is smaller in diameter than most of my other large diaphram condensors, and I didn't have a shock mount that fit properly. Otherwise its a great mic

Nice mic for the price.Little bit noisy, but what do you expect for the price?I think that is a good one.

The price is good on these mics but I've heard better in the same range. They do a decent job but I'd say to check out some other options before you purchase these. They aren't horrible but they aren't anything special either.

The quality of this microphone is amazing considering the price bracket that its in. I'm a musician and I use this mic for recording vocals, as well as my acoustic guitar. I recently moved out and was building a home studio at my place. Since I was just starting out, I needed a budget microphone. Something that was cheap but didn't sound like it was its price. This mic fit the description perfectly. Aesthetically, it looks kind of basic, but when it comes to sound quality, it sounds like a mic that is easily double or triple this price. When using it raw, it delivers a good sound, and when EQ just right, you could never tell that this was an entry level mic. I have since purchased much more expensive microphones, but I still use this one as well. Honestly, perfect for those who do music and podcasts. If you're looking for a budget mic, look no further, this ones a keeper

This is a condenser mic, so you need to have 48 volt phantom power on your mixer to use this mic. If you do, you are in luck. I do not think there is a better sounding condenser mic for recording for the money. If you have a small home studio and are on a budget I would highly recommend this microphone. I have used this microphone for recording acoustic instruments like guitars and banjos, and vocals. It sounds great. It is also very sensitive, so make sure the noise around your studio is at quiet levels or this mic will pick up that noise too.

I purchased this mic based upon the many good reviews, however, the one I received does not work. Kudos for an easy returns process. I will pick up another one this week at a brick and mortar business where it can be tested out on-site.

The microphone is all metal construction and has a solid feel. The diameter is slightly larger then the center of a toilet paper roll so its comfortable for medium sized hands. The semi gloss black finish makes fingerprints easy to wipe off and it seems compatible with most shock mounts but be sure to read customer Q&A for additional compatibility.Great performance to price value. Fifty dollars is a amazing compared to higher priced models, and spending a bit more on components pays off when the entire microphone rig is put together.If you don't already have them, include in your order a phantom power supply and two separate XLR cables, one from mic to phantom power (female to male) and the other phantom power to computer (female to mini-plug), or mic sensitivity is greatly reduced. Also test your sound pick-up using a decent audio editing program such as Audacity, its free on all major platforms and fairly easy to get up and running. I also bought Nady's shock mount and phantom power which were also very reasonably priced and build well in my view.