Blind podcasting mic tests (May 2016)—guess what they are and vote for your favorite!

Podcasters love to geek-out about podcasting gear. So here's a blind test with four popular podcasting microphones.

Each microphone is a studio dynamic microphone connected via XLR to a Behringer X1832USB mixer. The preamp and EQ settings is identical. Each recording has been adjusted only to -19 LUFS and limited to -1 dBTP, but is otherwise raw (no EQ, no compression, no noise gate). These samples were recorded into Adobe Audition via a Behringer U-Control USB audio interface.

The following samples are in uncompressed WAV (and thus may be slow to start playback).

Mic 1

Mic 2

Mic 3

Mic 4

Guess and vote!

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About the Author
As an award-winning podcaster, Daniel J. Lewis gives you the guts and teaches you the tools to launch and improve your own podcasts for sharing your passions and finding success. Daniel creates resources for podcasters, such as the SEO for Podcasters and Zoom H6 for Podcasters courses, the Social Subscribe & Follow Icons plugin for WordPress, the My Podcast Reviews global-review aggregator, and the Podcasters' Society membership for podcasters. As a recognized authority and influencer in the podcasting industry, Daniel speaks on podcasting and hosts his own podcast about how to podcast. Daniel's other podcasts, a clean-comedy podcast, and the #1 unofficial podcast for ABC's hit drama Once Upon a Time, have also been nominated for multiple awards. Daniel and his son live near Cincinnati.
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Darrell Darnell
7 years ago

My guesses are:

1. Electro-Voice RE 320
2. Heil PR-40
3. Share SM7B
4. Audio Technica ATR2100

Based on these 4 recordings, I would rank them 1, 4, 2, 3.

Dustin Hartzler
Dustin Hartzler
7 years ago

I’m pretty sure they are all the same mic 🙂

Stargate Pioneer
7 years ago

Right! He recorded them ALL with the Audio Technica BPHS-1 just at different times of different days! =)

mikedell
mikedell
7 years ago

Mic4 sounds the best to me but I have no idea which mic that is.

Stargate Pioneer
7 years ago
Reply to  mikedell

I’m pretty sure it’s the Audio Technica BPHS-1, right?

Joey
7 years ago

I prefer mic 3. Hopefully we’ll get the results soon.

Steve Wilkinson • cgWerks

Through my Apple ear-bud (one in, the other out), the way I listen to most podcasts:
3, 4, 1, 2

Through my studio monitors (a lot harder to pick, and more subjective, as what qualities do I like more?):
4, 1, 3, 2

Lucky Read
Lucky Read
7 years ago

2 sounds best in my ear buds.
1 was clear, and a close second.
3 was the most crisp, but a slight tinny sound. Not bad though.
4 was muffled, with muddy low end.

I cannot than you for sharing this test. I am convinced that any of the first three would be fine, with only a slight EQing, and/or processing.

Tell me 2 is the Audio Technica AR-2100, and I will not be spending any more money on a new mic, any time soon.

Thank you again.

cgWerks • Steve Wilkinson

Do we ever get the answers? 🙂

Matthew L Barrett
Matthew L Barrett
7 years ago

I liked 3 the best
1. Sounded good but flat and muffled
2. Sounded enhanced to much on the top end with not enough mids.
3. Sounded good and clear with more balanced presence.
4. Sounded okay, clear but had a lot of sibilants.

I monitored by way of an old Samsung laptop with built in speakers that tend to sound light and hollow with little low end.

phyllis54645
phyllis54645
6 years ago

Pod casting technology is now more developed in the world. There are more people are more interest about this audio program. So i am very hope about this technology in here.

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