This is a studio-only condenser microphone, made by a German company called Neumann. This company is one of the most respected manufacturers of microphones in the world, and many people are familiar with them as a industry standard. It's not very big in comparison to other Neumann mics, but it does have a large diaphragm. The pickup pattern of this microphone is cardioid. It has a clip and comes with a nice case. Being a condenser mic, this microphone is pretty sensitive, so be careful when handling it.

OVERALL OPINION

I think that this is probably not my favorite Neumann mic that I've tried, but it's the only one that I could use regularly as it isn't as expensive as the other ones I've tried. I actually like using it on acoustic guitars a whole lot, but I've used it on some vocalists and have had pretty good results. I certainly would tend to use a nicer Neumann if it was an option, but it isn't always, so I have to resort to this, which in all honesty is more than enough for the relatively low maintenance projects I sometimes work on. I'd certainly say that it works better on male vocals then female, although I haven't recorded every range of female vocalists with it, and the male vocalists I tend to record are baritones/tenors. I have tried using it in tandem with other mics on pianos, but I wasn't impressed. I don't think that it is meant to be used for those. All in all, the mic is solid. I'd say that if you are willing to spend a lot of money for the best Neumann mics, you should aim higher up, they are certainly worth it, especially for vocals. However, since for most people finance is an issue, I'd say that this is definitely a good purchase.