Audix Fireball V

The Audix Fireball V is a harmonica microphone. It is dynamic and cardioid, and is designed to deal with the wind of harmonicas and the close proximity of the harmonica to the microphone when playing. This means that it can handle sound pressure levels of up to 140 dB. Audix claims that it can be used on many sources, but remember the engineered purpose of the microphone is to amplify harmonicas cleanly. It boasts a frequency response from 50 Hz to 16,000 Hz, and is just over a quarter of a pound, so it is not inhibitive to playing.

OVERALL OPINION

Now I am not a harmonica player, but I have tried to do so with this particular microphone. I was actually surprised to find such a specialty microphone in a store, but I have a little harmonica that I enjoy to mess around with, so I thought: why not give it a try? I've heard the Green Bullet before, and the Fireball V is a much cleaner, smoother sound, without that characteristic distortion that people are used to. However, it is incredibly comfortable to hold in the hand, and it is incredibly fun to play a harmonica through amplification.

What surprised me was how good it was on vocals. Believe it or not, the smooth response of the Fireball V gave vocals a very pleasant sound. And since it is a harmonica microphone, designed to deal with the wind of the harmonica, the built in wind screen stops pretty much anything that a voice can produce without obviously trying to cause wind noise.

The one thing to note is that because this microphone is a harmonica application specific design, it rejects everything that is not extremely close to it. This is, to me, a plus, because the only people who would reasonably consider the Audix Fireball V are harmonica musicians. However, it is just, to be shallow, very attractive looking, and singing into this was a blast, because having a neat microphone can add to the mystique of a performance.

At any rate, the Audix Fireball V is a fantastic clear microphone for harmonica, and voice if need be.