All user reviews for the Audio-Technica AT2020

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OVERALL OPINION

I recommend people interested in the AT2020 to also read the reviews of the AT2035, from the same brand, because both mics have the exact same capsule!
The only difference between these two mics is that, in addition to the features of the AT2020, the AT2035 has:
- A 10dB pad (see below)
- A low-cut for the proximity effect (on certain deep voices, for example)
In my opinion, this makes the AT2035 even more versatile.
People who want to use the AT2020 on sources with high levels must be careful!

You have been informed.

Among the AT products, it's worth noting that the multi-directivity of the AT2050 results in a little bit more noise than with the 2020 and 2035 (Editor's note: According to a review on Sound on Sound). So, if you are only gonna use it as a cardioid mic, you might want to reconsider it.

See specs
No -10db pad like on the 2035, which can be annoying for specific applications.
The ssss are nice and clear and the anit-popped pppp come out pretty good.
Updated review after some time with a sax take.

OVERALL OPINION

I tested it today with a "voice off" recording.
Directly connected to the digi 002 preamp with phantom power. Very satisfying results. Lots of time gained, almost no clean up needed, no noise.
I'll try it with an external preamp, but I'm not sure that's necessary other than to attenuate it or give it some tube warmth.
I used to use a tbone at home, and standards in the studio to record voice off.
For live a beyerdynamic vintage and shure.
In my home studio I used a dynamic mic up to now. This AT2020 is a very interesting addition for the price.
It remains to be seen what an akg precision 120 can provide in the same price range.
Excellent value for money, secondhand.

See below

OVERALL OPINION

I tested it for rap, guttural screaming, vocals, acoustic and electric instruments. It always performed all right. Excellent as room mic for ambiances, for vocals, it can handle high SPLs. Excellent quality for the price.

Conclusion:

+Effective all-around mic
+No ugly coloration
+Correct frequency response, rather proper reproduction.
+Correct built and component quality
+Value for money

-No real personality.
-Odd finish on all mics of this model, apparently that's normal but it's ugly (the paint has bubbles).

All in all: Good value for money. A mic for less than $250 (back then) that is very satisfying and does its job well.

Key feature here is the performance you get for such an incredible price. Great mic for vocals!!

Price paid: $140 CAD

OVERALL OPINION

Incredible!! This mic performs incredibly well, in comparison to ANY mic...let alone one for a mere $140.

Just plug it on, and give it a little bit of phantom juice. Thats all there is to it.

Beign that it is a condenser mic, its no secret that it needs to be treated gently. With proper care, this product will make you very VERY happy. I've never had any problems with mine.

Great mic!! The only reason it doesn't have such a wow factor for me, is because I rarely record vocals. As a result, this piece of equipment isn't nearly as dear to me as say, my Fantom X.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: street ninja ( 6-, 2005)

The Audio-Technica AT2020 is an inexpensive studio condenser microphone. It retails for about one hundred dollars. It's a basic microphone, meaning it doesn't have a high pass filter switch on it. Although the microphone doesn’t ship with a shock mount (I wish it did), it does come with a mic stand adapter, which fits any common mic stand. It has a cardioid pick up pattern, which you may love or hate. It’s ultimately up to the person and what they're using it for. Personally, I love it because it doesn’t seem to pick up as much access noise, unless you want it to.

OVERALL OPINION

I have been using the AT2020 for about 3 monthes now and love it more everyday. It's an exceptionally strong mic, and if you place it in an open area, it can pick up things your ears can’t even hear. One of the At2020’s hidden charms is that it's great at recording ambient noise for your work, just turn your pre amps all way up.
To me, the AT2020 sounds just as good as microphones that cost twice as much as it does. It sounds great when you're micing guitars, once you get it in the right position. The microphone does really well all around, I have used it many times for vocals and it does an outstanding job. Another plus with At2020 is that it’s extremely well built and very rugged. This mic survived a six foot free-fall onto a tile floor from a mic stand, and landed without even getting a scratch. I think Audio-Technica could easily raise the price of this mic by 50 bucks and sell just as many, because it's really good. Eventually, once I get the money to upgrade mics, I won’t be selling this one. I can almost assure you, I'll be staying in the Audio-Technica family of microphones because I was so blown away by the quality and workmanship of the AT2020.

The AT2020 is a pretty nice large diaphragm condenser mic. I used to own 2 of these to use as a stereo pair but I ended up selling them after I could afford better ones. Overall they are pretty good mics, and they are very cheap for how they sound so they're a good value. The one's I got did not come with a case or a shock mount, just a normal hard clip and a bag. I was a little disappointed about that because with any condenser mic the manufacturer should give you a case so they don't get broken. Luckily they are pretty sturdy mics, because I dropped one in the bag one time and it still seemed to work just fine. They are cardioid mics which you can't switch to other polar patterns. They don't have any other nice features that better mics have like a high pass filter or a pad. The sound quality of the mics is average. They sound just a little bit cheap, like what you recorded is being played back through lousy speakers. The sound is just not as clear and smooth as you would normally want to get from a condenser mic. The transients that you hear through this mic also sound kind of flat and not very animated.

OVERALL OPINION

I had two of these mics for about a year a while ago but I ended up selling them. I thought they were good while I had them but I quickly got tired of their sound, which is not that great, and upgraded to a better pair of stereo mics that were large diaphragms. The price is very good on these though since they are only about 100 dollars per mic. Overall I wouldn't really recommend these mics because you just aren't going to get a great sound. I wouldn't get it again.