MXL V69XM

MXL has made a serious condenser tube mic at an even more serious price. The MSRP is $399 however many sites offer it in the $200-$300 range. Like most other tube mics this 12AT7 dual-triode tube is powered by a dedicated power supply. The gold grill with black body makes any recording space look even more sleek. Weighing in at 1lb, don't worry about the V69 weighing down your mic stand.

When you open the sturdy aluminum case for the first time you will be ecstatic to find a high quality shock mount along with your power supply, cables and of course, MXL V69 microphone. Your worst nightmare comes true, the case slips out of your hands and tumbles down the stairs. After handling the case, I don't see how anything inside will be damaged. Ya it's a bit bulky, but I'll take bulky over broken any day.

Specs:
-12AT7 dual-triode tube
-Dedicated power supply
-No transformer
-Mogami cable & wiring
-Frequency response of 20Hz - 18kHz
-10kHz boost
-22 mV/Pa Sensitivity
-Impedance - 200 ohms
-Capsule Size - 32mm/1.26 in
-Durable aluminium case
-Shock mount
-Cardioid
-Black with gold grill
-47mm x 218mm (1.85" x 8.58")
-Weight of 500g

OVERALL OPINION

I love the rich sound that only a tube mic can attain. This mic had a particularly nice high end, and when looking at the frequency chart I can see that it has been boosted slightly. It is my go-to mic for vocals but also sounds great on acoustic guitar, piano, brass and stringed instruments. You will be a lot more satisfied with what you are putting through your gain stage when you use this mic. It isn't one of those mics you are hesitant to give a bit of juice to.

I think this mic rivals some of the mics in the $600-$800 range. I've read about it being compared to the U87 (can't comment on that myself though). So ya, I'd have to say it has some excellent value for the price. Not to mention the solid case it comes in; if someone threw it down the stairs the mic would be fine. Similar mics can't come with a cheap mic clip, not the V69. The shock mount just adds to the value of this mic.

Excellent sound, and very true. Nothing is overly boosted to make up for poor part quality. I didn't try out many other models before buying this, I just did a lot of research online and read what a lot of customers had to say.

Knowing what I know now, absolutely, I'd buy another. In fact at the studio we have another! Give this mic a go!

Pros:
-12AT7 tube
-Dedicated power supply
-Shock mount
-Solid road case

Cons:
-Dips a bit near the 20k region (not that we notice it much or at all anyways)
-Case is a bit bulky (some people may not have as much storage space as they would like)

****Notes****
-It is recommended that the V69 is to be used in the inverted position to avoid tube heat from affecting diaphragm

The V69XM is a Tube Condenser Microphone that has a stylish design with a gold plated mesh grill. This microphone has a 32mm capsule and amazing recording quality. It comes in a hard shell case that will protect the microphone while being moved or for storage purposes. It records clean vocals and acoustic instruments giving a warm full and rich sound with no effort at all. I have been using this microphone for about a year now and it was one of the more expensive microphones that I have purchased for my home studio set up.

OVERALL OPINION

One issue that I have had with it is while recording it seems to pick up a lot of “air” type of sounds. It just seems to make the vocals lighter than they should and seems like there is a lot of “air” in the way. It will still keep everything warm but sometimes this problem can really bother me and mess up my recordings. I have even tried to rearrange my set up thinking that maybe it’s the space around the microphone and that didn’t work. Also purchased more acoustic padding so I could keep everything treated properly and that didn’t work. After consulting with MXL staff they assured me that it should not be sounding like that and I could send it back. I did not send it back and I have been dealing with the “air” issue but I have some plug-ins that help with that sound so it is kind of a work around for it.
My favorite part of this microphone is the look of it, it has a very stylish design and looks great set up in my home studio. It adds a more expensive feel to it just by looking at it and makes it feel more like a real studio and less like a spare bedroom.

Static tube, cardioid, designed for voice and strings ...

OVERALL OPINION

I knew the V69, for having tried, and the response curve of this version is less XM "provided" at the top end, I bought "blind", trusting to my first impressions V69 test. I'm not disappointed, micro meets my expectations.
The sound is balanced with a medium low heat while being very accurate. A slight tendency to "whistle sss", which can eliminate not only singing in the axis of microphone, but slightly shifted, and the sound typically develops a soft lamp, it is very natural .. . Now, there is a microphone with its own color, very pleasant on the baritone, bass, and it perfectly captures the depth of the voice. This microphone does not "drool" not, and it does not make a sound 2H, since the sound he ... I like it, do not ask him to be a Neumann M149, but the man's voice, he did not blush, his personality is very endearing, a little more "dirty" than the M149 more blues ... I connect to a SSL preamp, and it's clear, airy, nice roundness, the corrections are almost useless ... In terms of value for money is excellent! MXL is strong, this microphone badged in some brands of reference in Europe, will sell more than double, globalization has its good points. We forgive him finish a little "cheap" compared to a Neumann for example, we forgive him his conditioning "U.S." (please have a power cable to connect the rab PSU and adapter foot microphone for his suspension ...), small details, but the main one being his ... Considering the sound quality in terms of price, MXL will soon to be a beautiful place in the market, and it would unfortunately not possible with the emerging awareness of the brand, this micro sees its tariff following the course of barrel of oil, once the small errors corrected youth ... His older brother, Genesis, stepped forward already, and the price also ... When you can not get his M149, U47, for environmental issues, risk, we take this formidable little V69XM and we are sure to have a very good decision, with a material which by its price, may run some risk to him ....

For those looking for a lamp for his voice without ruining it is the right tool, it is far from the "cheap microphones, which have only one asset, their prices, we are in the medium range, and in some specific cases, is near the high end. After it gets better, but it's much, but then much more expensive.
Updated:

On female voices, and finally tested with a real singer, it does the job but lacks the magical feeling of fullness of sound as it was with male voices ... The result however is that it gives very good, but the comparison with the M149 is somewhat undermined ... But the quality gap does not justify the price difference for those who can not afford the ultimate quality (4000 € the Neumann anyway ....). On acoustic guitar, the sound is there, it captures the "wood of the instrument", the gloss is present but not aggressive, it's natural, nay silky.

In summary, great for male voices engaged close, acoustic guitars ... In these cases, it's really a great mic for any other use, go to another model, it is not intended for that ... But what he does, he does it wonderfully well, and when you see the price ... is given!!