The Rode NTV is a tube condenser microphone that has a cardioid polar pick up pattern and comes with its own power supply.  The mic is designed for use in the recording studio and I have only used it for such an application - I would not suggest bringing it outside of the studio as it is an expensive microphone that is not meant for that kind of use.


OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Rode NTV tube condenser microphone for three years and to me it is one of the best deals for a great tube condenser microphone that is out there.  Rode makes some truly great microphones that are extremely cheap when compared to some of their competitors and the NTV is no exception to this.  I've used this microphone mostly for recording vocals and I have to say that it is a great vocal microphone for voices of all types as I've had success recording both male and female vocals.  The sound quality of this microphone is incredibly warm sounding and it has a lot of body and fullness to its tone as most tube condenser microphones do.  While I've used this mic mostly for vocals, it can definitely be used in a variety of situations and I would not doubt that it will impress in most situations.  Even though this microphone is priced to sell to home studio owners looking for great tone at a fraction of the cost, it is suitable for professionals as well.  I would highly recommend checking out the Rode NTV if you are looking for a great tube condenser mic without spending thousands of dollars.  This being said, the Rode NTV isn't the cheapest microphone in the world and will still cost a decent amount of money.  However I would be hard pressed to find a tube condenser microphone that is as good as this one for such a reasonable price.