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ericthegreat « solid quality »
Published on 11/01/11 at 23:01In recent years, the onslaught of Chinese made condenser microphones has at least given the home/project studio the 'look' if not the 'sound' of pro studios. Many of these imports are excellent values for the money but still aren't quite up to the standards required for professional recording. The Sterling Audio line of microphones changes all that. I purchased the ST69 with the intent of using it primarily as a vocal mic, wanting the traditional 'warmer' sound found in tube microphones. However, the first application I got to use it on was recording an acoustic guitar. Normally I would have used a small diaphragm condenser to capture the transients and give the guitar more bite on the picking. I was awestruck at the results of the ST69!
The clarity, transparency, and the dynamic response resulted in one of the best recordings of guitar I've had in 30 years. I immediately tried it on a square neck Dobro, and the results were just as stunning. Male vocals recorded using the mic were warm and silky smooth.. the proximity effect that cardioid mics are known for sometimes means that the low end blows out the overall sound.. not so with ST69.
OVERALL OPINION
By using the high-pass filter, the resulting warmth is enhanced and lets the true character of a voice shine. The 3 micron diaphragm obviously results in a superior dynamic response. Coupled with the class-A tube amplifier and very low self-noise, the ST69 compares (and in my opinion) exceeds the quality of some well-known German mics that one would pay 4 or 5 times the cost of the Sterling Audio. Additionally, the mic features an -10db pad and a switchable high-pass filter. The mic is incredibly solid and well-built. The included shock mount is far superior than that found with most Chinese imports and the power supply is rugged and appears to be built to last. Overall, I cannot find any faults in this microphone other than I now want several more. Take the next step up in recording and try out the ST69. You won't be disappointed
The clarity, transparency, and the dynamic response resulted in one of the best recordings of guitar I've had in 30 years. I immediately tried it on a square neck Dobro, and the results were just as stunning. Male vocals recorded using the mic were warm and silky smooth.. the proximity effect that cardioid mics are known for sometimes means that the low end blows out the overall sound.. not so with ST69.
OVERALL OPINION
By using the high-pass filter, the resulting warmth is enhanced and lets the true character of a voice shine. The 3 micron diaphragm obviously results in a superior dynamic response. Coupled with the class-A tube amplifier and very low self-noise, the ST69 compares (and in my opinion) exceeds the quality of some well-known German mics that one would pay 4 or 5 times the cost of the Sterling Audio. Additionally, the mic features an -10db pad and a switchable high-pass filter. The mic is incredibly solid and well-built. The included shock mount is far superior than that found with most Chinese imports and the power supply is rugged and appears to be built to last. Overall, I cannot find any faults in this microphone other than I now want several more. Take the next step up in recording and try out the ST69. You won't be disappointed