Schoeps 221b

The Schoeps 221B is a tube condenser microphone (not a ribbon as the category suggests) that has a small diaphragm.  The mic is meant for use in the recording studio and I would suggest never bringing it out of the studio as these are delicate mics.  Since they are tube condensers, they come with their own power supply.

OVERALL OPINION

The Schoeps 221B are some of the best small diaphragm condenser mics that I have used.  They are great for a variety of applications and were made famous for recording orchestral music as overheads over the orchestra.  They also work great for recording acoustic piano and even as drum overheads.  These mics really pick up every detail of a sound and will work great for just about any acoustic instrument that you would want a lot of detail in.  These mics have been around for a while but continue to be a mainstay in big studios and are still used quite frequently for classical and orchestral music.  I haven't used the Schoeps 221B all that often as I've only had access to them a handful of times, but whenever I do get to use them it is a real pleasure as they really produce an awesome sound.  They are indeed pretty expensive microphones and rightfully so as they are a great set of small diaphragm tube condensers.  Because of this big price tag these are really only meant for engineers and professional studios who are looking for great sound no matter what the price.  However, if you do have the money to drop on a pair of small diaphragm condensers, it really doesn't get much better than these.  All in all, the Schoeps 221B is truly a great microphone and I would highly recommend it to just about anyone who can afford and wants a set of microphones of this caliber.