The Rode NT5 is a nice pencil mic or small diaphragm condenser by Rode that packs a great bang for buck. These mics sound crystal clear! There is something very transparent about these mics that makes your recording sound like you're standing next to it, but there's a bit of an added sheen on the top end. Once in a while the added sheen that you get with these mics does seem to be a bit much and you'll want to tamp down the high frequencies with EQ. But overall these mics sound very good and very nicely priced. You can get them in a matched stereo pair, which comes in a nice package complete with mounts and windscreens in a protective case. When you get the capsules separated, unlike the NT4, you have lot more flexibility in terms of your stereo arrangement. I really would recommend getting the discrete pair of NT5's over the NT4, simply because using a stereo spaced pair often just sounds better than an XY setup. These don't have the weird cable that the NT4 needs because they're discrete. They connect with the standard XLR cable, and they do need phantom power to work.

OVERALL OPINION

I don't own these, but I have used them many times at studios that I've freelanced at. They are a fairly common mic, and are used a lot for drum overheads and for miking up orchestral sections in stereo. They have a very clean and clinical sound, which may or may not be what you're looking for. They are very sensitive and handle transients very well, but they don't sound as smooth as say a Neumann KM184. These cost way less though, and they definitely are quality mics. Rode is known for their great value, and it shows with these NT5's.