In the world of broadcasting and podcasting, there are two mics that rule. One is the Shure SM7B, and it's a fine mic but it does have a rather dark tone. If you prefer a brighter, cleaner tone you must go with the RE20. Simply put, this is the best mic I've ever owned in every respect, and it is worth every dollar. Put this mic in a shock mount on a boom arm and you're as well-equipped as many of the top broadcasters and radio stations.The noise floor is appreciably low and there is little to no proximity effect on this mic so you'll be clearly heard even if you're right up on the mic. It's off-axis noise rejection is stellar. Again, worth every dollar.

Best mic for live saxophone, trumpet and trombone

I first discovered this mic on YouTube. I kept seeing it again and again used in live performances by my favorite saxophone players, such as Michael Brecker. I also noticed that they often use this mic for sax, trumpet and trombone players at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival. It is also commonly used by radio dj's and talk shows. After searching for years with unpleasant results for the best mic for my live saxophone performances, I decided to give the Electrovoice RE 20 a try. This is by far the best live saxophone mic I have ever used by a long shot. Shure Beta 57's and 58's give the saxophone a bright and harsh tone. My clip on pencil condensor also produces a bright, harsh tone. Ever since I started using the RE 20, I no longer have the problem of the other ... MoreI first discovered this mic on YouTube. I kept seeing it again and again used in live performances by my favorite saxophone players, such as Michael Brecker. I also noticed that they often use this mic for sax, trumpet and trombone players at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival. It is also commonly used by radio dj's and talk shows. After searching for years with unpleasant results for the best mic for my live saxophone performances, I decided to give the Electrovoice RE 20 a try. This is by far the best live saxophone mic I have ever used by a long shot. Shure Beta 57's and 58's give the saxophone a bright and harsh tone. My clip on pencil condensor also produces a bright, harsh tone. Ever since I started using the RE 20, I no longer have the problem of the other members of the band and audio engineers telling me to turn down the sax mic. Now that the tone coming out of the PA system sounds exactly like the tone coming out of my saxophone, Everyone in the band is enjoying my saxophone tone and I hear myself clearly in the mix every time. Best money I ever spent on music gear. You owe it to your saxophone to get this mic that will do justice to your tone. I do get an excellent tone out of large diaphragm condenser mics such as the Neuman U 87, but those mics are too fragile and expensive to be used for live sound, and they also give me too much feedback. This mic is very directional and therefore doesn't pick up other instruments on the stage.

Great Bass Amp Mike!

Used this mike recently on miking a bass rig, the result was smooth lows that workedreal well in the mix. I'll be using this on kick and horns sometime probably trombone orother similar horns + other applications.

Great Mic for Crappy spaces

Manufacturer Support:Haven't had to!Overall:This is a great frills-free, dynamic mic. It took me a few tries to find my personal sweet spot, but it's a great plug-and-play mic.The RE-20 is a very transparent mic, I use it with a Cloudlifter and it gives me condenser sensitivity with great protection from errants pops and ambient noise.Seems very well made, if not particularly nice-looking. I'd be worried if the internal foam popscreen got wet+moldy...I have an acoustically poor recording space, this mic allows me to record pretty much anything, while keeping ambient noise out of my track. Would recommend adding a good preamp.

Great mic for bassy voices

This is a solid microphone. If you're recording and running your mic through processing, you really don't need to spend a ton to get a good mic. I'd recommend spending on your interface vs. your mic. I have this mic running into a UAD Apollo Twin and it sounds great. I have another $100 Blue mic running into it and it sounds great too. Is there a HUGE difference between the too? Not really. The Blue mic actually sounds pretty good, hotter and more high end. The difference is this mic "sits in the mix" so to speak. I don't know why exactly, but I don't have to spend time fussing with it as much as the other mic, which means more time working on other things. I have a low voice and very much appreciate this mics bass rolloff, low proximity effect and built-in pop ... MoreThis is a solid microphone. If you're recording and running your mic through processing, you really don't need to spend a ton to get a good mic. I'd recommend spending on your interface vs. your mic. I have this mic running into a UAD Apollo Twin and it sounds great. I have another $100 Blue mic running into it and it sounds great too. Is there a HUGE difference between the too? Not really. The Blue mic actually sounds pretty good, hotter and more high end. The difference is this mic "sits in the mix" so to speak. I don't know why exactly, but I don't have to spend time fussing with it as much as the other mic, which means more time working on other things. I have a low voice and very much appreciate this mics bass rolloff, low proximity effect and built-in pop filter. All around great buy.

Holds its value overtime.... IF you take care of them.

The RE20 is a very great sounding mic and excellent for rooms that have a slight to acceptable amount of room echo. It doesn't lose articulation if you get close to it. In terms of longevity, as long as you keep tabs on its maintenance, you will hold its selling value. I received three RE20's that had come out of a radio station and all of them had the dreaded "foam rot" (which is the eventual breaking down of the internal pop filter and element suspension). And all RE20's will eventually have this occur. I decided to buy the internal foam and replace them all, which turned out to be really cheap to get the new foam and easy to replace (easy for those handy with a soldering iron). This solved issues for two out of the three mics. The third one had the infamous ... MoreThe RE20 is a very great sounding mic and excellent for rooms that have a slight to acceptable amount of room echo. It doesn't lose articulation if you get close to it. In terms of longevity, as long as you keep tabs on its maintenance, you will hold its selling value. I received three RE20's that had come out of a radio station and all of them had the dreaded "foam rot" (which is the eventual breaking down of the internal pop filter and element suspension). And all RE20's will eventually have this occur. I decided to buy the internal foam and replace them all, which turned out to be really cheap to get the new foam and easy to replace (easy for those handy with a soldering iron). This solved issues for two out of the three mics. The third one had the infamous "rattle" which occurs when you shake the mic. I found replacing the element to be the most cost effective solution as opposed to taking the element apart. It turned out to be half than the total cost of the microphone. As soon as that new element came, I soldered it in after inserting the new foam and voila! Essentially a new microphone with exactly the same sound as a new RE20. Now, I should point out, the internal foam rot occurs over a 20 to 30 year period, so if you buy this new, this is something you don't have to worry about. For those who want to restore the RE20 and save some money, this is something to watch out for. They do hold their value, so long as you keep up with its maintenance. And remember, the RE20's I received were from the late 70's to early 80's. To find them fully repaired and still working as it did back then is something ElectroVoice should be credited for.

Professional results in my home studio

I traded in my precious Rode NT2000 for something that could stand up to the high heat/ humidity conditions of SE Asian summers, and be more forgiving of the incidental noises of urban living. The RE20 has performed magnificently. It`s solidly built with great frequency response, not quite that of the NT200 but also much more forgiving of A/C noise, hiss or passing vehicles outside. It`s important to note nothing can fix poorly recorded audio. No mic will make you a better narrator. Positioning, your space, your delivery, workflow and end result helps determine the quality you achieve. However after I compared the two mics side by side in a studio, I and found the RE20 delivered excellent results and fits my nomadic lifestyle, one in which I have traded a sealed ... MoreI traded in my precious Rode NT2000 for something that could stand up to the high heat/ humidity conditions of SE Asian summers, and be more forgiving of the incidental noises of urban living. The RE20 has performed magnificently. It`s solidly built with great frequency response, not quite that of the NT200 but also much more forgiving of A/C noise, hiss or passing vehicles outside. It`s important to note nothing can fix poorly recorded audio. No mic will make you a better narrator. Positioning, your space, your delivery, workflow and end result helps determine the quality you achieve. However after I compared the two mics side by side in a studio, I and found the RE20 delivered excellent results and fits my nomadic lifestyle, one in which I have traded a sealed booth, double-paned windows and peaceful countrysides for efficiency apartments and passport stamps.

RE20 Sounds GREAT!

This kit comes with everything you need except the interface. I paired this kit with the MOTU M2 which I also got here on B&H. Using the Motu with the Cloudlifter you only need 50% gain on the interface, it works out great with super low noise floor. (almost not even there)The other accessories in the kit are decent. Taking into account how great the mic and cloudlifter combo is I'd feel bad taking stars off for the accessories but they do sort of miss the mark at this price point. The O.C White pro boom is nice and very sturdy, but I had to grease the base with silicone grease because it's very squeaky when you turn the boom right or left. It does a good job holding the RE20 with the auray shock mount though which is over 2.5 lbs.The auray shock mount is as ... MoreThis kit comes with everything you need except the interface. I paired this kit with the MOTU M2 which I also got here on B&H. Using the Motu with the Cloudlifter you only need 50% gain on the interface, it works out great with super low noise floor. (almost not even there)The other accessories in the kit are decent. Taking into account how great the mic and cloudlifter combo is I'd feel bad taking stars off for the accessories but they do sort of miss the mark at this price point. The O.C White pro boom is nice and very sturdy, but I had to grease the base with silicone grease because it's very squeaky when you turn the boom right or left. It does a good job holding the RE20 with the auray shock mount though which is over 2.5 lbs.The auray shock mount is as other have mentioned in their reviews, decent for the price in this kit, would not spend $80+ on one separately unless you bump your mic a lot. The RE20 honestly doesn't need a shock mount if you keep your movement of the mic minimal.The Roland Cables are spot on for what I needed on a desktop setup, the 5ft gold cable is the exact length needed to fit into the snap in enclosures the Pro Boom has, then into your cloudlifter. The 10ft is great for running from the cloudlifter to your interface, but if you have a really large desk or special cable routing it might be a bit short, 10ft was fine for me though.The pop filter, well it's a pop filter. A bit muffled vs just using the RE20 no filter. I've been using it as a dust cover more than anything. lol

The RE20 certainly lives up to its reputation!!!

Sam Ash staff were so helpful in assisting me decide on the best microphones for my podcast & you tube channel. It's an interview show so I need two identical mics that I could run through my RODEcaster Pro unit & have them be easy to set-up, use and not interfere of compete with each other. I tried 2 mics prior and they [Sam Ash] let me come back in and exchange them for these RE20's which I must say, certainly do live up to their reputation. The tone and quality of recording is so superior to my earlier $100 mics. I find I still need a pop filter, and I wish the mic was 'prettier' - since this is a you tube show too (called EXTRAORDINAIRES Podcast, please do follow! :-) the mic's bland grey appearance is what kept me away originally - yep, I know. But maybe I'll ... MoreSam Ash staff were so helpful in assisting me decide on the best microphones for my podcast & you tube channel. It's an interview show so I need two identical mics that I could run through my RODEcaster Pro unit & have them be easy to set-up, use and not interfere of compete with each other. I tried 2 mics prior and they [Sam Ash] let me come back in and exchange them for these RE20's which I must say, certainly do live up to their reputation. The tone and quality of recording is so superior to my earlier $100 mics. I find I still need a pop filter, and I wish the mic was 'prettier' - since this is a you tube show too (called EXTRAORDINAIRES Podcast, please do follow! :-) the mic's bland grey appearance is what kept me away originally - yep, I know. But maybe I'll bling it out someday and then I'll have the perfect sounding podcasting microphone, fas well as the perfect mic for video! I highly recommend the RE20 and SAM ASH!

Why did I wait so long to buy one...

I've been looking at these for years. I have a lot of mics, you may say I'm a collector of sorts. Many mics I have were purchased not working and I was able to fix most of them. I have known about the RE20 and it's rich heritage and sound. I broke down and bought it and have not regretted it. It sounds great recording kick drum, bass guitar, and many voices. It gives a very nice smooth "chesty" quality to a male voice, particularly baritones. There is virtually no proximity effect like many of my other mics. I should've bought one a long time ago.