CAD Professional Mics E100S Supercardioid Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have a modest home studio, and my recordings have received kind comments from listeners and fellow engineers alike. Though I am on a budget like almost everyone else, I take my equipment seriously, and believe that one is better off saving for what will deliver widely-recognized quality, rather than trying to economize by buying the minimum you need to get a recording done. When you buy too cheap, you often end up spending 3x what you would have spent (for the good stuff) in money lost through trade-ups--because you just can't get happy.
My personal philosophy out of the way, I have respectable gear that can help me tell the difference between a decent mic and a wannabe.
I tested the e100s through a Metric HALO ULN-2 extended, Logic Pro-9, ADAM A-7 Monitors, and various reference quality headphones, including the AKG K-701 and Ultrasone PRO 750s.
I used the mic by itself, X/Y with a Peluso CEMC-6 SMC, and in an M/S configuration with a RODE K-2 Tube mic. I recorded both vocals and acoustic guitar (this last being my personal favorite for showing up crappy wannabe equipment. Transients, fundamentals, and harmonics from a quality guitar are a great test for mics, pre-amps and monitors, and I have two guitars I tried: a Martin D-35, and a Larrivée LV-05e).
The e100s didn't disappoint. It delivered nicely textured, transparent sound, and as a bonus (especially for those of us who want to make clean, quiet, acoustic recordings), it wasuncannily, blissfully, quiet. I mean quiet. Did I say quiet?
My ULN-2 has something like a 125dB S/N Ratio, and this mic made it worth the investment. Holy-moly. I've used Neumann, RODE, Peluso, MXL, etc., etc... this mike is the quietest of them all...even quieter than the TLM-103.
Great sound. Dead quiet. Buy it.

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Engineered and built in the USA, the new E100S large diaphragm supercardioid condenser has the lowest noise floor in its class (3.7 dBA) and the smooth vintage tone and robust low end CAD is known for. The bootstrapped, full differential Quadra-FET front end delivers high sensitivity and low distortion, plus CAD's proprietary circuitry ensures the highest performance. The nickel plated 1" capsule delivers accurate phasing on instruments, and a full rich vocal tone, accentuated by the extended low frequency response. Features include an 80Hz hi-pass filter and a 10dB pad. From vocals to percussion, acoustic instruments and everything in between, the CAD Equitek E100S will prove to be one of the most versatile tools in your microphone locker, in the studio or on stage. Vintage woodgrain cherry case and stealth shock mount included. 48V phantom power is required. ApplicationsStudio Vocals Choir Acoustic Instrument Guitar Cabinets Bass Cabinets Strings Piano Cymbals/OverheadsSpecificationsOperating Principle: Condenser Polar Pattern: Supercardioid Frequency Response:

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CAD M179 Variable-Pattern Condenser Microphone Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this microphone just or one purpose: Tom miking.
Prehistory:
After having read raving critics about the CAD - mainly from US engineers at Gearslutz - I couldn't resist any longer and wanted
to make my own picture.
Since I'm located in Germany, having done a search for shopping resources over here quickly revealed: Nothing.
No CAD M179 was available in Germany at that time, which seems to be strange because CAD produces in China.
Anyway, I finally found it on Amazon.com in the U.S.
Buying experience:
Although I've always been a bit skeptical about customs, delays and whatever else can go wrong with oversea transports, I ordered the price reduced bundle of 3 units.
To my greatest surprise, the package arrived quite fast (10 days, 2 of them in the customs), was safely packed and 100 % as described.
Import tax was very low by the way, only 2.5% of the microphone price plus shipping (tax for Germany, other countries in the EU may vary).
Packaging:
The CAD comes in a very large, cube-like package, printed with the-more-the-better zillions of colors, mainly in purple, red and blue.
One could say the carton design looks cheap, but as always, taste is a personal thing and in the end it's the content that counts, isn't it?
Although not my piece of cake, I must admit that the microphone seems to be well protected by this giant package.
Construction:
The microphone is sturdy built, with a anodized metal surface while being surprisingly heavy.
The capsule is placed safe inside the solid metal windscreen.
Part of delivery is a ring clamp plus a professional shock mount - highly recommended to reduce vibrations when miking drums.
The overall construction is very good, in my opinion even exceptional for the given price.
The CAD M179 offers a pad switch, which is a must for drum miking or the capsule could tend to distort.
Both, variable pattern wheel as well as the pad switch, are easy accessible in front of the mike.
Overall impression: No bells and whistles, but a solid workhorse, built for pro's.
Sound:
The CAD offers a warm, natural sound, that perfectly fits for Toms, but also for clean Guitars and even background vocals.
I personally wouldn't use it for Lead vocals, but what can you expect for the price.
Of course, the CAD wasn't built to be a concurrence to Neumann and other high end brands. But it does its job extremely well.
The main purpose for me was Tom-miking, so the following research is covering only my experience with Toms.
Set to cardioid, surrounding sounds from back and side are successfully suppressed, quite important when dealing with bleeding HiHats or cymbals.
The Toms immediately sounded really big, not to say huge, without messy crash sounds coming through.
Although having used Sennheiser MKH-40 for Toms before (one costs 10 times the $$ of a M179 ...), the results were doubtless significantly better then ever!
You can turn up the Tom tracks in your mix, really push them in breaks and the like, and at the same time your mix won't suffer of the typical cymbal bleeding as known from other microphones (like the MKH-40 or MD421).
Amazing.
In Short:
Pros:
* very good and sturdy crafted
* exceptional good sounding results, specially with Toms
* low price
Cons:
* heavy weight that demands for mic stands
* typical microphone clamps will place the CAD more over the center of Toms, not at side, due to it's size.
I can live with that, although your setup will be cluttered even more when using stands.
Conclusion:
I love this microphone! My dream of a perfect drum sound has become more true, day in and out.
A clear recommendation: Buy it!

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Travel the space-tone continuum with the touch of a dial. The figure-of-eight is rich and intimate. The omni is spacious and articulate. Experience all the variations in between. We combine the large-diaphragm capsule with algebraic phasing and high-power transformerless drive to create an indispensable acoustical window. Additional features include hi-pass filter and attenuator. Swivel mount, elastic shock mount and carrying case are included. P24 (24V) or P48 (48V) phantom power is required.

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CAD Large Diaphragm Supercardioid Condenser Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have a modest home studio, and my recordings have received kind comments from listeners and fellow engineers alike. Though I am on a budget like almost everyone else, I take my equipment seriously, and believe that one is better off saving for what will deliver widely-recognized quality, rather than trying to economize by buying the minimum you need to get a recording done. When you buy too cheap, you often end up spending 3x what you would have spent (for the good stuff) in money lost through trade-ups--because you just can't get happy.
My personal philosophy out of the way, I have respectable gear that can help me tell the difference between a decent mic and a wannabe.
I tested the e100s through a Metric HALO ULN-2 extended, Logic Pro-9, ADAM A-7 Monitors, and various reference quality headphones, including the AKG K-701 and Ultrasone PRO 750s.
I used the mic by itself, X/Y with a Peluso CEMC-6 SMC, and in an M/S configuration with a RODE K-2 Tube mic. I recorded both vocals and acoustic guitar (this last being my personal favorite for showing up crappy wannabe equipment. Transients, fundamentals, and harmonics from a quality guitar are a great test for mics, pre-amps and monitors, and I have two guitars I tried: a Martin D-35, and a Larrivée LV-05e).
The e100s didn't disappoint. It delivered nicely textured, transparent sound, and as a bonus (especially for those of us who want to make clean, quiet, acoustic recordings), it wasuncannily, blissfully, quiet. I mean quiet. Did I say quiet?
My ULN-2 has something like a 125dB S/N Ratio, and this mic made it worth the investment. Holy-moly. I've used Neumann, RODE, Peluso, MXL, etc., etc... this mike is the quietest of them all...even quieter than the TLM-103.
Great sound. Dead quiet. Buy it.

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CAD Large Diaphragm Supercardioid Condenser with low noise floor - includes stealth shockmount and woodgrain cherry case

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CAD Trion6000 Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I just wanted to try this mic at such a low price. The first time I used it was for a client that has recorded about 30 songs at my studio ([...]). We were all blown away by this mic's in your face presence and clarity. My 414 was too bright for him and had too much sibilance, not with this mic though the sibilance sounds quite natural. The listing is not correct as this is not a tube mic, the Trion8000 is the tube version. I run the Trion6000 through a DEMETER VTMP-2a tube mic pre and Aphez compellor 320 and it shines! The listing needs to be corrected though as the Trion6000 Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone is not a tube mic.
Trion 6000 Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone Two externally-biased large diaphragms, field-effect detection and iron core drive. Tri-level high voltage and legendary CAD industrial design. Three polar patterns for timbre and expanse. Vintage tone, vintage look and vintage feel. Elastic shock mount and metal travel case are included.
Trion 8000 Multi-pattern Condeser Tube Microphone Transparent, airy, rich and silky. Travel back in time with the extra large diaphragm, RF pentode, iron core, and 120 volts of drive. CAD brings back the look, sound and feel of early condensers. Use all three polar patterns to define space and tone. Elastic shock mount, durable metal travel case, dedicated cable, and 120V power supply are included. 115/230 VAC power required.

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Two externally-biased large diaphragms, field-effect detection and iron core drive. Tri-level high voltage and legendary CAD industrial design. Three polar patterns for timbre and expanse. Vintage tone, vintage look and vintage feel. Elastic shock mount and metal travel case are included.

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CAD GXL1200 Cardioid Condenser Microphone Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I like to review good products and let everyone know what is worth buying.
These mics ARE NOT!
The only reason I am reviewing this mic is because I read a lot of reviews
that talk about these mics are as good as the upper end mics. THAT IS NOT
TRUE!
I tried recording with these in my studio in several applications and in all
instances they fail, BIG TIME!
I used them for drum overheads, for cymbals, vocals, and guitar. Not one app
did I get even a decent sound.
Yeah they are cheap, but unless you are looking for a cheap sound SAVE YOUR MONEY!

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Point-source transduction, field-effect detection, and pure high voltage. Capture your instrumentation with exacting detail. Proximity effect is inversely proportional to distance. Play it right this time. Mic clip and protective pouch are included. P48 (48V) phantom power is required.

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CAD U37 USB Studio Condenser Recording Microphone Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had been researching USB Microphones for a long time and was nervous to make a selection, incase I ended up with a lemon. Well I just heard about this microphone a couple of weeks ago and read up on CAD Microphones. I took the plunge and bought this little beauty. It is made of a plastic casing, but don't let that put you off - this is obviously the trade off in getting a good quality USB for under $100. It's the inside heart of the microphone which makes it a great mic. Yes it is sensitive in picking up background noise, but I don't mind. I love that this mic has the ability to pick up a full texture of sound in the room. I also like that it records with very low background hiss, which is a big problem with integrated mics in laptops.
One important thing to remember with any USB mic is to know how to open up it's settings on your computer. When I first connected the U37 to my computer, it defaulted its input sound level to practically zero. It is in this setting that I have learnt to control the sensitivity of the microphone.
9/10 for this microphone. You won't be disappointed. Peace Out :)

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Record studio-quality audio directly to your computer via USB with the CAD U37 side-address condenser microphone--a great choice for both vocal and instruments as well as for creating podcasts and voiceovers for videos. Compatible with both Windows and Mac OS operating systems, you can simply plug the U37 into your PC and start recording.
The U37 has two switches on the front. The first switch allows you to decrease the sensitivity of the microphone so the sound quality is clear for extremely loud sounds. For example, the switch should be in the "-10" position for loud voices, percussion and other high sound pressure level devices. The "0" position should be used for normal voices and string instruments.
The second switch on the U37 is designed to reduce pickup of deep-bass sounds. The switch should be in the "Normal Bass" mode in most cases. However, if you want to remove wind noise, ventilation noise, or decrease the low frequencies in a recording, the switch should be in the "Bass Reduction" position.
Key Features
Applications: Studio vocals, speech, instruments, podcasts, desktop recording
Large condenser microphone element for warm, rich recordings
Cardioid pick-up pattern minimizes background noise and isolates the main sound source
Smooth, extended frequency response is excellent for singing, speech and instruments
-10dB overload-protection switch minimizes distortion from loud sound sources
Bass-reduction switch reduces room noise
Side-address design used by broadcast, TV and recording studios
10-foot USB cable for flexible mic placement
Desktop mic stand included

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CAD U1 USB Dynamic Recording Microphone Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this mic to record voices for some amature video games my friends and I make (and secretly for beatboxing late at night). To this end it worked well, so I got a few friends together one day and we decided to try singing into it. Again, it worked above expectations. So I decided to put it to a real test: I recorded myself playing solo bassoon at various distances, and I was surprised at how it could pick up everything from tongue and pitch alterations to the clicking of my keys in a quiet room (with the boost on).
However, the puff reduction (thing that keeps the "p" sound from squealing) doesn't work nearly as well as I had hoped, but this is remedied by keeping a fair distance away when talking. Doing so subjects the recording to room noise and echo, but it's a fair price to pay for a $40 mic. Thumbs up.

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Offering excellent quality at an affordable price, the CAD U1 records directly to your computer via USB and is a great choice for both vocal and instruments as well as for creating podcasts and voiceovers for videos. Compatible with both Windows and Mac OS operating systems, you can simply plug the U1 into your PC and start recording.
This dynamic microphone features a cardioid pick-up pattern and a smooth, extended frequency response. A built-in popfilter takes care of annoying "P-popping sounds." The U1 also includes an on/off switch, 10-foot USB cable, and a desktop microphone stand.
Key Features
Applications: Studio vocals, speech, instruments, podcasts, desktop recording
Dynamic microphone element designed for vocals and instruments
Cardioid pick-up pattern isolates the main sound source and minimizes background noise
Smooth, extended frequency response is excellent for singing, speech and instruments
Built in pop filter minimizes "P-popping"
On-Off switch for instant mute
10-foot USB cable for flexible mic placement
Desktop mic stand included

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