Spot on review Bronson. I believe that with some focus, implementation of feedback, and proper marketing Fifine could probably dominate the lower to mid tier audio market in the short term and eventually position themselves as a top tier contender. I personally prefer the D variant. The real takeaway of all this being said is, at this price point the big boys better be paying attention and feeling a bit uneasy.
I wouldn't say this isn't for professionals - I think it's worth on so many levels and beats so many of the products out there, but hey - Who am I to say, buying budget mics with my low budget haha Anyways, been wondering if you may know for any Shotgun mic reccomendations around 100$. I would love the alternative one to have features and sound quality similar to MKE 600 or AT897
This is a great review, Bronson. I know I told you this before, but your visuals are top notch. The K669C sounds very serviceable, just like its dynamic sibling (which I couldn't resist). The two Neewers definitely sounded like dead skunks warmed over. Among the others, I felt the Worker Bee II had a little fuller or rounder sound that I preferred. But for 37 bucks one could start a roundtable podcast on a minimal budget, or just pick one up to feed the audio gear addiction. Lastly, like all cats, Blue looked like he had murder in his heart during the KPT. Bless that furry guy!
Shockers to me: (1) Condenser sounds much more natural than the Dynamic version. Is this typical of C vs D? (2) Judging by your test at the start, the person speaking does not have to be as close to the condenser mic, whereas, with the D version you have to be almost touching it to get great sound. Am I understanding correctly? Thanks!
Hey Art! Everything you just said is relatively accurate... When it comes down to it, I would say you'd want to be closer to a Dynamic mic than a Condenser mic... but it definitely depends on the mic. On a lot of Dynamic mics, you would want to be 2 to 6 inches away. Whereas with a Condenser you'd want to be 4 to 8 inches away. So there is definitely some overlap, but with that said, on average you would probably be about 2 inches closer to a Dynamic mic. There is a constant debate about what sounds better: Condenser or Dynamic. Bottom line: I would just go with what product you like the sound of. I know, it sounds like a bit of a cop-out, haha... but I will say there are other factors that come into play with this. One of them is room treatment. If you are in a completely untreated, bad-sounding room, I would 100% get a dynamic mic! There are plenty of Dynamic microphones out there that sound more natural than a Condenser... but on a whole, you are correct. Condenser mics tend to have more of a natural sound, because a lot of them have an extended frequency response. However, what a company decides to do with the tone, can help or hurt the "sounding natural" aspect of it. In this particular video I absolutely agree with you! I do think the K669C sounds more natural than the K669D, and I would say that happens quite a bit when it comes to Dynamic vs Condenser, but not always!
Is it bad that the D sounded JUUUST a touch brighter than the C? (almost not worth mentioning difference but its there) Wait... D's and C's.... this comment just went NSFW. :( It didn't sound half bad on the guitars actually. Those NW700/800 sounds like the north end of a southbound pachyderm. You def should blast those and get people to NOT buy them. They arent even worth it as a donor mic for mod. Bandrew brought up the used market recently, and I kinda went off... The used market has been destroyed for shure mics since there are SO many fakes out there now. Sennheiser mics are starting to get faked as well now too, which sucks. You just cant trust it. Thanks for the shout out! Appreciate it!
C’s and D’s 😂 During my review section, you can hear it a little, I am kind of nasally. While I was editing this I was sick, so my ears were a little weird, but the way I heard them is that the C has quite a bit of top end, and so does the D ( I added a little note on screen for that), but I do feel like the D’s top end isn’t as rounded and is more peaky. Maybe I’ll feel different once I get over this sickness 😂 I haven’t watched bandrews video yet, but I did see that it was a counterfeit one. I have actually been purposely buying counterfeit Shure mics, and real ones to show the differences and potentially help people spot the difference. With none of these mics being Shure, or even Sennheiser, I wasn’t too worried saying “look for these used”… I am sure we will see Rode counterfeits soon enough though… I do feel better buying them used from a place like guitar center (maybe I shouldn’t? Lol) but I would hope they keep a lookout for fakes. I don’t buy any mics used anymore, but that’s mainly because I get them straight from the company, but a lot of things have changed since I was buying off the used market. Which is really sad.
@@AudioHotline heres how it was explained to me why we SHOULDNT point out the counterfeit products. When we show the “problems” (how to identify fakes) the people making the fakes adjust their design to mitigate those differences, making the fake even harder to spot. Its to the point now that unless youre buying from an authorized dealer brand new, you cant tell if what youre getting is real. I got a 545 had EVERYTHING including the right box, paperwork, pouch, and i found one “odd” thing about it that made me question it. Turns out… fake. Who fakes a 545!?! A 57 / 58 / 7b is way more recognizable and sought after. Unfortunately, the quality of employees at GC and other retailers that take used gear, isnt high enough that they can spot fakes usually either. For something like the 7B theres no dead give away. The 57s still have some tell tale signs. 58s… almost impossible.
That sucks that happened to you dude, and that’s a valid point. I have heard that putting out info about it can “help” the counterfeit creators, but at the same time it’s also hard not wanting to help people at least point out the counterfeits that are already in rotation. Basically there is no winning… great. 😂 I know buying new is the form of “winning” in this sense, but damn dude, people not buying used and companies making more and more, leading to more waste and less products recycled (by someone else using them)… it sucks man. I know I don’t have to tell you it sucks, you know if sucks. For now I definitely try to only recommend buying used, when it is a product I have never seen counterfeit, but we might get to a point where that isn’t possible anymore… I mean I doubt anyone will counterfeit a $37 mic, but maybe? It’s a tricky thing, I was going to put that counterfeit info out for members and on my site… but you have me second guessing it haha. I guess I base my opinion on experience with guitar center. I used to go and sell/trade gear and the GC’s I went to were strict on checking that stuff, but I only went to a few guitar centers and did that and there are a bunch out there… And that was years ago. When I went in there recently it did feel different. It felt like the employees weren’t nearly as passionate as they used to be… but once again, that’s a small sample size.
NW and BM always sounded awful. I remember years ago it went for like 14$, now its 30$. Definitely worth it😂 Fifine continues killing it in the price range👍
wow i actually really strongly dislike this mic. i probably would have doubled the budget and gone for the MXL440 instead of the fifine :/ sub $100 mics are mostly mid and this one definitely fits the stereotype. at this rate i would probably stick with a USB mic too, like the hyperX solocast bc that's the same price and you dont need an interface to power it either
@@AudioHotline each one had their own benefits in this comparison. my personal bias is toward the darker and warmer microphones, but that still have the nice top end for spoken word (i don't sing or play instruments lol). the K669D definitely offered more in the low end than the condenser and that brought in more of a "broadcast" quality to the sound. the AT2020 seemed to have a crispier high end that added a pleasurable airiness to your voice. the worker bee just sounded way more controlled across the board, especially in the mids; it made a manly voice feel more manly in comparison, and not like a thirteen year old boy in the middle of puberty. the MXL 770 has to be my favorite in the comparison because it sounds much warmer and more full-bodied than the fifine condenser. i just looked up the prices on sweetwater after typing out all of that, and the Bee and MXL are just about the same price, which would make sense of course. the at2020 has just been an industry classic for like 2 decades now and it's hard to hate that one. AT2020 for guitar, MXL for spoken word. i havent heard the bee enough to determine what i like the most about it
![Cody Johnson - I'm Gonna Love You (with Carrie Underwood) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yy9PuYMU29g/mqdefault.jpg)
It's insane what you can get for very little money these days.
I had fun
BTW I am typically a dog person. The Kitty Purr Test does have a lot of redeeming qualities! Best to keep that staff member on the team!
Need a timestamp at 1:56- first time you see Bronson's beautiful face in the video 🫶
Spot on review Bronson. I believe that with some focus, implementation of feedback, and proper marketing Fifine could probably dominate the lower to mid tier audio market in the short term and eventually position themselves as a top tier contender. I personally prefer the D variant. The real takeaway of all this being said is, at this price point the big boys better be paying attention and feeling a bit uneasy.
I wouldn't say this isn't for professionals - I think it's worth on so many levels and beats so many of the products out there, but hey - Who am I to say, buying budget mics with my low budget haha
Anyways, been wondering if you may know for any Shotgun mic reccomendations around 100$. I would love the alternative one to have features and sound quality similar to MKE 600 or AT897
This is a great review, Bronson. I know I told you this before, but your visuals are top notch. The K669C sounds very serviceable, just like its dynamic sibling (which I couldn't resist). The two Neewers definitely sounded like dead skunks warmed over. Among the others, I felt the Worker Bee II had a little fuller or rounder sound that I preferred. But for 37 bucks one could start a roundtable podcast on a minimal budget, or just pick one up to feed the audio gear addiction.
Lastly, like all cats, Blue looked like he had murder in his heart during the KPT. Bless that furry guy!
Best budget condenser cm for poor home studios.
Shockers to me: (1) Condenser sounds much more natural than the Dynamic version. Is this typical of C vs D?
(2) Judging by your test at the start, the person speaking does not have to be as close to the condenser mic, whereas, with the D version you have to be almost touching it to get great sound. Am I understanding correctly? Thanks!
Hey Art! Everything you just said is relatively accurate...
When it comes down to it, I would say you'd want to be closer to a Dynamic mic than a Condenser mic... but it definitely depends on the mic. On a lot of Dynamic mics, you would want to be 2 to 6 inches away. Whereas with a Condenser you'd want to be 4 to 8 inches away. So there is definitely some overlap, but with that said, on average you would probably be about 2 inches closer to a Dynamic mic.
There is a constant debate about what sounds better: Condenser or Dynamic. Bottom line: I would just go with what product you like the sound of. I know, it sounds like a bit of a cop-out, haha... but I will say there are other factors that come into play with this. One of them is room treatment. If you are in a completely untreated, bad-sounding room, I would 100% get a dynamic mic! There are plenty of Dynamic microphones out there that sound more natural than a Condenser... but on a whole, you are correct. Condenser mics tend to have more of a natural sound, because a lot of them have an extended frequency response. However, what a company decides to do with the tone, can help or hurt the "sounding natural" aspect of it. In this particular video I absolutely agree with you! I do think the K669C sounds more natural than the K669D, and I would say that happens quite a bit when it comes to Dynamic vs Condenser, but not always!
Is it bad that the D sounded JUUUST a touch brighter than the C? (almost not worth mentioning difference but its there) Wait... D's and C's.... this comment just went NSFW. :( It didn't sound half bad on the guitars actually. Those NW700/800 sounds like the north end of a southbound pachyderm. You def should blast those and get people to NOT buy them. They arent even worth it as a donor mic for mod. Bandrew brought up the used market recently, and I kinda went off... The used market has been destroyed for shure mics since there are SO many fakes out there now. Sennheiser mics are starting to get faked as well now too, which sucks. You just cant trust it. Thanks for the shout out! Appreciate it!
C’s and D’s 😂
During my review section, you can hear it a little, I am kind of nasally. While I was editing this I was sick, so my ears were a little weird, but the way I heard them is that the C has quite a bit of top end, and so does the D ( I added a little note on screen for that), but I do feel like the D’s top end isn’t as rounded and is more peaky. Maybe I’ll feel different once I get over this sickness 😂
I haven’t watched bandrews video yet, but I did see that it was a counterfeit one. I have actually been purposely buying counterfeit Shure mics, and real ones to show the differences and potentially help people spot the difference. With none of these mics being Shure, or even Sennheiser, I wasn’t too worried saying “look for these used”… I am sure we will see Rode counterfeits soon enough though… I do feel better buying them used from a place like guitar center (maybe I shouldn’t? Lol) but I would hope they keep a lookout for fakes. I don’t buy any mics used anymore, but that’s mainly because I get them straight from the company, but a lot of things have changed since I was buying off the used market. Which is really sad.
@@AudioHotline heres how it was explained to me why we SHOULDNT point out the counterfeit products. When we show the “problems” (how to identify fakes) the people making the fakes adjust their design to mitigate those differences, making the fake even harder to spot. Its to the point now that unless youre buying from an authorized dealer brand new, you cant tell if what youre getting is real. I got a 545 had EVERYTHING including the right box, paperwork, pouch, and i found one “odd” thing about it that made me question it. Turns out… fake. Who fakes a 545!?! A 57 / 58 / 7b is way more recognizable and sought after.
Unfortunately, the quality of employees at GC and other retailers that take used gear, isnt high enough that they can spot fakes usually either. For something like the 7B theres no dead give away. The 57s still have some tell tale signs. 58s… almost impossible.
That sucks that happened to you dude, and that’s a valid point. I have heard that putting out info about it can “help” the counterfeit creators, but at the same time it’s also hard not wanting to help people at least point out the counterfeits that are already in rotation. Basically there is no winning… great. 😂
I know buying new is the form of “winning” in this sense, but damn dude, people not buying used and companies making more and more, leading to more waste and less products recycled (by someone else using them)… it sucks man. I know I don’t have to tell you it sucks, you know if sucks. For now I definitely try to only recommend buying used, when it is a product I have never seen counterfeit, but we might get to a point where that isn’t possible anymore… I mean I doubt anyone will counterfeit a $37 mic, but maybe?
It’s a tricky thing, I was going to put that counterfeit info out for members and on my site… but you have me second guessing it haha.
I guess I base my opinion on experience with guitar center. I used to go and sell/trade gear and the GC’s I went to were strict on checking that stuff, but I only went to a few guitar centers and did that and there are a bunch out there… And that was years ago. When I went in there recently it did feel different. It felt like the employees weren’t nearly as passionate as they used to be… but once again, that’s a small sample size.
The counterfeit of the 545 is crazy… I wouldn’t have expected that, and that makes me even more nervous about other products.
NW and BM always sounded awful. I remember years ago it went for like 14$, now its 30$. Definitely worth it😂
Fifine continues killing it in the price range👍
Oh baby! You’re awesome, thank you for reviewing super budget gear in addition to the premium stuff.
Listened once at he gym and once on the tv . . . liked the D a bit better on your voice JMHO. Thanks for the reat vid as usual.
Make a review about Tonor TD510 please.
i tried the 669d and it picked up so much noise from everything, even the tiniest little touch on the table
I'd really like to know your thoughts on Sennheiser Profile USB
best budget mic to date.
I really love your channel, bro.
Thank you! I appreciate it! 😊
There has been a thing going around about the pop filter being just aquarium foam
I bought some aquarium filters with the same width as the Hakan and Proar and am going to test it!
@@AudioHotline hey um you should check out that tonor t90 RGB Boom Arm it's really cool TRUST ME
wow i actually really strongly dislike this mic. i probably would have doubled the budget and gone for the MXL440 instead of the fifine :/
sub $100 mics are mostly mid and this one definitely fits the stereotype. at this rate i would probably stick with a USB mic too, like the hyperX solocast bc that's the same price and you dont need an interface to power it either
Out of curiosity which mic did you like most in the comparison?
@@AudioHotline each one had their own benefits in this comparison. my personal bias is toward the darker and warmer microphones, but that still have the nice top end for spoken word (i don't sing or play instruments lol). the K669D definitely offered more in the low end than the condenser and that brought in more of a "broadcast" quality to the sound. the AT2020 seemed to have a crispier high end that added a pleasurable airiness to your voice. the worker bee just sounded way more controlled across the board, especially in the mids; it made a manly voice feel more manly in comparison, and not like a thirteen year old boy in the middle of puberty. the MXL 770 has to be my favorite in the comparison because it sounds much warmer and more full-bodied than the fifine condenser.
i just looked up the prices on sweetwater after typing out all of that, and the Bee and MXL are just about the same price, which would make sense of course. the at2020 has just been an industry classic for like 2 decades now and it's hard to hate that one. AT2020 for guitar, MXL for spoken word. i havent heard the bee enough to determine what i like the most about it