I can tell you from experience that the D2300S sounds somewhat muffled when compared directly to a 58. When put up on a stand next to a 58, a 57,
a Beta58A, and
a MD441, in my opinion, it was the clear loser.
When I took the metal ball off, and removed the foam, it did open up the sound quite a bit. Of course, then, it's not very useful for handheld vocals, but it becomes an acceptable mic without the foam. I've actually gotten satisfactory results on Acoustic Guitar with just that mic, over the shoulder, with no metal ball or foam.
I bought 2 of them for $70 two years ago. Overall, not a terrible purchase, but not a great one, either. If I had it to do over again, I'd just buy a 57.
-mg
