Best all purpose condenser combo under $300

  • Thread starter Thread starter NRS
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A HUGE thumbs up on the Niantic 1M. It has shocked me at how wonderful and versatile it can be. Both on acoustic guitar and oh my heck......MY voice. I love getting right up on it with the foam pop filter he sells for it. I even run it through a tube pre for fun to warm things up a bit. Overall it is simply amazing what it is capable of. Heck for $22 how can you NOT try one? That's like 4 trips to McDonalds........and in this case it's NOT fattening. :D
 
+1 on the Naiant msh10's

I'm no pro just someone who knows what sound they want. I prefer the msh10 on my acoustic guitar over my sm57,sm58,Rode nt3, mxl 990/901 or any other mics I own. I know it's hard to believe for $44 a pair they sound good but the sound very,very good. A must have. I hope I'm as happy with the msh4's when they can start making them again.
 
I'd buy 2 AKG C-430s, great for acoustic and great for drum overheads, never used them on vocals though. I got a pair for $200 on Musiciansfriend.com, but I think it was an accident because they were still selling them for $200 a piece while the sale was going on. Oh well, keep your eyes open and maybe you could get a pair for $200 if you want.
 
Lots of great suggestions guys and I've been researching every one of them. In the meantime I couldnt help but to scoop up a used MCA SP-2 I saw on ebay for $30. (It's basically a battery powered MXL 990 made by the same company).

I wont even figure it into my budget at that price and see it more as an initial trial condenser that will make a good reference point to compare against other mics while I shop around. (The battery powered option should still keep it useful after I upgrade too). That and an ECM 8000 or couple of MSH-10's should buy me plenty of time now to figure it all out, but overall, putting my money toward better quality in the used market seems to be some of the best advice so far at my price point. New, I would have to say that CAD M179 is still looking among one of the most appealing.

Thanks all
 
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