Nady SPC-25 Condenser Vocal Microphone - High sensitivity, cardioid pickup pattern, powered with AA battery or phantom power

The Nady SPC-25 has a smooth, relatively neutral frequency response that brings out the best in a singers voice, especially female singers. In my opinion, this budget Nady condenser microphone produces far better sound quality than the much more expensive Shure SM 57 that is considered the standard for live vocals - the Shure sounds thin and overly bright by comparison, due to the pronounced treble boost designed into it. The Nady SPC-25 uses a single AA cell to power the internal electronics, so you do *not* need phantom power from your mixer or mic amp.I've used the Nady SPC-25 with several different female vocalists (from contralto to high soprano), and several male vocalists (baritone to tenor) in live situations. In every case, the singer sounded superb - almost every one of them later told me they were really pleased with their sound. If the singer has an attractive singing voice, the Nady will preserve that attractive vocal tone, unlike the Shure SM 57.I do feel the SPC-25 is perhaps slightly better for female vocalists than male ones - this mic can sound a little bass-light when used by a singer with a deep male voice. Usually a little bass eq is all that is needed to fix this, though.My first SPC-25 was damaged, most probably by a singer who blew into the microphone to test it. After that "test" the mic buzzed slightly on some notes. I like this Nady SPC-25 mic so much that I immediately bought a second one as a replacement.I'll add that audio feedback / howl around has not been a problem with the SPC-25, unlike some other sensitive condenser microphones. The Nady is sufficiently directional to eliminate this problem - just make sure the speakers are pointed away from the mic, and not towards it, and feedback is not an issue at reasonable sound levels.Summary: if you care more about the sound quality than the brand name, try this mic, especially for female vocals or tenor male singers. You may be very pleasantly surprised, as I was, at how good this mic makes them sound!

...and I would still choose them, even if they were priced much higher.How do I use these? As a live sound technician, most often, I use these as a vocal mic, when I run sound for bands, or, occasionally to mic an amplifier. Vocalists look at me funny, when they see an unfamiliar mic on the stand, but then smile, when they hear how they can sound.Why do I use them? This is the cleanest, most accurate microphone I have found, for the money. The sound is comparable, and in my opinion, preferable to many more expensive microphones I have had the joy of using, including Audix OM2 and OM3, EV Cobalt 9, Sennheiser e835, Shure Beta 58, and others in that same price range.It is easily cleaner and far more accurate that the "industry standard" SM58 that so many love.Slightly stronger gain than most dynamics mean that you need to turn your gain down a little, for the same volume.It is DURABLE and built like a tank, with a silky smooth switch that does not pop when turned off, and it feels solid, and authoritative in your hand.The only downside I have found is the need for a AA battery, since it is a condenser mic and requires power. Phantom power does not seem to work on these. Battery life is great--30+ hours of use, so they only need changing occasionally. The flipside of that is that it will work anywhere you would use a dynamic mic, and do it amazingly well--whether your mixer provides phantom power, or not.

I've been using the Nady SPC-25 for home recording of my acoustic guitar and banjo. It's definitely worlds better than the usb rockband microphone that I was using before. I'll admit that I don't have any professional experience to say whether it is as good as the best professional microphones. But it's definitely the best microphone I've ever used personally.PROS:-Includes hardshell carrying case-Includes a little thingy to attach it to a microphone stand-Includes a AA battery in the package so you can get it up and running right out of the boxCONS:-Does NOT come with a cable... you will need to buy a 3 pin XLR

As another reviewer said, I too have a more high end (more expensive) mic than this. But this is the one I use most because it just works. Just plug it into the sound card on the computer and pod cast, or sing away. Still weak on volume, but use "normalize" and it becomes hot. Worth the money, not made for professional studio use, but great for the home studio and hobbyist.

I was looking for a way to get better sound and tone in my recording, and I was fairly sure I'd need a condenser mic. The spc-25 replaced a high-end mike I've had for years, and it is exactly what I needed. It's a condenser, but it doesn't require phantom power. Bottom line- It's a decent, cheap mike.