BOYA Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphone Studio Sound Recording Microphone for Vocal Recording Singer Podcaster Home Audio YouTube Video

Bought this for my Son for his YouTube channel Sounds good with great base and voice definition

I've been wanting to get a good microphone for a while now to start testing my streaming capabilities. My dad is a complete audio fan so I'm particularly picky with these things. Overall though it does well. Pros: • Good value • Solid construction, premium feel • Easier to use due to not needing batteries/phantom power • Decent sound quality Cons: • The disadvantages of a dynamic mic – higher noise and a less wide frequency response Dynamic vs others ================ Firstly, it is important to note that this is a dynamic microphone. This is good as it doesn't need batteries or phantom power in order to power it, which means it will plug into the microphone input of a PC or other device without needing to worry about power. The disadvantage of this is that dynamic microphones are low output (because of the lack of power) - this means you will need to turn the microphone input dial up to a high level in order to receive an good signal from it. This means that it is likely to be more noisy/hissy because of the high gain on the input stage. If you were into serious audio, you'd know the difference. I compared this with one of my dad's slightly more expensive (phantom powered) condenser cardoid microphones. That mic had a much lower gain on the input stage to produce the same level of signal, so it was a little quieter, but not many people would notice this; the difference was subtle. Range ================ In terms of frequency range, dynamic mics also tend to have a less wide frequency response. This was also proved out in the test I did - the Boya had noticeably less low and top end in comparison and was a little less 'warm' and more 'middy'. This is illustrated in the frequency response diagram in the specs of the mic – there is a steep drop in response at the high and low ends. This difference here was more noticeable, and would probably be picked up by most people. This mic didn't sound 'bad' - it just had a little less 'sparkle' on the higher frequencies and less 'body' on the lower frequencies. Verdict ================ For the cost, it is certainly a capable microphone and feels solid and high quality in construction. It will likely take more abuse than a condenser would! If money is tight and you are unable to supply phantom power to a mic, then this is a perfectly decent microphone and should suffice for voice work. However, if you can stretch to it, and you have an audio interface that will supply phantom power, then you will find spending a little more to buy a condenser mic will give you a higher quality sound. It's about your budget and what you need it for.

Having only ever owned RØDE or Shure microphones before (but I have used cheaper brands from time to time when not using my own equipment, and I have also tested a couple of unknown brands too), I was keen to see what this Boya BY-DM500 Dynamic Microphone would be like to use. I do podcasting as part of my work, but I am also a hobbyist musician, and I have a basic recording studio set up at home. On arrival, the BY-DM500 comes in a nicely presented box and has plenty of protective foam to keep the mic safe when not in use. On taking it out, you just get the microphone and a basic instructions leaflet. There are no XLR leads or mounting tripods or boom arms, so you will need to take that into consideration when making the purchase. When taking it out of the box, you instantly get a feel of the quality, this is no lightweight plasticky microphone, it is predominately metal including the yoke mount, which is really solid and holds the microphone in the exact position you want it to be in. My XLR cable (purchased separately) fitted perfectly, and once set up, I was able to start using it straight away. I have used this BY-DM500 twice now, with a total of 160 minutes of unedited recording time. I have used it in my M-Audio M-Track Solo pre-amp and my MacBook Pro. I have a couple of minor criticisms that I will get out of the way first. One is that the foam windscreen could be a little bit better; whilst it does help keep the microphone clean, it did still let through the occasional plosive, but I am being really fussy with that point. As most windshields come in a standard size, you should be able to replace this one, and still get a decent mic setup at a reasonable cost. The second minor issue is that I found is that it can pick up on unwanted mouth sounds if you are a) not used to podcasting or b) (like me) you sometimes forget how close to the mic you are. However, it is easy to clean the audio if you have decent software. The thing that I love about this BY-DM500 is that the depth of sound is amazing for such a budget mic. It does give a good studio-quality sound to my voice, and I found it didn't pick up any background noise which is always an added bonus for home use where soundproofing may not be best. This really is a great microphone, and given that the current price is £75.00 (at the time of review), I can wholeheartedly recommend this to you.

First of all, have a look at my video review if you can as you can hear the mic for yourself and make your own mind up if you like the sound quality or not. As for me, the long and the short of it is that I think this sounds excellent and to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. First up this feels great. It's got a solid, chunky, all metal construction that has good weight to it. The finish is also excellent and it doesn't at all look or feel like a budget mic, which if we're being honest, you might expect from a brand like Boya who have made some excellent mics in the past, but all mostly as a budget alternative to the bigger brands. At this price, you'd hardly call this budget, but for a dynamic broadcast mic, it sort of is. Still, there is no getting around that it is competing with some big brand names. At least as far as construction and build goes though, it totally holds its own. It looks and feels great. As for the sound, it is excellent. It has one or two small quirks. There is a slight tendency to emphasise the high frequencies, which helps to balance the deep warm sound it has, but at the same time tends to pick up every little mouth sound, so you may need a good plugin to get rid of that in post. It's not too bad though and certainly something that you can learn to mitigate to some extent. The other minor criticism I have is that the included sponge wind filter pop shield thing is pretty much useless and you will most definitely want to either replace it with something better, or use a pop filter, as it does distort and blow out pretty easily from pops, even from a distance. Aside from those two things though, both of which will be present to some degree on every mic and both of which can be pretty easily eradicated, it sounds great. For podcasts, this is ideal. It has the nice, rich low and mids that you want, but it's clear for vocals and has a lovely, natural tone. The proximity effect works nicely, so you can move in to get a more intimate sound very easily and it also means it rejects noise from outside of its pattern very well, perfect for people who are recording in a bedroom, or makeshift studio where outside sound can be a bit of a problem. Overall, I just think this is excellent. When I started podcasting almost ten years ago the choice of mics on the lower end were basically nil and over the years I've built up to some pretty lofty mics, but if I was starting now, I'd probably just purchase one of these and be done with it. It sounds excellent and really everything you'd want in a broadcast mic. You absolutely can pay more and those mics will be more controlled and have a tighter sound, but this is a great starting point and if you don't want to pay for those premium mics, then this is an excellent long-term option in my opinion.

If you're ready to take the next steps in your podcasting journey and boost yourself up to XLR then the Boya BY-DM500 is a great option. Although XLR will require you to go through a device external to your computer where the audio will eventually end up for editing and so on, you do get the many benefits that professional audio gear brings. Listening to recordings made from it, you can tell that despite its budget price, the BY-DM500 has been developed perfectly to deliver authentic and crisp sounding vocals and Speech. You really hear the results of the internal technology's noise cancelling and attenuation of plosives too. A further thing to note: unlike many XLR mics, you do not need phantom power for the BY-DM500: you simply plug it into your pre-amp and you're ready to go. Overall, the microphone is solidly built and sounds incredible.

This is a good entry-to-mid-market level microphone that can be attached to a boom arm to enable sound capture where needed, but make sure you use good quality ancillary equipment as this is a weighty, well made piece that needs heavy duty support. Virtually no distortion experienced and it has a quality look and feel unlike some alternatives I’ve seen as well as performance to match.

Solid materials and construction mean this has a nice even pickup with no real noise or clarity issues. I'm no pro, but have used this for recording music (semi) professionally and though this is not a cheap item it performs great. I would highly recommend this if on a budget.

I've been recording some voice-overs recently, so when I saw this, I thought it would be a great upgrade for my current microphone. When this arrived it felt really heavy but I didnt realise it literally is just the microphone part - there is no power adaptor cable included or stand, it's just the microphone speaking-piece - so unfortunately without buying more equipment, I can't use this. The microphone feels very heavy and robust - it does give me the sense it has some quality to it. The outer-sponge is very sturdy and feels firm - it swivels well but feels like the material it's packaged in. I was under the impression that this came with more that just the speaking piece, it wasn't until I scrolled through all the details that I saw the power/amp cable wasn't included or a small stand. This is definitely for someone wanting to upgrade or for use with professional equipment rather than for a hobbyist or someone just starting-out.