SE ELECTRONICSX1A - White

Para mi brutal, 10

The sound quality of this mic is very good for a large-diaphragm side-address mic. This is also borne out in the specs and test results -- flat response, good off-axis rejection and response (actually much better than the more expensive SE2200, and better than many other large-diaphragm/side-address mics at any price), and very low noise (you don't need the lower 5dB self-noise of the Rode because it is swamped by normal room noise). And, SE should be commended for publishing proper polar plots and specs. However, it has, what I'd consider, some fatal flaws: 1) the metal case and grill is quite resonant (tap it), 2) the pad and low-cut switches slip out of position way too easily, and 3) there is poor isolation from cable movement and vibration (which partially negates having a shock mount). The shock mount is also too stiff and hides the switches (which is doubly bad, since they get bumped easily) -- it is obviously really designed to work best on the larger and heavier SE2200. If this mic had the construction quality of the SE2200, it would be a winner. The metal pop filter is really good. I did not test the Reflexion Filter, which has gotten mixed reviews from others. It was just too big and imposing for my application. And, unless you need ultra-low noise or the particular sound of a large-diaphragm/side-address mic, I'd consider a small-diaphragm/front-address condenser mic instead.

Being an enthusiast, i was looking for a good matching stereo mic set up that would work well with acoustic guitars. Tried the akg314 set and they showed up doa. Neither mic worked. Upset , I decided to try the AE4400a set. I was really surprised at what i got. Out of the box they are really durable and well built. (Im a quality control engineer by day) the shock mounts were certainly different then what I expected. Very ingenious if you ask me. Takes a bit to get used to but works better then traditional shock mounts. The stereo bracket included is just as you would expect from such an accessory. My only issue was there are 2 switches for the poloar patterns and for a second i was puzzled. Usually there is only one but it certainly works. So the real question is how donthey preform? Well, in less then 20 minuets of unboxing i had them set up in a stereo configuration and was recording a Taylor acoustic. One take and inwas sold. Just an amazing reproduction. Very transparent and well balanced. Id recommend this for acoustic stereo mics, but I haven’t yet really tested vocals or other instruments. Although ive read reviews that they do supprisingly well on guitar cabinets. Ill post more as i go. This is well worth the money for the acoustic aspect alone.

Amazing microphones! They offer numerous ways to record and are super versatile. I’ve used them on the included stereo bar, set to omnidirectional, to record snare drum in a concert hall capturing the acoustics of the hall as well.

Works perfect. Great microphone. Really well built and the sound is AMAZING!