Mic Check: Microphone Shootout Blue enCORE 100 vs Blue enCORE 200

[loverevoluti0n]

this might be a dumb question but im not an audio engineer. i like the analogy of the active and passive pickups but since the blue 200 requires phantom power does it make it a condensor mic? and does it have the same electronics as condenser mic?

[bucklill]

the enCore 200 sounds a lot like the sm58

[kizmart]

@bucklill I disagree.. the 200 most definitely sounds clearer than an SM58

[adamriviere]

I have seen the 200 for around $100 & the 100 for $79 and I feel the best price to performance ratio favors the Blue enCore line tremendously over Shure sm57 & sm58a. But it never hurts to have either in ones mic locker. Still... best bang for the buck in wanting a "swiss army knife" mic still goes to the enCore 100.

[esad182]

Was there a code for the website on this one?

[btsg]

"where we review the latest and greatest microphones BUT today, we review the blue 100 and 200" interesting choice of words.

i agree with wild horse on this mic. the shure beta 58 is warmer and much more powerful than any of these in rock , jazz, small to medium venues..

i haven't used it for arenas or stadiums like nikpaz so i would defer to him on gigs with line arrays & 8 double bass bins and 1000 watts per speaker.

[WorkingManStudios]

@btsg: Yea my friends make fun of me because of the way I speak. So does my gf :( My brain is 2 steps ahead of my mouth.

[nickpaz]

they also have a MUCH better feedback rejection than anything in shure's normal vocal line. a pattern closer to a 57 as far as sides go, but much deeper on axis.

we've been replacing all of our vocal mics on all of or systems with these.

[WorkingManStudios]

@nickpaz: I love the sound and look of the Blue line

[nickpaz]

they are sonicly almost identical when you gain up the 4db more to actually match signal strength. the 200 does have a bit more low mid/upper bass, but both do it with an amazing amout of breath and airiness, unlike the shure's muddiness( esp 58b).

also, both of them have nice clean upper end, that doesn't make you cringe when someone hits an 's' or 'ck', also, unlike the shures (57, 58, 57b, 58b, and worst for this being the 87a(which is a condenser, not dynamic).)

[tcap8055]

thank you for sharing, you have been a big help!!!! 

[WorkingManStudios]

@tcap8055: Your welcome!

[sambiga]

Hi Carl! Nice job! What do you thing compared to Shure Beta 58 or even Beta 87A?

Ok I think 87A is a different kind of mike!

I now use Beta 58/ 87 on my gigs!

I have Blue Bluebird microfone in my homestudio and It´s great for my voice! I´m relly interrested about this encore 200 !

[WorkingManStudios]

@sambiga: You wont be disapointed!

[WorkingManStudios]

@sambiga: You wont be disappointed!

[millstap]

Thanks for the comparison. This helps me a lot. I wanted a Shure SM58 but I may go with the Encore 200. This is the only video I found with a good comparison between the 100 and the 200. Do you have one of the Shure Beta 58 and the Encore 200?

[WorkingManStudios]

@millstap: Nope i dont own a Beta 58. I heard their not all their cracked up to be.

[millstap]

@WorkingManStudios I bought the Encore200 and my first impression is good but I have not had a chance to use it live yet.

[wildhorsestudios1421]

NIce review Carl. I wish I'd spent more money for the 200 when I got my 100. I conitnually go back to my Shure Beta 58a on stage because it has better proximity effect and is much louder and the same settings. When you've got guitar players jacking with the PA and turning you down because the dials don't match their mic it becomes a huge issue. The 100 is not even as hot as my cheap Behringer mics. It's going to be used for recording guitar cabs. Yes it's worth the extra 50 bucks.

[WorkingManStudios]

@wildhorsestudios1421: Thanks alot! You should check out my latest review between the shure sm58 and the akg d 870. You may be quite surprised at the results.

[shaundegracia]

do you know if akg makes an active version of the D5? i think that would be awesome

[WorkingManStudios]

@shaundegracia: No they do not currently make one.

[WorkingManStudios]

@shaundegracia: Yes it would be awesome!