Review on Neewer 14.17-inch Uni-Directional Mono 🎙️ Microphone: Ideal for Camcorders and DSLR Cameras by Deepa Hoover

UPDATED June 18, 2017 Church Choir for video streaming to other locations that have classic 70v sound systems with speakers only though I like good sounding audio and have my sights set on a Sennheiser MKH-416, all I needed for now was a shotgun with a quality PA mic system Here's the recap: 1) Very quick and subjective tests 2) Tested with Zoom H6 using SGH-6 monaural plug-in microphone and in-ear monitoring headphones 3) Also compared to Audio-Technica VT125 Handheld Cardioid Vocal Microphone (dynamic) 4) Neewar 14.71" microphone is labeled NW-81 . Product information is not helpful as it is from China 5) Tested with 1.5v battery, 12v phantom power and 48v without battery Not fried is a good sign I will have spares in case 48v is too much. Performance seems better with phantom power. All results below with 48V phantom power without 1.5V battery 5a) UPDATE: I found that phantom power is not well supported. Worked for my H6 with a 3 foot XLR cable. Doesn't work with phantom power on my Mackie 1402VLZ or my Behringer Eurorack 802A with 200' balanced shielded XLR cable. Nothing but hum (no audio on Mackie phantom power and more electronic hiss than audio on Behringer phantom power. Even H6 phantom power with 200ft cable has occasional clicking noise. Eventually had to resort to 1.5v battery, NO phantom power, but Mackie, Behringer and H6 worked fine - with much less mic sensitivity 6) Very loud clicks are heard when the switch is pressed. Keep the fader down or the system off when adjusting the switch on this mic. (Also noticed on the 1.5V battery.) 7) Subjective testing indicates radio playback through a speaker. (I used an FM transmitter as the audio is heavily normalized - handy for level checking.) The range was 3 to 4 feet. I don't consider either of them to be a full-fledged, full-range microphone. But that's to be expected. More sensitive than AT125 dynamic microphone.7b) Directivity is definitely better than AT125 but about the same as SGH-6.7b1) UPDATE: I also compared with AT875R. The Neewer 14.71" had significantly better directivity - probably due to the longer interference tube. The AT875R beats all other aspects of self-noise, higher fidelity, etc., but is also 6-8 times more expensive. 7c) "Tele" "-Gain setting increased by 12-18dB There is clean electronic amplification, as there is inherent noise The bass is a bit softer (optional electronic high-pass filter) For laypeople it is only greatly increased - just as if you turned the gain control on the mixer. Might be useful on cameras without a good level control 7d) On "Tele" the sound is a bit tinny with no bass, but still acceptable as the directionality has become clearer (probably due to the bass filter. With these short microphones, bass frequencies are very difficult to be directional When filtered it looks like the directivity has improved.) The mic at 90 degrees gave a sound level drop of about 8-12dB. Again much better than a vocal mic. It was difficult to pinpoint more than 90 degrees because the sound was bouncing off the walls. 7e) In telephoto mode, I aimed it at the computer speakers (about 2-3 feet away) and got the same performance when rotated 360 degrees. 7f ) Enabled "Tele" I was pleased when I pointed it at the computer's woofer (about 35-45 degrees down). I definitely heard the bass and mids, and the highs from the speakers were noticeably softer (3-6dB). 7g) On the "body" processing noise is very noticeable and can easily drown out the desired sound. A shock absorbing mount is required with this setting. 8) The microphone feels good. The case is not plastic 9) I sealed the side vents with tape and it definitely became an omnidirectional mic in either switch position. (Something you won't try with the MKH-416.) 10) I agree with other reviewers that the capsule is at the "front" end of the mic, but that doesn't matter since the interference tube at the back is only is as effective as and on the front. I didn't disassemble the microphone to check the interference tube. 11) The microphone diameter is 22.6mm over the entire length (by my standards). The center of gravity seems to be halfway between the switch and the print with no cable attached (about 1/4-1/2 inch in front of the Phillips screw on the back). I will try this with a shock rated for 23-27mm. Summary: Will This Mic Outperform Gun Mics $200+? No way. Does it work better than a handheld vocal mic for directionality? Yes, if you don't mind a sound that isn't as rich and full fidelity. Will I use it for video recording? Unless the only other mic option is a camera mic or a dynamic vocal mic. Am I going to use this mic for an indoor or outdoor sound reinforcement system where fidelity is not important? such a big problem as directionality? Yes - also because of a more expensive vocal microphone. I don't get a heart attack if it's dropped, kicked, spat, spilled etc. BTW I've just bought 4 more UPDATE: So far happy with my purchase even though there's no solid phantom power support.