Review on Neumann Condenser Microphone (Premium Edition/Nickel) by Mark Jefferson

I've been performing/performing for over 40 years. and recorded with very expensive studio mics, but never in my home studio. Musicians can't afford that. The best mic for vocals and anything I've had is the Sennheiser MD 421. It always puts anything under $700 to shame, especially for vocals and snare, dynamic or condenser. So I compared the Neumann 102nd to yesterday when it arrived. I was expecting it to sound very similar to the 421, maybe airier and brighter because it's a condenser mic (especially after reading a quick comment about it being no better than a $200 mic; although I'm Sam Ash agree, he's terrible to deal with ). Anyway, I didn't expect that there would be such a big difference in sound quality. I think I've finally found the open/airy/carrying yet assertive/affordable mic I've been looking for all these years. knocked Sennheiser out of the water both times. I really don't expect it to outperform the 421 on the snare, but I bet the 102 would play well with it for a dual mic. I'm sure some will disagree and say I shouldn't have used the Sennheiser for comparison. On the other hand, many people still think they can get away with a Shure 58 for vocals and 57 for snare, or that a Porsche is the best car. Please don't even think of using Shure under $2000 or Rode (at any price) for comparison. It could be one of the $1,500+ AKG mics. Best mic I've ever used for less than $1000. Just make sure Revain sells it and fulfills it so you can return it if it happens to be pre-opened/used/in the box damn it; which has become so common in all online music stores