416 Killer? Synco Mic D-2 Shotgun Mic for Voiceover 

After the video launched Synco Sent me the following: We promise that customers can return goods without giving a reason in 30 days. If they test the mic and think it‘s a lot worse than 416, please contact our Facebook (facebook.com/syncomicrophones/) and offer the purchase information. They will get a full refund. BTW, SYNCO Mic-D2 is out of stock now. If your viewers would like to purchase one. they could buy it on bit.ly/2peU8th. Momanplay is our official dealer. SYNCO Mic-D2on Momanplay is only $219 USD until December 1st.

Mike, I can’t decide if this review cost me $249, or saved me $750. ; ) Either way, thank you very, very much! I’m extremely happy with my Synco Mic D2.

Last night on his live stream, Curtis Judd said he would give this Synco D2 to the first person who emailed him, for just the price of shipping. I was the lucky winner. No gigs lately but my kit is that much happier today! Thank you for your great reviews, Mike. I trust you. Cheers!

Honestly can never get enough of your videos. Something about how passionate you are about audio is so much fun to listen to. Hope you keep making videos.

This reminds me of back in the '80s when people used to choose "GUESS" jeans over "LEVIS" because "the quality was superior." Leave it to an audiophile to NOT want to admit when a new kid on the block is just as cool as the "popular kid." Bottom line: If you would have used only the Synco and never said the name, no one would be able to tell it wasn't the 416. Great job, Mike and great job, Synco.

You got me with the dot, I was thinking "Why no comparison" then 2 seconds later you lay it on me. I'm sold.

So glad to see another Booth Junkie video so quickly!!!

The 416 has a slightly brighter and crisper high. But for $250US, I am putting the D2 on my research list. I NEVER considered a shotgun for voice-over and narration situations. This has completely opened my mind up to other possibilities.

In my opinion the sound-difference is definitely there and audible. Every time you switch to the MKH 416, the highs were much crisper, than with the Synco Mic D2, but overall they are very close to each other (soundwise) while the price difference is huge. So well done Synco Mic D2 :-)

I already commented on this video once but I'd really like you to see this: Please do a video on how you pick a mic for a particular job, i.e. why don't you just use your favorite or best (CAD e100s?) for everything and what types of mics someone who's starting out should look for to build their mic locker.

I ordered the Synco Mic D2 a couple months ago, and I absolutely love it - my audition videos have never sounded better!

Just ordered the Synco. My first XLR shotgun mic. Thank you for this showcase test Mike!

I am starting to like your videos more and more. Thanks for all your work and the kindness that comes through.

MK416 has more presence. And the low end is less 'muddy' - which is the most important part (clarity). You can add presence in processing. And frankly, you're often better off adding presence later if you know what you're doing. But adding clarity to the low-end can be a bit more difficult. I prefer a flat response. I like this Synco mic a lot. I think I'll pick one up. Thanks for the review!!

Thanks for doing this video, it's a huge help. I've been looking for weeks (months?...) for a mic to get started on VO and was starting to go crazy. A lot of popular mic reviews I either just haven't liked the sound, or couldn't afford it. Was just about to finally pull the trigger on getting the AT4033's, and this video popped up. Apparently I forgot I watched it like a month ago, not sure how I didn't jump on this the first time. Out of all the reviewers I've watched, you've got to be the closest to myself in terms of deeper voices, and I really liked how the D2 sounded. So I'm going to order one of these along with the AT and see what happens. Also fun fact! I was listening to your Narration demo on your website, and the article you read mentions the town I grew up in (Phoenixville)! Not really here nor there, but was just kind of cool hearing... sorry for this dissertation-sized "comment."

I think your voice would sound amazing no matter what! You're so talented.

WOW!!!! I wasn't expecting that!!!! I've used and loved the 416 for years and find this Synco extraordinarily close in sound! Like you, I can't tell a difference!!!! If you have any problem with exterior sounds leaking into your booth, a shotgun mike like this is terrific in reducing that background noise! I'd buy this Synco D2 in a heartbeat!!!

WOW!!! I had no idea that you were switching mics!!! I'm convinced and will be getting one! Unbelievable!

Outstanding, Mike. Informative and entertaining as always. Great mic and at a great price. Thanks so much for posting.

I love the reviews as usual. I find myself holding my breathe when you're checking the sound floor like I'm in front of the mics....lol

Great video. I bought the D2 on your recommendation last year.... and love it!

Thank you for that review. Just what I needed! You made my day here 👍🏻

Great job comparing these mic's! Thanks for bringing the Synco D2 to our attention. As recorders we get into the various applications and sound quality of equipment. What I know is the average client can't tell the differences we focus on. If the project is done well and they get the needed response "you're their person!" That being said, my opinion is the 416 is clearly cleaner. You can hear the bass roll off is smoother and a bit more presence in the mid highs. The D2 sounds great for the price point, but the low end is more present and the mid highs aren't as present comparatively. The pop filter helps over the windscreen. I'll definitely pick up the D2 for now. I'll let my projects determine when and if I need to upgrade. I'm an advocate of letting projects pay for equipment and upgrades. Thanks again!

I was hoping you’d get “up nice and close and really eat the microphone” to compare the richness of both. However, that being being said another top shelf awesome video with Mike on mic action. Thank you sir!

Outstanding comparison! I ordered one during the Amazon Black Friday sale for $199.

Bless you for this mic review!!! You just saved me hundreds.

Hey Mike, I love the channel and you’re the reason I bought a TLM103. Oddly enough I didn’t realize that I’ve been listening to you for years on the No Sleep Podcast! Thanks for creating these videos!

The 416 is a tad brighter than the Synco. That being said, when you factor the cost, I would pick the synco over the 416.

Buying now! Much love from Brazil. I work with dubbing and it will fit perfectly.

Great comparison, thorough & complete without any bias. I absolutely love my current mic but certainly am considering the Synco d2 as a backup, I need a backup just in case? Thanks Mike for keeping us up with the latest gear out there

ever since I saw and heard mk416 in your videos I wanted one for myself. Realistically speaking, I can't afford sh*t, but Synco definitely moved this dream $750 closer to me 😌 Thank you for the review!

416 is definitely a tad more crisp, but with some EQ plays I think it can be super close. Super low noise levels, 240$ is a pretty good price for such quality sound. I will definitely consider this for my streaming setup when I am able to afford it. Cause I do like mic being out of the frame and 416 is my dream mic

I have one over 2 years working every week. Best solution for my voice :) Thanks

Nice comparison Mike, thanks!

Thank you for this helpful comparision! The idea with the dot to show the active mic is great :).

Sounds good to me! Amazon has a 10% discount on this mic today - $224.

Thank you for all of your useful videos and gear reviews! I also hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving! :)

I had the Synco for a while. Tooted its horn. But something felt just a bit muddy. Was ok, not bad. At last I upgraded to the 416 and couldn’t be happier. Solid pre-post output.

I’m definitely getting a Synco for promo/trailer . Thanks for this!

Merry Christmas to me!!! As my family doesn't know what to get me for Christmas and I tend to get checks, I decided on Christmas morning to pick up a Synco D2 mic. That's after getting a Stellar X2 last week. I'm looking forward to setting up my booth in my photography studio and having some fun experimenting. Darn you Mike!

I just watched an ad with your voice in it!! It was about the Whisper Room portable isolation room

Great video. I got it for $200. It's arriving on Monday. Can't wait to use it, especially after your review:)

I picked up a Synco D2 recently in a store-damaged outer box for $50 last week! Best value purchase ever... it even gives my TLM103 a severe run for its money! Mostly using it for cartoon voice acting, imitating commercial-style promo ad parodies. We couldn't be more pleased with it!

Pretty amazing. One thing I noticed was a pretty big sonic difference...in the Sennheiser's favor...of how crisp it still was, while the Synco sounded a bit muddier. Even with the windscreen option. Very cool though. I'll let the budget-minded know about it!

Wow that's impressive ! I tried listening with good headphones, and through studio monitors I could not hear a difference except with the foam cover.

For a channel dedicated to microphones and audio recording booths the camera and lightning quality are stellar

Waiting for my new Synco D1 arriving... can't wait 👍

Going to be testing this baby on an audiobook Tuesday. Never heard of this company. Thanks for the review, Mike.

Mike, BIG THANK YOU, after this video I purchased the Synco Mic and it sounds awsome! Now me friend recorded a meditation using it and it sounds absolutely awsome. Thank you for this great video, it helped us very much. Best Wishes

Wondefull Synco Mic D2... And affordable price! Thank you for review Booth Junkie :) I even can use this for my Hot Wheels reviews

I love this. Thanks for saving me future money!

I just got the mic a few days ago. It’s so good!

I appreciate you doing these

Thanks for the demo, however, it would've been cool to hear the Synco pop filter on the Sennheiser as well. The fact that I can hear such an audible difference with its use over a RU-vid recording is quite telling.

Excellent comparison my friend, good job I'll consider your analysis. Greetings from Lima, Peru

Brilliant !!! o boy happy Black Friday !!!

good call on the Octo. just ordered one.

already had the 416 but needed a second mic and bought the Synco Mic D2 based on this and other reviews. Definitely an excellent mic thus far.

My Thoughts: The 416 has much more clarity in the 2-5k range, which will make all the difference when you add a music bed to your VO. Also, watch the video from 6:08 and you'll see the spectrogram reveals quite a bit of frequency variation between the two mics. Finally, the D-2 has (to me) an unpleasant, "tinny" (or metallic) sound that becomes more and more obvious as the video progresses. That being said, does it matter for most people? Probably not. Save $750 buck and get yourself the D-2. Then take that $750 and invest it in a Grace 101 mic pre ;)

Thanks Mike. I was hoping to hear something about proximity effect? And what if any gain settings you had between the two? Impressive mic and honestly I want to use one but I feel this is more a quick first impression than full review video.

I don't own the 416 but I do own the MKE600, I will definitely buy the D2. Great video Mike and great job Synco!

My take is that due to their different cardioid patterns the two mics sound quite different once screens were in place. The D2 almost sounds like volume level dropped (but still excellent). Without screens the difference is very small and should be easy to compensate in post if desired.

As others have mentioned I also hear a bit more highs from the 416 but I actually think I prefer the sound of the Synco. Anyway, the difference is negligible. Synco makes some good stuff. When I need a shotgun mic this will be definitely be on my shortlist.

The Synco sounds great and has a mostly flat response. However there is a boost in the 500Hz range that makes it sound a tad bit tinny if not EQ'd. Great mic for the price!

Yes, I noticed. The "puh" sounds are not present when using the Sennheiser but when using the Synco the "puh" sounds are present. But the noise floor and the timbre of your voice was otherwise, to my ears, identical. Thank you for the review! Huge thumbs up and like!

More HF in the 416, seems obvious to me. I'd be interested to hear the Synco with a high shelf boost to see if it takes it nicely. Both sound good though - I might buy a synco

I got the synco D2 too. Great mic

Thanks for this video! I purchased the Synco based on this video :) testing out a shotgun mic in my studio without having to spend $1000 on a mic that I know will deliver :)

hey i have the mkh416 p48u and a quartet, but i cannot get this type of clarity without post. What would be some of the settings I would be looking for

Oh Mike thank you so much for showing this mic. I’ve been using the sm7b for a year and love it for voice over and always pined for the mk416 and wanted a mic for film use and vo for youtube vids and this D2, damn I’m ordering it this weekend.

Just ordered it together with the blimb. I will use it for my Intros and recording Car audio

Yup. I ordered one just now. Canadian price waay more. But, that's the way of the world Looking forward to trying it out on audiobooks. Cheers!

Nice review... But I would really like to see how it compares with side rejection of the 416...

Thank you, Mike!

after watching this review atleast 6 times and finding it on sale at a price that made it necessary to purchase this afternoon ($169.00) looking to get into vo , thank you for this review

*I already have a Senn 416, but this would make a great back-up mic !!!*

Love it mike. Thank you

The differences are definitely more pronounced with the included wind protection on - Synco is darker through that foam/velvet stuff, but could be easily EQ'd.

For that price, sound really good!

But 416 sounds basier and a little cleaner, doesn't it? At least on my K712 pro's. And I'm still not sure which one was with the gray dot but that one was basier and cleaner. But not $750 different, that's for sure!

Awesome review and you tricked me for sure up front. Long time fan of the 416 for VO, acoustic guitar, cello. It works great in a live sound setting as well. Everyone should have a pair. But now I think I'll get ma a Synco!

nice job Synco!

Have you tried the Sennheiser 8060? One of the sound engineers at SAG's DFL Lab hipped me to it and... OMG! Amazing sound!

For me the synco sounds more dull and bassier, they sound almost exact the same but i still like the mkh 416 better cause it sounds more clear in my ears. Great video love it man! what an intro too !!!!!!!!!!!

I do think the 416 sounds a bit more crisp, but it’s super subtle. Kind of insane that synco could get this close on that budget

question: Which one would you recommend for someone with a very small "booth" and potentially for singing on top of voiceover work, the Synco d-12 or TZAudio Stellar X2? And why would you choose one or the other? Thank you, love your vids

Hi, Mike :) Thank you for all your videos and amazing work!!! I was wondering if you recall what kind of processing did you use on this test for the Synco mic? Thank you :)

Subscribed and bought. Thank you!!

It's hard to tell a difference at first because your voice is so well-controlled. But I started noticing a strong muddiness in the Synco. You could probably EQ a good chunk of that out, but I've never had the best of luck with that. The Synco is absolutely great to get started with if you can't find any great deals on a 416.

Really good comparison - thank you for such detail! My only concern would be that both (?) mics popped quite badly at times (Listening on B&W monitors) But possibly due to positioning for the purposes of comparison. In your day to day use, did you fine one was more poppy than the other may I ask?

I'm just waiting for Mike to come back with a "Gotchya" follow-up, telling us that in fact he played another trick and that the dot was really the other way round, and all the commenters who rallied behind the 416 were really talking up the Synco! 😁

Hi Mike, Thank you so much for your great content, I've learned so much from you. I have a 4ft x 5ft home closet studio. Is there any downside or disadvantages to getting a 15ft XLR cable? I was just thinking 15ft might be good to have, or am I being stupid. Once again, I love your content. Stay safe

Great video mike, can you compare the D2 against a similarly priced mic such as a rode ntg2?

Hey Mike, your videos are always relevant and timeless. Thanks for this one. I'm looking into the Synco mic and this really helped. Question: I can't find that pop filter anywhere. Your link isn't working anymore. Any thoughts on where I can find it now? Thanks!

Hi Mike, I'm looking to get into voice work, but more as a character voice actor. Does the setup you discuss in your videos work for both Voice over and character acting? How do you manage the different levels as you have to emote into the mic?

@boothjunkie Could you please compare deity s-mic 2 with the synco mic d2? I own an s-mic 2 from your previous comparison but while the synco has a lot of plosives, it looks like a strong comparison or addition to my arsenal. Also, an on-location test would be great!

Thanks Mike, just found my travel mic!

Hi Mike, got mine today, and it sounds pretty damn good. Though not too sure about the noise floor, and missing the MK-416 to compare. Did you do a noise floor comparison by any chance? Specs suggest it's the same, but feels a bit high - compared to some of my other condensers which should have a higher noise floor on paper. I don't mind the slight dip ~15kHz, very easy to EQ (a +3dB shelf at 15kHz on the channel strip handles that very well).

Thanks Mike as always for the great videos and knowledge I'm going to get me a Synco Mic-D2... Now get yourself a microphone and go record something amazing!

I love the tone... and the price.