ubiquitous. such a big word. I do soccer announcing through the RE320 every weekend. I still want an RE27, but the SE V7 showed up in your reviews. You're an absolute resource for us in the voice business. Thanks Bandrew for all you do!
The RE27 is an interesting microphone. In a vacuum, it sounds really boosted and crunchy if you're expecting a smooth, neutral sound. If you're speaking over program audio like background music or crowd noise at a soccer game, the RE27 really cuts through and puts you on top of the mix. Especially on small speakers like cell phones or FM radio, where the RE20 and SM7B can sound dull and washed out without EQ. All that said, when I use my RE27 I engage the HF rolloff switch to smooth out the sound.
Love this quick and dirty comparison, Bandrew. I recently picked up an EV 664, simply because it looks so dang cool. But I was surprised to find that it's actually usable. Then again, considering that the RE20 was introduced only a few years after the 664 went out of production there shouldn't be as big a gap as I thought. I have a fairly resonant bass-heavy voice and normally use an RE320, which I'm quite happy with, although of all the mics I've tried my voice sounds best to my ears on the Rode NT1 5th Gen.
I've always thought your voice sounds really good on the RE20, and this video is no exception. I completely agree with your comments on the RE27ND.. To me, in order of preference on this test.. RE20, RE320, RE520, then RE27ND
Upon hearing all the mics, the RE20 sounded like there was a lot of lower mids that I would EQ out to sound more even (when compared to the others). The last mic sounded better than I thought it would, but they all sounded decent.
I mentioned the RE27 N/D (the last mic tested) because Marquez Brownlee uses it in his podcast (at least the one episode I watched) and it didn't sound good at all, especially when compared to the other two people on the podcast, who were using (you guessed it!) Shure SM7B mics, which are way more bassy and less tinny in comparison.
To my ears, the RE-20 sounds best. I used it at at least a dozen radio stations where it has been the go-to mic for decades. Electro-Voice earned that status with a flattering (particularly for male voices) sound that takes EQ beautifully and is very easy to listen to.
Very handy video. The RW520 sounds just smooth, but compared to the RE320 and RE20 it misses the umpf in the bass area, the RE320 sounds nice and RE20 ... has a nice sizzle and is even smoother, but is kind of sibilant with you. The RE27 hurts my ears a bit. Having said this: a voice like mine (lives more in the bass area and less mids) sounds pretty good with the RE320. So, great! Now I need to try the RE20 and the RE520! Grrr 😅😉
Not actually from earth but have used the RE20 for a while and have zero reason to look elsewhere. I'd like to see you do a review of mic's in the same price range and class that you think are better. My mom says it makes my voice sound great.
I'm biased in favor of the RE20 as everybody knows, but the RE520 ain't bad at all either. These two mics definitely sound the most smooth and natural of the bunch so no surprise they're my top picks. The 320 is a bit on the harsh side, but the RE27... Words cannot begin to describe how artificial and harsh that mic is. There are very few mics I would call objectively bad, the RE27 is one of them. At least in its normal mode, it's okay with the high cut but at that point just save $50 and get the RE20.
From multiple vids over the years, I get that you're biased against the RE27, but if you wanna farm content with it, why not demo its features rather that leave its settings "neutral" for every review you've done?
