Audio-Technica AE5400 Cardioid Microphone

This is a great mic, a definite step up from the Audix vx-5 which I own. The AE5400 is heavier, the sound signature is clear, low end is superb, super quiet noise floor, and high gain. You just have to make sure to stay an inch away from the grill, as it can get explosives. It is like owning a studio condenser that you can hold in your hand and make recordings with, buy one!!!

Just used my new AE-5400 last night for the first time. I was using an old Shure SM-58 for the longest time, but I decided to step it up a bit with a condenser. I've used condenser mics before, but only in the studio, never for live performances. All I can say is "WOW"... What a fantastic microphone. The range is supurb, and the sound is warm and very musical. I should have bought this a long, long, time ago. The difference is that great. I was concerned about feedback during a live performance, but with this mic, that's not a problem. It looks like it's very well constructed. Time will tell as far as dependability. I am totally, one hundred percent satisfied, and then some...

I needed a solid, quality vocal microphone primarily for gigging and to a much lesser degree to do some home recording. I was willing to invest a significant dollar amount to get a mic that had the features and sound capabilities I wanted. I had a few no-compromise requirements and this microphone was one of the few that met them all. The mic had to be sensitive so that I did not have to overly push my voice or swallow the thing to be heard or cut through. Even though sensitivity was necessary, a reasonable amount feedback avoidance was also needed. I wanted a flat response across the board (check the mic's response graph) and the fact that you could set a switch to roll off the lows was icing on the cake. It has a triple layer of protection; beginning with the exterior wind screen and two metal web coverings internally surrounding the diaphram. Vocal pick-up and reproduction was outstanding with no trace of mud or other coloration in the sound. A little pricier than other quality gigging mics, but well worth it to me. It just performs fabulously. The only other gigging mic that also met all my requirements was made by Neumann at about twice the cost. The Neumann was my first choice, but the AE5400 was so close in capability/sound that at half the price I was perfectly satisfied with it. Only feature it didn't have that I wanted was an on/off switch, but this can be addressed with a switch-embedded XLR mic cable. I'm extremely happy with this mic and give it an unqualified two thumbs up!