Open Box RODE NT2000 Variable Pattern Condenser Microphone Level 1

It broke. So why did I give it 5 stars? Because Rode Mics went out of their way to make it right. Before I get into that saga, I will say out right it is a beautiful sounding mic. It has a slight emphasis of the lows and highs and a slight de-emphasis of the mid-range, but I tend to prefer that. I like knowing that I am getting the full spectrum of sound, and then If I choose to run it through the EQ to roll of the lows and highs a little, I can get the exact balance I'm looking for. It's particularly nice knowing that the highs are there should i want them. Now, what truly made my happy with my purchase. I had been using this mic for 3 or 4 years when I realized that I wasn't getting the high frequency clarity that I should be. I did a couple test recordings, compared them to a couple recordings from when I first bought the mic and found that there was a very significant drop in high band frequency response. I went to my paperwork to track down warranty information and was disappointed to find that it only mentioned a one year limited warranty. I decided to contact Rode anyway even though I felt like it was a long shot that they would be willing to help me. I explained my situation, and made it clear that I hadn't mistreated the mic, and in fact that I hardly every even moved it once I got it on my mic stand. A Rode representative got back to me and told me that if I registered the mic on their website I could get access to a ten year warranty that I believe they instituted after I had bought my mic. They wanted the original date of purchase (which I of course could not remember anymore) and the proof of purchase (which I had sense thrown away or lost) to register the mic, but accepted that I could not provide them. There are plenty of electronics companies that would have happily used these as excuses to void the warranty, it you could argue that it wouldn't have been unreasonable, but Rode didn't. They sent me an RA# and address for a service department and had me send it out. Two weeks later I got word that they could not fix my mic and were instead sending me a replacement, brand new and sealed in its box. To me, that is a big deal. Maybe this is the norm in microphones or studio equipment in general, but have dealt with other electronics companies enough to know that this level of customer service is not the norm for everybody. I have since tried to find out if this is a common problem with Rodes, and have found absolutely zero reference to this problem online, so it seems very unlikely that this is a design flaw. The reality is that all electronics will have some non-zero failure rate. It doesn't matter if it's Neumann, MXL, Shure, or Rode, a certain percentage of their units will fail, and I just happened to draw the short straw. What matters is what the manufacturer does about the failures, and Rode's approach was exemplary. I would highly recommend this mic, just make sure you keep your receipt or packing slip, as it will make things easier if something should happen to go wrong.

I purchased this mic about 2 years ago. It is rock solid. you will absolutely love this for a vocal mic, awesome for acoustic gtr too. Dial in a little Omni for vocals, pad about 3 or 4 and get a great beautiful sound. This is a hidden gem.. Far more mic than the price rivals the best in the busines.. I have recorded 2 albums using it on all the vocals.. Will not be sorry.. and the 10 warranty is tops.