Off-Brand vs Name-Brand Microphones

The question I get asked more than almost any other question is are the off-brand mics you review just as good as the name brand ones? So today, on a small scale, I wanted to put that to the test and the results might surprise you. I’ve picked three notable name brand microphones including: The RODE NT1 Signature Series ($159.00) The Shure SM58 ($109.00) The RODE PodMic ($99.00) And in the off-brand mic category I’ve chosen: MOVO’s VSM-7 ($124.95) Behringer XM8500 ($19.90) Fifine Tank1 ($129.99) RODE NT1 SS: https://amzn.to/3HlvjE1 MOVO VSM-7: https://amzn.to/3HE2Hpm RODE PodMic: https://amzn.to/43v7oug Fifine Tank1: https://amzn.to/4juG585 Shure SM58: https://amzn.to/3HnXIck Behringer XM8500: https://amzn.to/43reArm First up we have the RODE NT1 Signature Series. This mic costs $159.00 and is built to perfection. And here's what it sounds like with no processing going through the RODECaster Video. How do you like the sound of the NT-1 Signature Series (which to me is an absolute steal at $159.00 USD Now I’m on the MOVO VSM-7 to get a direct comparison to the RODE NT-1 Signature Series. At the end of the video I’ll give you my thoughts because I want to edit with my over-the-ear headphones and get a much better idea of the sound difference between each of the mics. It’s time to switch gears to the legendary Shure SM58. While I’m no singer, there are many podcasters who use the SM58 for podcasting. In fact, I have several friends who prefer it to the SM7B. I don’t know if it’s because it costs a quarter of the price of the SM7B or if they truly believe it sounds better. It’s time to switch to the Behringer XM8500. A good friend of the channel (who has since passed away) encouraged me to buy the XM8500. But since I didn’t purchase it prior to his passing, this is the first time I’ve even plugged the mic in and used it on or off camera. So this one is for him. How does the XM8500 stack up to the Shure SM58 when it comes to spoken word (since I’m no singer)? I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts. Quickly before we get to the final matchup, I think that what has been an issue with the “off-brand” podcast equipment is that up until recent years, they really didn’t have a track record of quality. Now that some of these companies have been selling stuff on the market for several years, and have numerous products, you are able to get a sense of built quality and durability. Oftentimes, someone is buying the Shure SM58 or SM7B because there’s a track record of those mics being rock-solid for decades. Even if you buy them used there’s a certain confidence when picking brands like Shure, and RODE. In the first matchup where the off-brand mic costs more than the comparable name-brand mic we have the RODE PodMic. While the build quality can’t be nitpicked, how do you like the sound of the RODE PodMic? I’ve always found the sound to be pretty flat and in need of some post-processing. So let’s switch over to the “off-brand” microphone and see how it stacks up. Our final mic is the Fifine Tank1. This microphone has an exception build coming in slightly heavier than RODE’s PodMic. If you haven’t seen my review of the Tank1 I’ll include a link to it in the description. I really like the sound of this microphone and find myself putting it on the boom a lot since my initial review. But what do you think about this mic’s sound? Chime in in the comments. I’m going go dig into the edit and give you my honest unfiltered thoughts. After editing this video I listened as critically as I possibly could and here are my results. NT1 Signature Series vs. MOVO VSM-7 RODE PodMic vs. Fifine Tank1 Shure SM58 vs. Behringer XM8500 Do you agree with my assessment or do you have a different take? Let me know in the comments.