Question 1

Which microphone won in your $100 vs $350 mic comparison?

Accepted Answer

I didn’t call an official “winner” because the whole point was to let you hear it and decide with your own ears. Some of you actually preferred the AT2020 even after I switched to the Lewitt RAY. I was more interested in whether the price difference truly shows up in the sound.

Question 2

How did you make the test fair between the AT2020 and Lewitt RAY?

Accepted Answer

I ran both mics directly into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen and recorded into Studio One. I used the exact same XLR cable and aligned the capsules on the same axis so distance wasn’t cheating the results. Most importantly, I matched their gain in my DAW with a metering plugin so the levels were exactly the same.

Question 3

Did you use EQ, compression, or any post-processing on the recordings?

Accepted Answer

Nope—no post-processing at all. Normally I’d add a little compression to contain dynamics for YouTube, but I left everything raw. I wanted it to be an equal playing field so you’re hearing what the mics actually sound like.

Question 4

What distance should I record vocals at with a condenser mic like these?

Accepted Answer

In my opinion the sweet spot is around 6 inches off the capsule. You’re not too close, but you’re not too far, so it captures your voice evenly and you’re not drowning in room sound. Once you start backing up to 12 inches and beyond, you’re going to hear more ambience because these are sensitive condensers.

Question 5

Why does the audio get more “roomy” when you move farther away?

Accepted Answer

Because both of these are condenser microphones, they’re going to pick up more of the room the farther you get from the capsule. At around 12 inches and especially at 2 feet, you’ll hear more ambience and you’ll also need more gain to hit a proper level. That’s just how it goes when you’re not close-miking.

Question 6

Is the Audio-Technica AT2020 still worth it in 2025 for budget vocals?

Accepted Answer

Yeah, the AT2020 is still a legendary $100 mic for a reason. In this comparison, some people even liked it more than the more expensive mic on my voice. If you’re trying to get pro sound on a budget, it’s hard to ignore what it can do for the money.

Question 7

Why are you continuing to use the Lewitt RAY even if the AT2020 sounds better to some people?

Accepted Answer

Because the RAY has that Aura feature, and in my opinion it’s a game changer. That one feature makes a big enough difference in real-world use that I’m keeping it as my regular mic going forward. Even if the AT2020 is your preferred tone on my voice, the RAY’s feature set is what wins me over.

Crazy $100 Microphone Up Against $350 Microphone! This Shocked Me!

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