NEAT Microphones Neat King Bee II - Cardioid Large Diaphragm True Condenser Microphone includes Shock Mount and Pop Filter, for Vocal Recording, Podcasting, and Streaming, XLR Output - Black

I've been using microphones for three decades now. I've used plenty of condensers, from the cheap and nasty import all the way up to the Shure KSM9HS condenser capsule on my Shure UHF-R wireless set. When compared directly to the KSM9HS—which retails for over $700 and is a direct competitor to the Neumann KK105—the King Bee II is so much better that I wish they'd find a way to engineer a cartridge with the sound profile of the King Bee II for my wireless handheld.Most of the time I'm using my King Bee II, I'm on the air doing live streaming broadcasts. Running flat EQ through my Yamaha MG12XU mixing console (with 48V phantom power enabled, which this microphone requires to operate correctly), I almost sound authoritative enough to know what I'm supposed to be doing. Self-noise is incredibly low as advertised, and the sound I get from the mic is clear and full. I'd describe the lows as fat but not muddy. Unlike a lot of cheaper condensers, the highs on the King Bee II are balanced and avoid the shrillness in the mid-high area.To eliminate background noise, I opt to run my signal chain through a DBX 286s microphone processor. I do add a little compression and frequency enhancement, but it doesn't take much because the King Bee already sounds great on its own.So the gate on the DBX doesn't have to be cranked as hard, I usually stay about 3" or so off the mic. I was initially using the included pop filter—which is great quality and attaches firmly to the grille of the microphone—but the slight coloration the Neat pop filter adds to the sound led me to clip my old reliable gooseneck pop filter to my boom arm instead. That way, I'm not losing the excellent sound quality that draws me into the King Bee in the first place. The shock mount is solid and securely locks the mic into place so you can let it hang at any angle without worrying it will come crashing down to the ground.When it comes to boom arms, the King Bee is every bit as heavy as advertised, and the cheapy $20 arms just aren't going to cut it. You may as well go ahead and plan to buy a Rode PSA-1 or something similar. It's going to cost you a bit of money, but it's a solid mounting system that isn't going to buckle in on itself under the King Bee's weight. It will also protect your microphone for many years to come.The King Bee II might lack the flashiness of the old King Bee. It might not come with the same accessories or something to store it in when you're finished with it. It might only retail for $180—but holy cow, am I ever impressed with this microphone. I expected it to be a little better than the Audio-Technica AT2020 and the sE X1A, but I never expected it to sound that much better than a $400 Shure SM7B or a $700 Shure KSM9. However, Neat has shattered my expectations of what I should expect from microphones that are three times as expensive. What they have given us is broadcast-grade quality at a steal of a price.In short, would I recommend the King Bee II? Absolutely! Unless you can find me a better $180 microphone, this one will have my permanent recommendation.P.S.: I'm completely serious when I say I'd love Neat to try their hand at a King Bee-sounding capsule compatible with a Shure wireless handheld microphone. Right now, the sE V7 MC1 is the one to beat. With as excellent as the King Bee sounds for the price, I'd put my money on Neat to make the next SM58 (or even KSM9) killer if they were to do it. Come on guys...please?

First, it's not as cool looking as the original, but I understand. The honeycomb pop filter is kind of awesome. But that's not why we buy microphones.This thing is heavy and well built. The sound quality and noise floor are even better than I expected. It's punching way above its pricetag. My only complaint is that it's so well built that I may have to splurge on a better mic arm for my studio desk.

Edit- Had to take off a star because this mic had a bad hum and when you touch it, the hum is horrible. I'm a musician, producer an engineer and I was so intrigued by the original King Bee microphone. When I tried to find one to test I found out it was discontinued and I didn't want a used one. To my surprise the King Bee 2 released and it was truly worth the wait. This mic is amazing on my voice for sure. Most mics are sibilant and far to bright but this one has a nice dark tone that keeps vocals thick and full with a slight bump in air. I have never had a mic that was so easy to mix with under $1000. Just so you know this thing is huge and heavy so a good stand is a must. If you need a good mic for music, voiceover work, podcast or streaming, and don't want to break the bank; just pull the trigger!Great job Neat!

I started taking vocal lessons recently and bought a kind of cheapo mic from a store in town. It was working okay until a software update completely screwed up my mic settings. The mic had a voice effects option, but I never used the option, hadn't wanted it, and only bought the mic because it was decently priced and pretty much the only one my store had in stock. I didn't think it would matter.Fast forward two months and following a software update, I started my online lesson and found my instructor was completely thrown because I sounded "weird" to him. After several attempts to figure out what was wrong (I wasn't hearing it on my end), I finally had to do my lesson via cell phone and only got 15 minutes' worth of instruction. When I went back and watched the Skype video recordings of our attempts to fix whatever he was hearing, I was absolutely mortified to hear that the update had very obviously applied a random voice effect and made me sound like a cartoon. I also couldn't get the effect turned OFF.That was the event that led me to realize that it was worth the extra bucks to get a MUCH better microphone. After doing a bit of research, I settled on the Neat King Bee II. I'm definitely no expert with microphones and all, and I can only speak to how well this works on Skype for vocal lessons. But so far, it's been fantastic. I imagine it's just as great with podcasts, recordings, or whatever someone wants to do. As this was my first higher end microphone and I'd never used an audio interface, before, I did have to do a bit of research to figure out how to set it up. But it was pretty easy, so I had it up and running fairly quickly. It's been working great and--best of all--I no longer have to worry about audio issues or having my voice unexpectedly start sounding like Yogi Bear. The price was really great as well, and my vocal coach said the audio is "fantastic." Couldn't ask for better.

The sound quality is incredible — super clear, crisp, and natural. It’s perfect for streaming, podcasts, or recording music. The build is solid, and it’s really easy to set up. If you’re looking for a great mic that won’t break the bank, this is definitely worth it! Highly recommend!