Earthworks ETHOS Broadcast Condenser Microphone (Stainless Steel)

Not in the Box

• Essential XLR Cables (Not Included)

Crisp, clear and consistent

I swapped out the Shure SM7B for this because it took too much to drive it (I used a Cloudlifter) and the results were inconsistent and just okay, at best. I had read about this mic being similar in build, but a supercardioid condenser mic instead of dynamic. The sound was warm and clear like a dynamic, and no additional switches to fool around with. Just plug in your XLR cable and get to work. I re-recorded all of the podcast episodes (they're short-form) I originally used the SM7B for (none of which sounded the same), and finally got the pro-grade sound and consistency I wanted! I'm absolutely in love with it - you get what you pay for!

Possibly the best podcasting mic ever made?

This microphone is expensive but it sounds SO GOOD. It's like an RE20 and SM7B merged together with the sweetness of the RE20 but low end of the 7B in a perfect balance. It makes my voice sound great and does me a lot of favors. The build quality is outstanding and it feels super robust. The only minor complaint I have is that the pop filter/foam can fall off kind of easily so if you use this as a guest mic they may tug on it the wrong way and pull it off by accident if it's on a boom arm. If you're looking for a super clean, unique sound this is the Mic for you. It's also very easy to drive with about 25db of gain needed for a healthy signal.

The end game

I was a little skeptical before I bought it. Once I bought this mic, I realized its so good and easy to EQ that all other mics are way behind in the queue. So smooth and warm, doesnt suffer with the deficiencies of a Dynamic microphone, so easy to drive and excellent to EQ.

So smooth and warm--perfect for long form narration

I'm a voice artist and record loads of long form projects (Audiobooks, articles, eLearning, etc.), and this mic works just brilliantly for that use case. It responds incredibly well to EQ, which I apply to brighten the top end frequencies a bit, and with that on the recordings the mic sounds just as good if not better than my Neumann and MKH-416 on certain jobs and auditions. I would even say that it might be the most like me a mic has sounded in my studio. Not to mention it's a beautiful mic to have in front of your face for hours at a time.

Excellent Microphone

At the new price point, this is one of the best broadcast/vo mics in my arsenal, hands down. Crisp, focused, and more portable than an SM7B (or another new favorite of mine, the BP40), the Ethos is a fantastic mic. Avoid the Icon, hoard the Ethos.

A New Standard for Broadcast Mics

This is a broadcast-style microphone (front address), but it is NOT a dynamic mic. It is actually a small-diaphragm condenser microphone with a BIG sound. You get the absolute clarity and detail you'd expect from a small-diaphragm, but if you run it through a tube-based preamp (UA-610B for example), you also get a warm and full sound. To my ears, the clarity and detail are far superior to the SM7B or the RE20, and depending on your preamp, you can obtain that darker, rich sound of the SM7B (great for podcasting) or you can achieve sonic clarity (great for voiceovers). I personally run mine through a Cranborne EC1 preamp into the PreSonus Quantum 2626 interface and into the Studio One 5 Professional DAW. The EC1 can provide total sonic clarity or add a bit of mojo depending on your taste and needs. The only downside of this mic is that if you're looking for background noise rejection, you'd be better off with a dynamic mic (SM7B, RE20, etc.). This is a condenser mic and it shows in its sensitivity. If you have decent acoustic control over your space, I highly recommend the ETHOS for broadcast, podcasts, streaming, and voiceovers.