It's Tuesday and that means it's time for another Podcastage Mic Review. Today I am testing out the Tonor USB Professional Condenser Microphone. From my understanding, this is the SF-666 but upgraded to include a USB cable instead of the 3.5mm cable. We also hear a very different tonality.
This microphone runs about $25 on Amazon, and what you're going to get for that is the Microphone and a mic stand. That's it. The box that it came in is much nicer than the packaging of the SF-666, so it will be a little bit more protected during shipping. There was no spec sheet, which bothers me, but all the information was on amazon.
The frequency response on this mic is 50Hz - 16KHz, so you're going to get the majority of audible frequencies. Amazon states that the microphone also isolates sound, but through my tests, I determined that it is an Omni-Directional microphone, so it will be picking up noise from all directions. That means that you will need to be aware of your surroundings and what is causing noise because chances are, it will be picked up by this microphone. There is also a notice to make sure you do not place the microphone near or towards the wall or power source, as this action will cause buzzing in the microphone.
Pros: This microphone is very cheap at $25. It is also a USB microphone which makes it incredibly easy to set up (if it works). It comes with everything you need. You'll be off the ground and recording once you get it.
Cons: It is a USB mic. I am personally not a fan of USB microphones. I have had one too many bad experiences with these plug and play USB mics that I try to avoid them. However, this mic didn't exhibit any obvious problems. This microphone seemed to lack some of the presence of previous Tonor Mics. There was a slight buzz at certain times. Feels like poor construction.
So overall, I think it's a decent microphone. It's not anything that you'll see in a professional studio, and I don't think it provides audio at a high enough quality when you put it next to it's competitors. For $26 or $27, you can get the Neewer NW-700 and sound a LOT better (you will need a USB audio adapter and a Microphone Stand for this, so it's a bit more expensive, but the sound quality is MUCH better). If you are on a budget, another option would be The SF-920 and a USB Audio Adapter, which will set you back about $20 and you'll get the same, if not better audio quality.
I think that this is a valiant effort by Tonor to improve their microphones, but this one just does not provide enough of a boost in performance to justify the quality.
Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jhJhGT