I'd say Lewitt LCT 550 sounds much better for Mike's voice than the Neumann TLM 103 does. Rode NT1 and NT1a had pretty similar difference in their sound: NT1a (and TLM 103) makes the voice sound more young, warmer-colored in lower mid tones while reducing the "crunching" mids. LCT550 (and NT1) has more "real harsh life" sound with "older" tones in it.
That's pretty much what I hear, too. The Neumann sounds great but is more pronounced in the midrange. The Lewitt sounds more "real". With a little EQ they might sound the same.
The Lewitt sounds a lot better to me. Richer, and captures details without boosting them. It has more presence throughout the whole spectrum (not just what we call the presence range). I'm very underwhelmed by all the current Neumanns except the TLM 107, but I think they are all over priced. Where the Lewitt 550 really shows it''s value is when using it to mic a grand piano or an upright bass. An upright bass has got to be the hardest thing in the world to mic well, but the Lewitt sounds great, and it outshines the TLM 103 in a HUGE way on a grand piano. Especially since you can put two of them under there and get everything from the body resonance to the string transients beautifully. The TLM 103 really exhibits the downside of it's "signature" or "character" in this application. But, even for VO, the Lewitt has got to be my second favorite. It's definitely at the top of my list of mic purchases. The next mic I buy will be a LCT 550.
Glad to see it reviewed. Before I bought it I had a hard time finding any decent reviews on it, and most local studios didn't have one to try. Lewitt mics in general are great, so even if you can't find a 550 they have others (the 550 is discontinued based on their website). I got mine refurbished from David over at PixelProAudio. Lewitt even has a couple USB mics like the DGT 450. Thanks Mike for another great review!
There’s something about the midrange all Lewitt mics slightly emphasize that I really like. Midrange can sometimes “muddy” the sound or make it nasally depending on the frequency of the midrange being massaged…….for the lack of a better word. I saw a tour of their facility and they are serious about research and development of their mics.
You do a lot of good product reviews. And there were several good DYI home booth videos. But would you consider vocal warm up and speaking vids? How to relax and open the throat for a deeper and more resonant voice. That sort of stuff.
Lewitt just released the LCT 540 S. It's suppose to even capture frequencies bellow human hearing. I'm not sure what use that would be good for but they do make good sounding mics
They do not claim that. They claim the self noise is below the human hearing Threshold. Sony claims they can record up to 50 kHz, which is just stupid.
Mike hey. I have the Sennheiser MD 421ii if you haven't done any reviews on it before. I haven't even used it. It's still brand new in the hard case it shipped in. I got it last month
Hey, Mike. Through my Senn's, I find the TLM was smoother. Now another way to describe the diffs is that the LCT sounded more resonant. There was more texture there that wasn't smoothed out by the TLM......almost like it was reacting quicker than the TLM, therefore, more rises and falls of texture. I also thought the LCT has a more metallic sound from 3-5 mHz. Thanks for this!
I didn't realize the joke about hearing the mouse fart was legit a thing until my professor in my sound design class made the same joke a few days ago while talking about the mics we'd be using to make our radio play
Hi Booth Junkie!!!! I would love if you try the Apollo Twin from universal audio to review the softwarre plugin emulation of the most classics preamps.
I love the looks of lewitt mics and they sound good. I actually make music (rap) all the mics you reviewed what would you recommend most for a deep voice who makes rap music? I’m not sure if you’ll answer this or not but figured I’d ask just in case I’m having trouble trying to find a mic around $300 that’s suitable for what I do
Added engineering, attention to detail, feature rich, and loaded with bells and whistles. We jokingly call that "pre-recession production quality"! Lol. No wonder it's discontinued!
Fairly reasonable used prices on those LCT 550's, and sounds great to boot. It looks as if they have a nice selection new on their website, so that's a plus. *NOTE* Mike, I sent you an Email, hoping to hear back from you soon. :)
I did catch a little boominess at one point (7:22) in the Lewitt but you were entirely eating it. I thought these two were a great compare. Also, looking for opinion of AT-2035 as an entry level “professional” quality mic? My studio is on a budget and I try to multi-purpose as much as possible. The application I’m looking at the 2035 is for both speaking and singing vocals. I’ve also heard it is very nice on acoustic stringed instruments.
I do promo VOs for ABC TV in Australia & one of the audio guys brings in his AT 2035 for our sessions because it requires less EQ than the regular B&K/DPA mic we use. Sounds fine! I recently recommended it for a colleague setting up a home VO setup
*Sinéad O'Connor should have used this mic on her song called "Troy". It is the only song that I know of, where the vocal was so strong, so powerful, that no amount of post production could remove her clipping !!! Take a listen to the song, you'll hear what I mean.*
Hey Mike, noticed on a couple of your recent videos there's a super low hum that i only hear when I'm listening with my iems. Did someone turn off your HPF? lovin your work man - seriously the best channel for VO gear heads like me!!
It's been so cold here that it is probable that the furnace in my house kicks in during the video. It's separated by three walls, but that deep bass note is hard to stop. I'll make sure I turn off the furnace in future videos.
In my opinion the Neumann TLM 103 is brighter, richer and fuller. It seemed to have more of a dynamic range - brighter on the high end, and richer on the low end...
I wonder if that's the Neumann that I saw got damaged while setting up a drum micing setup back in the late 90's..... cause the damage matches the one that wasn't destroyed.... So I can at least assume how it happened....
Hey Mike, have you considered reviewing microphones that would be used by gamers and streamers? For example the Blue Yeti, Snowball, Razer Siren etc. Since those mics appeal to a large segment of the microphone market you could get a lot of views, and provide actual professional insight. Insight that "jack of all trades" tech channels cannot provide
Borium Hiya. He has reviewed USB microphones. If you go and look at his playlists there is a playlist that includes the sorts of mics you are after. Cheers.
Just found an “open Box” 550 from a huge retailer for $449! Daddy’s happy. Huge audition coming up, let’s see if stalking you has paid off!!! Thank you sir for all your videos...... What do I owe you? 😜👍😜👍
U r from the greatest out there! But i think u should review the Blue Spark SL , Blackout because black looks better LOL , that mic is the best in 200$ budget! , can u review?
Hey BoothJunkie! love the vids, been following you around for a while now. your voice calms life forms. so thats that. I have the HEDD type 07, very clear monitors, however I don't hear much difference between these mics. thanks for the review tho!
That is almost exactly the opposite of Brownian Motion. Funnily, this was the subject of one of Einstein’s 1905 Physics papers, others being Special Relativity and Quantum theory.
@@QuantumGamingUploads I use the most comersial, good ol' Rode nt1 and nt1a, and it sounds exactly as I want it for my voice :) maybe only electro voice re320 would satisfy me better
@@ElindorBG Rode NT1 is ok. I used to have it. It didn't like it a lot as it had a bit too much low end for my liking but for the price it was ok. Yoy can't compare that to tlm 103 though. Even the lewit lct 440 pure and tlm 102 destroys the Rode NT1 with ease. Cant compete with these mics as good as it may sound. Re 20 or 320 yes they are fantastic mics that can be the last mics you will even need. I have never owned a re20 but I have tried one for like 10 min and it sounder super clear and highly detailed on my voice. I preferred it to the tlm 102 or 103.
Hey Mike, thanks for the great review! Would you like to test our new LCT 540 S ;)?
LEWITT Mike helped me buy the lewitt. I purchased the 640 TS last week and I'm so in love!
If he doesn't, we sure would, Lewitt!
Slegna Hey, where did you get it from new?
John Ngatho A trust dealer Lewitt hands off their products to sell. Located on their website as trusted dealers.
Mike was the reason I bought the Lewitt 550 today over the Cad e 100s
I bought the LCT440, partly from your excellent reviews. Thanks for all the info you're putting out there. Also I just like watching you in the booth.
I'd say Lewitt LCT 550 sounds much better for Mike's voice than the Neumann TLM 103 does. Rode NT1 and NT1a had pretty similar difference in their sound: NT1a (and TLM 103) makes the voice sound more young, warmer-colored in lower mid tones while reducing the "crunching" mids.
LCT550 (and NT1) has more "real harsh life" sound with "older" tones in it.
That's pretty much what I hear, too. The Neumann sounds great but is more pronounced in the midrange. The Lewitt sounds more "real". With a little EQ they might sound the same.
The Lewitt sounds a lot better to me. Richer, and captures details without boosting them. It has more presence throughout the whole spectrum (not just what we call the presence range). I'm very underwhelmed by all the current Neumanns except the TLM 107, but I think they are all over priced. Where the Lewitt 550 really shows it''s value is when using it to mic a grand piano or an upright bass. An upright bass has got to be the hardest thing in the world to mic well, but the Lewitt sounds great, and it outshines the TLM 103 in a HUGE way on a grand piano. Especially since you can put two of them under there and get everything from the body resonance to the string transients beautifully. The TLM 103 really exhibits the downside of it's "signature" or "character" in this application. But, even for VO, the Lewitt has got to be my second favorite. It's definitely at the top of my list of mic purchases. The next mic I buy will be a LCT 550.
I'd like to hear that Lewitt compared to a 414, which has been my go to for years now. Enjoy the vids man!
I did'nt expect to hear you talking of physics. Now I can hear the air's Brownian motion all around.
Glad to see it reviewed. Before I bought it I had a hard time finding any decent reviews on it, and most local studios didn't have one to try. Lewitt mics in general are great, so even if you can't find a 550 they have others (the 550 is discontinued based on their website). I got mine refurbished from David over at PixelProAudio. Lewitt even has a couple USB mics like the DGT 450. Thanks Mike for another great review!
Thank you Randall! Been dying to see Mike test out a Lewitt. I want one of those real bad!
There’s something about the midrange all Lewitt mics slightly emphasize that I really like. Midrange can sometimes “muddy” the sound or make it nasally depending on the frequency of the midrange being massaged…….for the lack of a better word. I saw a tour of their facility and they are serious about research and development of their mics.
You do a lot of good product reviews. And there were several good DYI home booth videos. But would you consider vocal warm up and speaking vids? How to relax and open the throat for a deeper and more resonant voice. That sort of stuff.
Lewitt just released the LCT 540 S. It's suppose to even capture frequencies bellow human hearing. I'm not sure what use that would be good for but they do make good sounding mics
They do not claim that. They claim the self noise is below the human hearing Threshold. Sony claims they can record up to 50 kHz, which is just stupid.
your dog will love it! is a dog-friendly company you know! 😜😅
Mike hey. I have the Sennheiser MD 421ii if you haven't done any reviews on it before. I haven't even used it. It's still brand new in the hard case it shipped in. I got it last month
yes. TLM sounds much warmer and better. Lewitt sounds as you said flat, imho it is for music recording not for voiceover.
Thank you for these high quality and very educational series!
Hey, Mike. Through my Senn's, I find the TLM was smoother. Now another way to describe the diffs is that the LCT sounded more resonant. There was more texture there that wasn't smoothed out by the TLM......almost like it was reacting quicker than the TLM, therefore, more rises and falls of texture. I also thought the LCT has a more metallic sound from 3-5 mHz. Thanks for this!
I didn't realize the joke about hearing the mouse fart was legit a thing until my professor in my sound design class made the same joke a few days ago while talking about the mics we'd be using to make our radio play
Hi Booth Junkie!!!! I would love if you try the Apollo Twin from universal audio to review the softwarre plugin emulation of the most classics preamps.
I didn't know Mark Hamill had a youtube channel lol
the 550 is sweet
Feature-wise, the LCT 540 S seems to be the successor to this mic.
I love the looks of lewitt mics and they sound good. I actually make music (rap) all the mics you reviewed what would you recommend most for a deep voice who makes rap music? I’m not sure if you’ll answer this or not but figured I’d ask just in case I’m having trouble trying to find a mic around $300 that’s suitable for what I do
Rode NT1
@@Hayal1337 I have it, and I like it don’t get me wrong but it’s just not doin me the way I need.
Great review Mike!
Added engineering, attention to detail, feature rich, and loaded with bells and whistles. We jokingly call that "pre-recession production quality"! Lol. No wonder it's discontinued!
Their new LCT 540 S is the follow up model, I find them to be very similar. Definitely love mine.
The Lewits always reminded me of an upgraded version of an akg c214 which I hate the sound of that mic but the lct 550 has a better high-end for sure
Auto attenuation is my new must-have !!!
_Well...there goes a new 4k monitor!_
I feel like the differences between these microphones are pretty slight. Both of these microphones sound just fantastic.
Fairly reasonable used prices on those LCT 550's, and sounds great to boot. It looks as if they have a nice selection new on their website, so that's a plus.
*NOTE* Mike, I sent you an Email, hoping to hear back from you soon. :)
I did catch a little boominess at one point (7:22) in the Lewitt but you were entirely eating it. I thought these two were a great compare. Also, looking for opinion of AT-2035 as an entry level “professional” quality mic? My studio is on a budget and I try to multi-purpose as much as possible. The application I’m looking at the 2035 is for both speaking and singing vocals. I’ve also heard it is very nice on acoustic stringed instruments.
I do promo VOs for ABC TV in Australia & one of the audio guys brings in his AT 2035 for our sessions because it requires less EQ than the regular B&K/DPA mic we use. Sounds fine! I recently recommended it for a colleague setting up a home VO setup
Bill Weaver thanks so much for your experience with the 2035, appreciated!
*Sinéad O'Connor should have used this mic on her song called "Troy". It is the only song that I know of, where the vocal was so strong, so powerful, that no amount of post production could remove her clipping !!! Take a listen to the song, you'll hear what I mean.*
0dB noise. I have a mike somewhere that lives up to this standard. Unfortunately, I am not able to get any signal from it. Maybe dead?
Hey Mike, noticed on a couple of your recent videos there's a super low hum that i only hear when I'm listening with my iems. Did someone turn off your HPF? lovin your work man - seriously the best channel for VO gear heads like me!!
It's been so cold here that it is probable that the furnace in my house kicks in during the video. It's separated by three walls, but that deep bass note is hard to stop. I'll make sure I turn off the furnace in future videos.
Hey
Could you make a review on the Rode NTR Ribbon Mic? Or give me advice on it
In my opinion the Neumann TLM 103 is brighter, richer and fuller. It seemed to have more of a dynamic range - brighter on the high end, and richer on the low end...
They just released its successor the LCT 540 S . Should have tried that...
When you receive mics for testing, do you ever use them in your professional gigs?
Hello! Can you please make rode nt USB rewiew?
I wonder if that's the Neumann that I saw got damaged while setting up a drum micing setup back in the late 90's..... cause the damage matches the one that wasn't destroyed.... So I can at least assume how it happened....
m audio nova the older silver version thats the most bad ass cheap mic
Damn it haha and just bought another mic you had recommended haha! Good video!
Oh wait haha the price is what??? I'm fine with my setup ;)
Now I want a Lewitt!
I'm starting in this world, and I thought of doing a booth with pvc tubes and towels. Will that work for now?
Towels probably wont be enough, unless you have, like, 50 towels. Quilts would work better if you have them.
Booth Junkie ok perfect. Thanks for answering!
A slate is the term you were looking for... ;)
Hey Mike, have you considered reviewing microphones that would be used by gamers and streamers? For example the Blue Yeti, Snowball, Razer Siren etc. Since those mics appeal to a large segment of the microphone market you could get a lot of views, and provide actual professional insight. Insight that "jack of all trades" tech channels cannot provide
Borium Hiya. He has reviewed USB microphones. If you go and look at his playlists there is a playlist that includes the sorts of mics you are after.
Cheers.
Just found an “open Box” 550 from a huge retailer for $449! Daddy’s happy. Huge audition coming up, let’s see if stalking you has paid off!!!
Thank you sir for all your videos......
What do I owe you? 😜👍😜👍
How did it go
Love the video! (as usual)
The LCT 550 is no longer available from Lewitt and looks like any stock is old.
Mike could you make a review on TZ stellar x2 vintage? on Podcastage's video it is very warm .
Spelt review wrong in the thumbnail, in case you haven't seen it yet.
*Spelled
It looks a lot like the e100s.
U r from the greatest out there!
But i think u should review the Blue Spark SL , Blackout because black looks better LOL , that mic is the best in 200$ budget! , can u review?
If I can get my hands on one I sure will!
Should I get the TONOR BM-700 or the Neewer BM-800?
They are essentialy the same chinese mics :)
BM-700
It is essentially the same microphone, small differences... But you would not notice a large difference so go with price.
Hey BoothJunkie! love the vids, been following you around for a while now. your voice calms life forms. so thats that.
I have the HEDD type 07, very clear monitors, however I don't hear much difference between these mics. thanks for the review tho!
Did this company die? The product is no longer available at the usual places.
I want one... taobao - 5399 rmb wow! Pricey.
I wish I knew a quarter of what you know.
It's called an orchestral whip
13:21
LOL
LMAO the asterisk is more low key brag by the microphone makers
Man I wish you were a bit louder, got you on max volume and it sounds like regular talking volume..
I find LCT550 more present vs lazy character of TLM103.
Love your vids but u have so much compression on your voice i can see the air getting compressed
Want stero to sound the same... record in mono. Done.
That expensive holy shoot
air that is always moving...
*wind, it's just wind.*
That is almost exactly the opposite of Brownian Motion. Funnily, this was the subject of one of Einstein’s 1905 Physics papers, others being Special Relativity and Quantum theory.
0db isn't actually 0 it can goes negative.
Those mics are so quiet we can hear your "brownies in motion."
1100$ for a microphone ? why ? it does not even sound special ... 200$ microphone sounds the same if not even better ....
Do they? What $200 mic you have bought that matches the tlm 103? Just so we can get it as well.
@@QuantumGamingUploads I use the most comersial, good ol' Rode nt1 and nt1a, and it sounds exactly as I want it for my voice :) maybe only electro voice re320 would satisfy me better
@@ElindorBG Rode NT1 is ok. I used to have it. It didn't like it a lot as it had a bit too much low end for my liking but for the price it was ok. Yoy can't compare that to tlm 103 though. Even the lewit lct 440 pure and tlm 102 destroys the Rode NT1 with ease. Cant compete with these mics as good as it may sound. Re 20 or 320 yes they are fantastic mics that can be the last mics you will even need. I have never owned a re20 but I have tried one for like 10 min and it sounder super clear and highly detailed on my voice. I preferred it to the tlm 102 or 103.
@@QuantumGamingUploads Yes it sounds clear, and Its a perfect mike, thats why its at the top of my wish list ^^
With the claim that company makes, it is a horrible company.
A mouse fast three houses over, huh?