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Podnutter
11-11-2013, 05:12 PM
Wow This is the first person I have seen to give the art 2100 a negative review. Jeffrey Powers from Geekazine did a review.
http://www.geekazine.com/special/podcast-microphones-audio-technica-atr2100-vs-atr2500/

mcphillips
11-11-2013, 06:16 PM
Different strokes for different folks.

techzentv
11-14-2013, 09:31 AM
Based on his review of both mics I would not put much stock into his opinion.

Dan Ortego
11-14-2013, 10:37 AM
I watched the video twice and for the life of me I can't see where he gave anything but an entirely objective demonstration. It wasn't negative, and it wasn't overly positive, it was just a demonstration.

techzentv
11-14-2013, 11:07 AM
Videos are blocked where I am so I have not seen that yet, my comments were based on these comments:

The ATR2100 has a range of 50-15,000Hz, so deeper voices will not get a good full range.

(The ATR2500) The range is a little better – 30-15,000 Hz.

also

It’s also a great microphone if you are doing video and don’t want to have the mic visible – then it can sit 1-3 feet away.


It is common practice to roll off everything below 50Hz, for music vocals you should start between 60 and 70. So the fact that it has 20hz more in the low end means nothing. And the 50hz and below does not really have any effect on the deepness of someone's voice.

Also, it is saying that a condenser mic is better for podcasting. If the room is quiet it will work ok. And the comment about being 2 - 3 feet away will just cause really bad room noise to get any decent audio level.

That is the reason I said I would not think much about his review. I am not saying that the ATR2500 is junk or even that the AT2100 is better, I have not done a comparison. I can say that the ATR2100 that I have used does not sound muffled.

Dan Ortego
11-14-2013, 11:14 AM
Not knowing the finer points of those specifications and his associated comments, I relied heavily on the video, which was quite effective in demonstrating how the two microphones differed in sound with the demonstrated distances to the elements.

Your points are well taken all the way around. I've only had one condenser Mic and it was an Apogee MiC, which in my opinion was quite shrill. In fact, I felt the same way with the PR40 (for my voice) so clearly, it is highly subjective as to what a person may prefer with their own particular voice and taste.

techzentv
11-14-2013, 11:29 AM
I look forward to watching the video later, I am curious now. It is pretty typical that condensers are "brighter" than dynamics. I understand what you are saying about the PR40. It's frequency response increases in the higher frequencies. You are an RE20 user right? If you look at the freq response for the RE20 from 50 HZ to 10Khz the gain increase is less than 5db. A pretty nice strait line. The PR40 is almost a 15 db gain increase at 10K.

For most people that would add some clarity but depending on your voice it can also add some sibilance (the ssss whistling sound) and other audio sounds that can be annoying.

Dan Ortego
11-14-2013, 11:36 AM
Hello Mike,
Yes, I do have and like very much the RE20. It's especially nice when mounted with the associated EV shock mount and extended reach boom arm. Even so, I would love to try a different type of mic just because its fun! For me, it takes a while to find the right shoe that fits and so far, what I have I really like. Still, I wish I had it dollar for every other dollar I spent returning gear that I felt that didn't quite work out.

Heck, I just now ordered my third mic pre so I'm hoping this one is the cat's meow. I move very slowly with this stuff because I'm somewhat anal or overly methodical.

I know that you're a microphone collector and if I stick with this I may end up with a few of my own. I would like to have a condenser option just to have something different to play with. I sure do like Andrew's TLM-103 so who knows.

Just a thought but I would love to see a dedicated sub-category in the forum devoted strictly to microphones.

MovieBuff
12-25-2013, 07:00 AM
Videos are blocked where I am so I have not seen that yet, my comments were based on these comments:

The ATR2100 has a range of 50-15,000Hz, so deeper voices will not get a good full range.

(The ATR2500) The range is a little better – 30-15,000 Hz.

also

It’s also a great microphone if you are doing video and don’t want to have the mic visible – then it can sit 1-3 feet away.


It is common practice to roll off everything below 50Hz, for music vocals you should start between 60 and 70. So the fact that it has 20hz more in the low end means nothing. And the 50hz and below does not really have any effect on the deepness of someone's voice.

Also, it is saying that a condenser mic is better for podcasting. If the room is quiet it will work ok. And the comment about being 2 - 3 feet away will just cause really bad room noise to get any decent audio level.

That is the reason I said I would not think much about his review. I am not saying that the ATR2500 is junk or even that the AT2100 is better, I have not done a comparison. I can say that the ATR2100 that I have used does not sound muffled.

Great post!
Is there a AT2100 in black?

docizzen
12-26-2013, 04:26 PM
I've never seen an ATR2100 in black, except it's brother mic, the AT2005USB which is black. Same features as the ATR2100, a little different design, but basically the same mic... only black.

mcphillips
12-31-2013, 04:55 AM
The Samson Q2U is dark gray. The ATR2100 and the AT2005 are the same mic inside. The Q2U appears to be the same, as well, although I can't confirm it beyond my own tests.

MovieBuff
12-31-2013, 07:05 AM
The Samson Q2U is dark gray. The ATR2100 and the AT2005 are the same mic inside. The Q2U appears to be the same, as well, although I can't confirm it beyond my own tests.

Thank you mcphillips.

AlBurr
01-04-2014, 12:53 PM
I am certainly no expert or even close but I was astounded when I realized how good the ATR2100 sounded, either USB or XLR, when compared to both my RE27 and my Rode Procaster. Talk about cost to value ratio...the 2100 is off the charts. Made me truly feel like I was wasting my money...don't tell my wife please :)