Rode S-1

Been a live and recording musician for over 30 years. Have owned microphones such from Beyer, AKG, Shure, Akai, Realistic, Yamaha, Nakamichi, Rode, Freedman, Audix, EV.

The S1 my colleague has is fantastic. I have been supplied two and neither has worked. Spoke to support advised that Phantom 15V will not work this microphone. My others NT-1A, NT3 and M3 all work fine on Yamaha Equipment and Mackie equipment. New S1 doesn not work on Pahntom 48V either. Both so far have been duds. Pity as the one I have seen working is very very good. I have never purchased a dud microphone before. Maybe problems back at the factory.

Studio Engineer and performing singer/guitarist/pianist. Favorite mic for my voice is Blue Bottle, but too expensive/fragile for the road. Mic runs through a Presonus Eureka channel strip before going to the sound board so I know exactly what sound the engineer is getting from my vox.
Have been using Beta 87a's for a while and got an S1 off of e-bay to see what it was like.

This mic is really wonderful. Just enough top end to cut through without being harsh (which the 87a can be sometimes). Instead of just cutting though, there's a sense of air that I haven't found in any live mic.

The mid/low mid is also very rich without being boomy at all. I run the EQ on this mic almost flat and it's simply beautiful.

Handling noise is non-existent.

I have my 'plosives pretty well under control which is good because if the mic has one flaw it's that the pop filter is not as protective as it could be. But, that may be part of the reason for the "air" I mentioned earlier. I'd happily have a better sounding mic that was a little more sensitive to bad singing technique though.

I am a Live Sound Engineer Who has used just about every Live voal mic ever made....

I use various different Systems with various artists

Condenser, Hyper Card
This mic is AWESOME!!!!

Deffintly reccomend it to anyone, Forget about shure, being there done that.... They have had there day!

Get a S1 today! Amazing clarity and more top end sparkle then a bottle of champaign

I engineer sound for a solo artist who plays piano and sings.
Only been doing it a year or os. Primarily live sound

Got this for a really cheap price.
Previous to this we had been using as SM58. My god the difference is completely noticeable and the clarity of the female vocalist using it has improved considerably over the SM 58. I mean it is a serious differne (you know how sometimes you dont notice the differnce between gear...well in this case you really do).
I cant compare to other mics like the KMS 105 but I would like to, I notice the mich has quite a bit in the top end (perhaps more than I would be ideal). Would need to compare to other mics.

I can defintely say that is is defintely worth upgrading from the SM 58 you will not regret it

Playing 8 years, gigging for 2, acoustic singer songwriter.
This mic is used for live vocals.

Externally biased condenser, gold sputtered diaphragm.

Live vocals, on a stand.

Demoed the AKG c535 & C 900, superlux pro 238 & pra 238b, Beta 87.
I out grew my pra 238b and needed more dynamic range. The 535 has a slightly hotter signal, the S1 seems a bit 'airier' in the highs. Both are fantastic and for the price and I would A/B them to determine personal taste. These two mics blew everyone else out of the water.

I chose this one for sound and the "neumann" style metal multi-stage pop filter. (I can get a bit plosive). I'ts very tough and solidly built.

The mic is a bit bulky and the silver colour stands out (makes it look even bigger) and the enclosed clip didn't fit the mic properly (too small), replace it and you're good to go.

If you take your voice seriously, and play an expensive guitar (or other instrument) then buy a good mic. YOU WON'T REGRET IT. It was like a towel had been unwrapped from my ears...

I'm the lead vocalist/frontman 4 a Blues/Classic rock band & I've ben useing this mic live for 9 months & love it ,I wont go back to a sm58 again!!!Ruggednes well I dont know I dont make a habit of dropping $300 mics,.sound is crisp clear & feedback rejection has ben A+++.many compliments about how well the vocs can be understood...no mud with this mic if not clipped & EQ'd properly

S1 Rode Condenser. 10 Excellent sound quality. Seems to be very durable. Have dropped it a couple of times.

I've been making music for years and have always used the standard Shure Microphones, (i.e., SM57 and SM58's).

This is the latest and greatest condenser microphone that supposedly is durable enough to withstand the live performance environment.

At first I was considering buying the Shure 58A Beta or the 87A Beta mic because the Shure products have always been trustworthy and reliable.

Upon receiving the mic, it was "Dead on Arrival". Dead out of the box. I tried contacting Rode USA, both by telephone and E-mail. It's been three days and ZERO responses.

Sorry, I can't recommend the mic because I've never heard it. It never worked.