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Five Great Mics Under $ 200

From , former About.com Guide

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Mic #1 - Shure Beta 52A
Five Great Mics Under $ 200

Shure Beta52a Low-Frequency Microphone

Courtesy Shure
The Shure Beta 52A is one of my favorite microphones. At $189, it packs a great low-end punch and Shure's legendary build quality.

The Specs...
The Shure Beta 52A is a dynamic microphone with exceptional low-frequency characteristics; this makes it the perfect kick drum microphone. Paired with a Shure Beta 91, you'll get a phenomenal kick drum sound. However, you can find many uses for this in the studio that make it worth the money; bass cabinets, Leslie cabinets, and floor toms come to mind. The ability to withstand very high sound pressure levels (a rated tolerance of close to 175db) and a wide frequency response (20hz to 10kHz with a bump in the high-mids and lows) make this an exceptional value. Plus, nearly every rock club in the world has one of these mics that has been beaten up severely over the years and still works just fine, so it'll definitely take the abuse of your home studio. Retail is right around $189.

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