Stellar X2 Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser XLR Microphone

The media could not be loaded. Picked up this microphone as an addition for my podcasting/voice over studio. For the amount it seemed liked a great deal. And honestly too good to be true. Once i received the microphone I was amazed at how sturdy this thing is. It came with a foam windscreen, shock mount, carrying case, pouch, and a 3/8 adapter screw. Once hooked up it exceeded my expectations. It has a flat curve and is very neutral in voice recordings. It is a condenser microphone, so SOME noise management will be needed. Personally, I use it in an untreaded podcast and YouTube recording room, and there is no background noise heard.The only downside I have is with the shock mount. I feel you should invest in a decent shock mount if you are worried about the weight.Other than that.. this is an easy purchase to make.. And I recommended it to everyone looking for a well priced microphone!

Ladies and Gents, if you're looking for a top quality mic for a pittance of a price, this is it. Holy cow... the sound is beautiful. Like a couple of the other reviewers, I listened to the Booth Junkie comparison and instantly fell in love. I got myself on the wait list, especially seeing that they'd "fixed" two of the major issues he had with noise floor and decibel spread. I am absolutely not disappointed. Hands down one of the best mic purchases I've made.So, now that I have the glowing praise done - let's talk comparison. I don't have a Neumann to compare this to. I own four mics now: Shure SM7B, CAD E100S, Rode NTK (which I upgraded the tube for to a Telefunken Black Diamond E88CC), and this one. Let's say that the CAD isn't in the running simply because it is flat - which is a great thing for using your board as you can really color it any way you see fit. The Shure didn't get a head to head for me, as I feel the SM7B is beautiful for bass note/deep voices - very warm. So it was down to the NTK, which can be considered unfair as a tube mic already has an edge (IMHO) since, once it warms up, it spreads honey over everything. For my voice (contralto), the Rode still is my favorite. The X2 by contrast is brighter and touch more shimmery (even after adding not only it's foam head, but a pop filter in front of it), which doesn't make me sound my best. THAT SAID... the moment my baritone-voiced son got on it... it was absolutely beautiful. His voice sounded like a million bucks. It lifted his vocals and added a shine that nothing else I have has done. Even then... my own vocals through it are still nice and it is my solid second in the four I have.I did not send any vocals through my Mackie board for the comparison. They were straight into my Zoom H4N using Kopul Studio Elite 4000 XLRs. In conjunction with those cables, the sound was pristine and super clear.I will rave about this mic until the sun sets for a final time, because for the price this mic is ABSOLUTELY out of this world. I would snatch this up in a heartbeat before they raise prices, because once they figure out they're sitting on a mic that people would pay over 500 for (potentially more - as once this is put through a board, I'm certain the true magic will shine through), I'm sure it won't be this price for long. Get it, get yourself some quality cables, and pat yourself on the back for being the smart cookie who jumped on a tremendous deal for a... ahem... "stellar" mic. ;)

The media could not be loaded. If you are looking for a great LDC microphone at an unbelievable price, buy the TZ Stellar X2 now. There's nothing like it (or even close to it) available on the market today that wouldn't cost you the proverbial "arm and a leg". This is a precision, hand made product using premium parts and materials that sounds unbelievably good for a mic at almost any price point. It has been favorably compared to the Neumann U87 in a number of recent high profile reviews and will not disappoint even the most critical listener. I've been testing the X2 for the last several days in my studio with both male and female vocalists and I have to say that the results have been really impressive. The sound is extremely well balanced; warm lows without any evidence of boominess; a remarkably smooth midrange (where I think this mic truly excels) and a crisp high end that is never overly bright or annoying (like so many mid priced condensers these days). Extremely low self-noise and beefy output means that you can run your preamp at lower levels and avoid distortion and clipping. The X2 has been widely praised for voiceover work but I quickly found that it shines equally well for music vocal applications. The long and the short is that you absolutely will not find a better affordable mic anywhere at this price, or even at multiples of this price.

Fantastic Mic! Really. It's just, right! Instant satisfaction for female vocalist. This mic is staying out for vocal duty that is for sure. There are 3 mics I also use most often. The Aston Origin and Spirit, also the WA87r2. This is tied with my favorite, which is the Origin. I also have a Blue Baby Bottle, Blue Spark, AKG c214, Rode nt1a, WA 47jr, MXL V69, etc....So I have some decent mics.The x2 is very impressive. Great tone and clarity.You just can't lose with this mic. It's inspiring and sounds like "me". Yet makes "me" sound better.Quality and hard work at TZ that comes shining through. Thank you for producing such a great mic!UPDATE: I forgot I already wrote a review! Hah. Ok, since I am here. Reminded again that this is an absolutely amazing microphone people. I don't care if it was made on the moon. I have a TLM 103 and I like this better. Sure, looks cheap, not attractive but who cares! It's about the sound. WOW, get one. Using it with a dbx 286s channel strip, a WA73 eq and a Fredenstein V.A.S. Likes the clean preamp/dbx. So if you are just starting out, get a pro sound by adding a preamp/channel strip like the dbx 286s, about $220 and the mic is $199, The channel strip has compression, a gate, eq...So fast and easy you have a fantastic sound without a lot of fuss. I am talking singing vocals here not broadcast or voiceover although check out Booth Junkie and see just how impressed he is with this mic. It's true. Really. You'd be a fool not to get this mic is all I can say.