Shure Wired BETA 98H/C Microphone - Miniature Instrument Mic with Wired XLR Connector, Cardioid Condenser, Clip-on with Gooseneck for Sax/Brass or Rim of Percussion (BETA98H/C)

I like the sound better than any other sax mic I've used. Every one of these I buy is completely consistent and high-quality. I've been using these since around 2001, and I have gone through maybe 5 of them since then. It seems to hold up well to hard use.The Shure Beta 98 has a rich, even tone. It doesn't try to color your sound or make it "edgy"; it just keeps your sound balanced and natural. It's slightly warm, but not too warm.It's rugged, like a Shure should be. Usually I can make one last for three years of heavy use, until finally the cable goes bad. If I were better at soldering and fishing cable through a gooseneck, I'd try fixing them. But to me it isn't worth it. Shure will take them back and sell you a new one at a discount. My last one has a weak spot in the gooseneck from me bending it up and down, but it hasn't shorted out yet so I'm keeping it in my road case as a spare. I bought my new one here on Amazon so I won't have any problems on the road this year. I like reliable gear.My first clip-on mic in the late '90s was a Beyerdynamic with a nice sound. Actually, it sounded about as good as this Shure and was just a little warmer. But sooner or later it shorted out in the gooseneck, as all clip-on mics do. After that I got an AKG VHF wireless system and really liked that mic, until the system was stolen.I had heard players on the AudioTechnica and thought it sounded like crap, so I assumed AKG had some magic dust that made their mics special. I hate how the AudioTechnica is EQ'ed--to me it always sounds shrill like it's trying too hard to "help" the player cut through the mix. Because of that observation and my good prior experience with AKG I had an AKG mic special-wired for the Shure ULX system by Sweetwater Sound when I bought the system I currently use. It sounded good, but eventually the AKG mic shorted out in the gooseneck.I had no idea the sound of the AKG was thinner than the Shure mic until I needed to replace it. It wasn't a bad mic, but it wasn't as rich-sounding as the Shure is. I didn't feel like trying to solder a rewired mini-XLR connector on the AKG myself, and didn't want to pay extra to have it wired for the Shure system, so I bought the Shure Beta 98 instead and was surprised to find out it was so noticeably better.Once I tried the Shure 98, I've never looked back. The tone is natural and even, with no EQ curve getting in the way. But not "flat" sounding either. It reproduces my low undertones and my high overtones all blended into the sound like it should. Like butter. It cuts enough for me to project, but doesn't sound shrill. Actually, it sounds exactly like my unamplified tone, only louder.I end up buying one of these every 3 or 4 years when I wear the last one out. This is my 5th since 2003 or so, when the AKG mic shorted out. I don't mind that they wear out and I can't fix them, because the sound quality is so good. The Shure ULX Pro system is terrific, and it always "just works" even with very heavy use. (I got lucky that my UHF system was still in a good frequency range when the FCC reassigned a bunch of bands to emergency use in 2007. My ULX Pro from 2001 is still working great and legal for use in the 50 states! So that tells you something about how durably Shure makes things.)The Shure Beta 98H has a very natural sound that fits with my warm tone. Try it and you won't be disappointed.

Going with Shure, I knew I was picking a good brand that's been in the space for years. Thanks to Amazon's quick shipping Prime program, I got to try this thing out very quickly (it actually arrived the night of my gig). There is no setup, just plug and play. The thing sounds great, picking up a lot more of my sound than my old clip-on mic.PROs:- Lightweight, adjustable mic for my trumpet- Clip seems strong, and the gooseneck adjuster allows me to perfectly curve the mic into my bell- Nice pickup- Clip on the XLR connector allows me to easily clip to my beltCONs:- Wire connecting XLR to mic seems a little...flimsy. Only time will tell how long it holds up.- Cable is actually quite long. Long enough that I accidentally stepped on it from time to time. With a flimsy cable, I'll have to be very careful.Overall, love this mic (for a great price).

I stated in my previous review this mic has to be used in a quality recording space with great acoustics. However I was in error. I decided to try recording at my practice space which is better suited for practicing. Or so I thought. There was a drummer playing next to my space and the mic didn't pick up the volume from his drums! I was happily surprised. And there is a metro train track that runs close by, you can actually hear the sound come through the walls, NOT picked up by this mic! This mic actually is more focused and isolated on the sound it picks up from your horn, as it only picks up the noise that is I would guess is within up to 2-3 feet from the mic. This mike is great for saxophones and I must add that you need to get a pre-amplifier that provides phantom power, 48Vr. I used the Grace 101 and got good results. I then hooked it up to my Zoom Q8 for the sax videos I did. Of course you want to get as good a quality recording space as possible, I am glad to say that the recording space does not have to be "soundproof" to get great results with this mic. And the condensed mic sound is a little warmer to my ears than the dynamic mic sound. I will add that if you put the mic to close to the bell you can hear the keys clicking if you are an "aggressive" sax player like I am.

This is an excellent microphone for wind instruments! The sound quality is great. There is a built-in shock mount for suppressing key noise from the saxophone, or other instrument. This is designed for mounting on the bell of the saxophone, but I was also able to clip it onto a headband so that it would work for miking flute and voice. I still haven't developed a way to clip it to a clarinet,, but I am working on it! (The wood bell of the clarinet is too thick for the clip). Shure makes sturdy products, and so I am hoping that this will last. Admittedly, the cable is thin; so I have coiled the cable, then I clip the connector to my belt, using the attached clip. This way, you can use a heavier cable for routing this to an amplifier. The specs are very good for this mike, and it has a very tight cardiod pattern, so it will not feed back as long as it is very close to your instrument.