CAD U1000 USB Studio Condenser Mic Review / Test
Today we're reviewing a potato, I mean a microphone from CAD; the CAD U1000. This mic is listed compatible with Windows & Mac.
For the majority of this review, I have connected the mic directly to my mac computer with the computer gain set at ~35%. I have not boosted the audio at all in post, and there is no other post processing completed on the audio.
If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $40-$80 on Amazon
What's In the Box
Microphone
Wind Screen
USB to USB cable
Microphone Mount
Desktop Microphone Stand
Documentation
Specifications
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Sampling Rate: 44.1kHz
Bit Depth: 16-Bit
Performance / Features
The build quality of this microphone feels decent. It has an all metal body and a metal grill covering the capsule. On the front of the microphone you will find a blue LED light to indicate that it is receiving power. Directly beneath this, you will find a headphone volume up and down control. Next you'll find a microphone mute button that does not mute the microphone's signal to the computer, but rather mutes the zero latency monitoring. Lastly you will find a 3.5mm headphone port which does offer latency free monitoring.
The frequency response is listed as 20Hz - 20kHz. I do not think this microphone offers any sound worth discussing in depth. It is underwhelming and sounds exactly like you would expect a low end USB mic to sound.
The polar pattern of this mic is listed as cardioid. It did pick up a fair amount of audio as we moved around the microphone, and also picked up a bit of the quiet keyboard that I test while reviewing the mic.
The overall performance of this mic is mediocre at best. As you can tell, throughout the majority of the review (on the mac), there are clipping artifacts in the audio. I demonstrate how no matter what gain I set the mic at, there are clipping artifacts. On the windows machine this issue did not occur. My issue here is that the mic is listed as compatible with Windows and MAC, and just like other CAD mics I've tested, the performance on the MAC computer leaves a LOT to be desired.
Pros
Comes with everything you need
Fairly quiet preamp
Zero latency monitoring
Decent build quality
Cons
If you get too close to the microphone on a mac, it clips
Audio recorded sounds very mediocre
Conclusion
No I do not recommend this microphone, even if you can get it for the discounted $40. I think that the clipping issue on the mac is unacceptable and do not have faith in a company that would release a product like this.
Some of you may be thinking I'm being too harsh, and that this could be attributed to a faulty unit, however, I have tested out two other CAD microphones and experienced very similar issues, and was not able to receive any assistance from the company. For $40, I would suggest looking at something like the Samson Go Mic, and all around better microphone.
If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them on the youtube video, and I will try to reply ASAP.
Buy it on Amazon
US: http://amzn.to/2lAwHGU
UK: NA
