Yuker Mic-001 Condenser Mic Review / Test
Today I am reviewing the Yuker Mic-001. This mic is pretty cheap (approximately $27 US Dollars) and it comes with almost everything you will need to get started recording, sans microphone stand and audio interface.
This microphone bears an uncanny resemblance to the BM-700 and NW-700, so much so that I'm going to guess that it's manufactured by the same company. In the video I do a brief comparison and there are some minor audio differences. I also pulled apart these microphones below and took some pictures of the inner workings, and it is safe to say that they are not exact copies of one another.
What's In the Box
In this box you get everything you need to start recording other than a microphone stand and a USB audio adapter. You are going to get the actual microphone, a ball pop filter, a shock mount, and a cable (XLR to 3.5mm). The last thing you get in the box is a specifications sheet.
The box was missing 5/8" to 3/8" microphone stand adapter. However, if you buy a neewer microphone boom arm to use with this microphone, you will get an adapter with the stand.
Performance / Features
I have a problem. The spec sheet that I received had an image of a random microphone on it. The specifications on the specs sheet, and specifications on the amazon page were different as well. On top of this, the amazon page listed features that were not present on this microphone.
The frequency response of this microphone is either 20Hz - 20KHz, or 20Hz - 16KHz, I'm going to assume it is 20Hz to 20KHz because that is what the BM-700's frequency response is. The polar pattern is uni-directional (approximately 180-degrees at 1KHz) as well.
Comparison of inner working of Yuker Mic 001 & the BM-700
The amazon page states that this microphone has two switches: (1) Bass-Reduction switch to reduce room noise, and (2) -10dB overload protection switch to protect against clipping. I did not see either of these options on the microphone, I even unscrewed the whole thing, to make sure they were not internal options.
There is the possibility that they mean "electronic switches", as in electronic components on the computer chips within the microphone, but I cannot be certain. I have included an image of the MIC-001 and the BM-700's inner electronics for reference. However, when I look at the spec sheet provided, it shows a the option to roll off the frequency response at around 100hz. This leads me to believe that there should be two physical switches on this microphone. one to activate the bass reduction and one to activate -10db pad.
The build quality of this microphone is decent, but it is definitely a stay at home microphone. This is not the microphone you want if you are going to be traveling and want to record on the road. The shock mount does it's job perfectly, and the cable seems to be a high quality cable that will last for a while.
Pros
Cheap
Decent Sound Quality
Comes with Almost Everything you Need
XLR Microphone (can use different preamps, interfaces, etc.)
Cons
Unclear specifications
Features listed on Amazon, are not on the microphone
Conclusion
I think that this is a decent option for a microphone if you are on a budget. You can get everything you need to start for about $40-50. Because the audio quality of the Mic-001, the BM-700, BM-800, and NW-700 are all very similar, I would recommend shopping around and checking to see which is the cheapest.
I should note that I hook this microphone up using a $6 USB Audio adapter (linked below) which provides 5 volts of power, improving the audio quality. If you have any questions about the microphone, leave them in the comments down below or on youtube and I will get back to you ASAP. Thanks for watching & reading.
Yuker Mic-001: http://amzn.to/1Qxn4C1
USB Audio Adapter: http://amzn.to/1X1asBV
