Samson Q9X Review (vs Q9U, Q2U, MV7X, PodMic)

Does the Samson Q9X sound like the Q9U? Does it sound like any other broadcast style microphone (MV7X, PodMic, etc.)? And why would you buy it? Gear made to use this video available via https://kit.co/rayortega

The Samson Q9X is a barrel style, cardioid, dynamic microphone. Take a listen to hear how it sounds on my voice but of course it will sound different on yours. So what can you tell about this microphone from this video? The low end is very present in that it will sound muddy or dark or muffled on most voices. However, while it leans towards the low end of the frequency range, it also doesn't boost the higher end therefore eliminating some of the toughest esses in many voices. If you have a sibilant voice, this mic. is likely to be a good choice. In fact it's only feature is a mid frequency boost and since this is mid instead of high, you might still be able to use it to get rid of some of the muddiness while also not enhancing esses. Results of course will vary. I do like how the mid boost sounds on my voice. That said, a low frequency cut would of, like on the on the Q9U, would of been a really nice feature so that you could remove some mud while also leaving the mid to high frequencies unboosted.

The Q9X is XLR only and seems to be built really well with all metal construction. When compared to the Q9U with no cuts of boosts, the two mics sound almost the same although I think the Q9U may be even "darker" sounding. However, when engaging the mid boost on both mics, the Q9X sounded a little brighter and better on my voice.

The yoke mount is also all metal with a nut for tightening onto mic stands which is very handy although I'm unsure it's working properly. It seems to come loose easily. Also, it doesn't appear that you can tighten the screws where the yoke meets the microphone. This may be some kind of "permanent mount" meant to stay tight but it's new to me and I would have liked nuts to tighten the mic if necessary. Time will tell if this version is better than the alternative.

Using this mic in my studio/office presented a problem with RF interference. I have a large amount of RF in my space and this mic is not able to fully reject the noise. I don't have this issue with my SM7B so it does seem like this mic is less protected against RF than some others. The Q9U however does not have this problem so it may just be the particular microphone I got. However in most cases, this will not be an issue for other people.

Overall I like how this mic sounds on my voice when the mid boost feature is engaged. It protects well against plosives and sibilance but also comes with a large windscreen to help with either of these issues if needed.

I compared the way this mic sounds on my voice against the Samson Q2U, Rode PodMic, and the Shure MV7X, all mics in a similar price range with similar features. All mics were brighter than the Q9X and if you are someone with lots of sibilance when you talk, the Q9X seems like a better option for reducing the impact of hard esses. I think that is the person who would be most likely to buy the Q9X.

Видео Samson Q9X Review (vs Q9U, Q2U, MV7X, PodMic) канала Ray Ortega