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| Reviews Summary for Electro Voice RE-20 |
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Reviews: 17
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Average rating: 4.7/5
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MSRP: $650 to 790 (not wholesale or dis
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Description: Professional quality dynamic cardiod mic made famous by broadcasters and engineers worldwide. 50, 150, and 250 ohm impedance selectable.
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More info: http://www.electrovoice.com/
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write your own review of the Electro Voice RE-20.
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KW6LA
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 23, 2009 01:30
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Pro Mic
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The RE-20 has been a icon in the radio, voice-over markets for years. Its is by far one of the most
forgiving Mic you will ever use. It has a wonderful built in pop filter and the proximity effect is minimal.
I run this baby with sum EQ into a TS 870s with wonderful results. You may not need to equalize it
on some rigs , but I would not advise anyone to use it alone. I have other Mics in the shack to
compare it to ,but nothing comes close. I tried a Neumann TLM-103 $ 800.00 condenser in the
same radio ( equalized ) and the RE-20 was a much titer sound. There is a reason Bob pits his
famous PR-40 to this microphone. I feel that some of the other reviews do not paint the whole
picture when it comes to sound. Many if not all radios and microphones need some equalization to
bring out a full sound for each kind of voice. The 3 band EQ in some of the newer radios don’t have
what it takes to cut and carve perfection in audio . You may consider a W2ihy 8 band or some of
the others equalizers on the market. I cant understand why a reviewer would down play a Mic that
has been the most popular for voice in radio for the last 30 or more years
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GM0OTS
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 31, 2009 12:47
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MY FAVOURITE
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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BEEN USING RE20 INTO ICOM IC775DSP+SYMETRIX 528E THROUGH BALANCED INPUT, IT NEEDS PRE-AMP, USING PRE-SONUS,ALL WAYS GET GOOD REPORTS ON QUALITY OF AUDIO.
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W8AAZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 18, 2009 07:31
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Ragchew not DX
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I aquired a PL20, same as the RE but for color. This mic has a great sound if you want to ragchew and are not working DX, maybe. Too much low end and too flat for that. You will sound like a broadcaster with this one, either on good SSB or AM. I do run the rolloff switch turned on to avoid excessive bass. Turn up the gain so you can talk back about 3 inches at least. It is supposed to negate proximity affect to some extent but you don't want to kiss it like a DJ does. Back off a little. This mic has a balanced low impedance output. I solved this by using a quality matching transformer. An added nuisance I know. But I got the mic used for 300$ in very nice condx. Can be had for less or more, like under 400 NIB. And EV still supports this mic unlike their legacy products. Big heavy mic. But can sound super when used right.
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KG6AOH
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 2, 2009 11:33
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Really nice mic, worth the money!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Having worked in radio for over 20 years, I have had an opportunity to use many different mics. Some of my stations have standardized on the ElectroVoice RE 20.
After using the RE 20 for a while, it has become one of my real favorites. Top two favorite dynamic mics are the RE 20 and the Shure SM7.
Out of curiosity, I took of the of the RE 20's into the shack and wired an XLR to 8-pin connector cable for my Kenwood transceiver. It is easy to do, just wire XLR pin 2 to the Kenwood mic audio + (pin 1) and the XLR pins 1 and 3 together to audio gnd (pin 7). To key the radio, just use the 'Send' button on the front.
Comparing the RE 20 to the Shure 450 mic, the RE 20 is way brighter, without losing low end. Signals improved as well due to the fullness pushing the transmitter a little better. Comparing the RE 20 to the Kenwood stock mic, the RE 20 is indeed bassier. The stock Kenwood hand mic has more high end to the listener. In actuality, it just has less low end than the RE 20 does. With the RE 20 bass rolloff switch in rolloff position, the RE 20 sounds WAY better than the hand mic in all respects. Although the audio level from the RE20 is a little lower than the handmic, there is still plenty of mic gain left to easily make up for it.
In closing, if you have the disposable income, buy one! Your audio reports will be positive. If you don't have the money, then don't panic, you're not missing too much. It is the mic for those with extra money who want the best. Those of you who still have to buy diapers and formula might want to put it on their wish lists.
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W3JK
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 6, 2007 08:04
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Truly a Leader
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I would definetly give the RE20 higher marks than whats allowed here. No knock on the Heil's or other microphones, but you have to truly listen to the difference in audio, especially the low ends to understand the true quality of this microphone. I was attracted to this microphone purely based on listening to a bunch of folks on the air. One day I was talking to Bob (HB9ASQ) and there was something very distinct about his audio and when I asked him, he went on to explain his setup. Ofcourse the RE20 was the microphone). Then I was talking to Victor (CT1AKD), once again that distinct audio was heard and when asked further, Victor mentioned that he was using an EV-RE20.
The audio that comes out of the RE20 has its own distinct audio signature which I have not heard other microphones produce. Mike WZ5Q has a nice comparison of the RE20 and the Heil. Listen to all the clips to hear the difference for yourself.
I have seen some of the other reviews where they suggest you need studio ambience to use this microphone properly, I can only say that a bad carpenter blames his tools. Fan noise etc is an issue for all good microphones, not just the RE20. My TL-922 sounds like an aircraft taking off all the time. So use a nice EQ box like W2IHY or the Behringers and cut down on those unwanted noises. Just dont try to plug in the microphone straight into your rig and say it sounds awful. If you are spending money to buy a RE20 then spend additional dollars to refine that audio and then give it to your transceiver.
You wouldnt go wrong with this microphone. I get compliments all the time on my audio and its given me a lot more encouragement to not just focus on power, antenna etc, but also on my audio.
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DHJ
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 5, 2006 15:15
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Be careful how you use this type of microphone
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Using a studio microphone on a ham rig seems like an attractive idea but in my experience there are many factors that you need to take into consideration to achieve the kind of performance from these mics that you would expect from the price tag.
Firstly, many studio dynamics like the RE-20, the MD-421 and SM7 are only loosely directional. These mics are designed to be used in a studio where the acoustics of the room are very good. Most ham rigs are likely to be in far from acoustically ideal settings. These mics are not very good at rejecting unwanted sounds and reflections in the room. Sounds like PA fans, computer fans and the like will easily be picked up by the microphone. If there are a lot of surfaces in your room for the sounds to reflect off of, you can also expect that these reflections will also be picked up by the microphone making your audio sound live and ‘echoey’.
The point that I am trying to make is that a studio mic used in the wrong environment will not give results that befit its pricetag. If you wish to spend a lot of money on an
RE-20 or similar large diaphragm dynamic, you will need to pay some attention to the acoustics of the environment you use it in to get good results. I have nothing against the RE-20, I just think that you need to use the right mic for the right environment.
If your ham rig is in a poor acoustic environment, a microphone with a much tighter directional pattern may give better results. The Shure SM-57 is an excellent mic to use in this environment. It has a tight directional pattern, a nice presence peak and it costs much less than an RE-20.
On the other hand if you want to go to the trouble of giving your room some acoustic treatment and getting rid of the noises in your shack, you can expect that the RE-20 will sound great.
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KE6PID
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 5, 2005 15:24
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Boss Jock Sound
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Using a studio mic at a ham station sometimes isn't a good idea, the RE-20 is a good example of this.
The RE-20 is a studio mic, quite popular on FM stations where bass enhancement of a male announcer is desired. (Hey, Rush Limbaugh uses one) It's generally not as good on AM broadcast stations, unless you equalize it to roll off the excessive bassiness it produces. I think it was originally developed for use as a kick drum mic or something. It works better on some voices than others. I would conceder it's mid voice articulation only mediocre. A low cut switch is thoughtfully provided; this helps, but not enough. If you want to hear one, just tune the FM dial, find the station that has a mushy sounding over bassy announcer, call the station engineer (not me, we are RE-20 free here!) see what the mic is! Program directors and Jocks love these things because, well, I don't know why. They also love Corvettes and jacked up pickups with loud exhausts too, you know the type, and if you know what I am getting at, you should be laughing about now. If you are the type, then This mic IS for YOU! It has a fairly high output level; its updated sibling the RE-27 N/D is higher yet.
In the shack it works, although I never received any unsolicited audio reports, when I did ask nobody sent flowers. The common conciseness among stations I worked was it was too bassy sounding for SSB work. After rolling all the bass off it sounded only so-so. For what you need to give for this thing it should be better than just so-so. During a QSO I switched back to my Heil HC-5 hand mic, and got a high five, that sounds great! What did you just do?
On the good side it's P-pop proof. It has almost no proximity effect (it doesn't get bassier when you get close to it) It has a fairly high output level, looks "real radio" and comes with a cool trunion or add and optional shock mount and it�s just about indestructible. (Except the shock mount, that's easy to mess up)
Yeah, it's a good mic for something (like getting the PD out of your office), just not for this. And as unpopular as I may sound that's what I think!
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WA3VJB
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 30, 2003 02:42
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Excellent for AM !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had the RE-20 until 1992 when I upgraded to the new RE-27, which for a while was thought to be a likely successor to the '20. However, Electro-Voice continues to market both microphones, with each model finding a niche. The '20 remains popular with musicians for certain instruments, while the '27 has gained a place as one of the best vocal mics for studio use (a close second-place rival is the less-expensive Sennheiser MD-421).
A broadcast supply house offered to take the RE-20 in trade, plus $100, in exchange for the newly introduced RE-27, and I went for it. I do not regret it. The '27 has a better output level, which means your mic pre-amp does not have to work as hard (keeping the noise figure down). Additionally, the '27 has a better frequency response, extending its sensitivity to bass and treble, while avoiding any lumps in the midrange suffered by cheap microphones.
Although I now run the '27, the RE-20 is also a very fine microphone, and would have continued to serve me quite well, I am certain.
The link below is the URL to a sound file using the EV on my homebrew AM transmitter.
http://amfone.net/audio/WA3VJB-`92-h.brew%20rig.wav
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KC4EOE
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 29, 2003 12:09
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Superb Audio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I use the RE-20 with the W2IHY EQ to achieve broadcast quality audio through my Kenwood. I have tested a variety of microphones and always end up with this beauty in line. It not only looks professional, it sounds like it. The cost is a little high, but makes up for it in performance. See my profile for a photo with it in use.
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W8DFF
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 10, 2003 02:14
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The Big Dude
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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My version I have is actually the PL20 but the EV factory rep told me the PL's and RE's are functionally identical with the only difference being the color. I use the mic primarily to record kick drum and bass guitar on location, but have also used them on horns and in announce booth and dj situations. Nothing beats the 20 if you want to sound like a real 'jock'. 15+ years and the mics have held up very well to the abuse of location work. An alternative might be the Senn.421 but really ... nothing sounds quite like the RE20. It's dynamic - no messing with power supplies or phantom preamps.
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