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write your own review of the Yaesu MD-200 Hi-Fi Desktop Microphone.
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N0MUD
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 25, 2008 19:38
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Excellent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had mine for four years now and it's hooked up to my Yaesu FT-897D and works just fine. I've never had anyone tell me they can't hear me. If they can't it's because of my antenna. It's a hustler 6btv and not very high. When I had my beam up I never had any negative reports. Soon my beam will be back up. I like the looks of the mic, it sits in front of my radio and the two of them are a perfect match. Yes it's expensive but it's well worth the money you spend. If your going to spend alot of money on your radio well then you should spend alot of money on your desk mic and the MD-200 is the best way to go. If you have a friend that has one try his first, I guarantee that you will be surprised as to how well it sounds. Go listen to your radio and hear him talk you will like what you hear. Then go buy your own, you won't regret it.
73's Mike, NØmud
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KA2EEV
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Rating: 2/5
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Feb 25, 2008 16:23
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Very disappointing performance
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I think that my expectations were way too high when I ordered this microphone new from HRO...and I'll have to admit, the good looks of this mic persuaded my purchase as well. It was kind of like a hot chick with a great pair of legs in a mini skirt giving me one of those coy smiles with a sly wink.
The MD-200 can certainly boast some very nice design features with its solid die cast aluminum construction and its flattering good looks, but I have to honestly say that its overall performance was hardly what I expected and it turned out to be a real disappointment. My old EV 664 actually sounds far superior. The two main character flaws that I discovered with this mic is the lack of true fidelity and its lower than average output. The frequency response is adjustable from "flat" to full "high fidelity"...yet, the results are hardly what you would call studio quality. Its audio seems to have somewhat of a muffled effect and it is necessary to talk close with the audio gain on the rig cranked up higher than normal to compensate for the mics low output. The inside of the microphone housing allows for the installation of a separate mic element if desired by the user. There is a slide switch at the base of the mic which then selects between the MD-200 element or the user installed element. Perhaps this option was included just in case the operator is not satisfied with the mics own internal components, but still wants to show off its attractive appearance?
Yaesu touts the MD-200 as being your deluxe desk microphone capable of exceptional fidelity. Maybe Keith Richards was on hand with the Yaesu audio crew along with a bottle of Jack Daniels at 3 a.m. in the morning during the sound check?
If you want a microphone that's real pretty and has that classic look, then you'll get a lot of admiration with this beauty sitting by your rig...but, you better be prepared to make use of that separate optional mic element too. Finally, the retail price on this microphone averages between $379.00 to $399.00. You'll be wishing you had a bottle of Jack Daniels after shelling out that kind of cash for this piece of eye candy. The MD-200 is highly inflated...certainly not worth it...and definitely not recommended.
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KB1KVL
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Rating: 0/5
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Dec 3, 2007 03:09
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Don't waste your time with it.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought this mic NEW from ebay.I paid $305 for it. The mic is sharp looking. Very professional looking. The audio quality is good, however, the volume sux. I have it hooked up to a Yaesu 857D and the modulation meter reads very low. I asked for an "on the air" report. They told me the stock mic is much louder than the MD-200. As an example, on SSB I run the mic gain at 30 with the stock mic. The meter goes up to about 70% of the scale. With the fancy desk mic, the meter barely moves. I raised the mic gain to 100 and the MD-200 puts out about 1/2 of what the stock mic will do. It is barely adequate. I feel that I wasted $305 on that mic. The way that I feel, if the mic doesn't perform as good as the stock one, it deserves a big zero. It looks good but it doesn't have as good a volume as the stock mic. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS ONE.
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2E0JPT
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 6, 2007 03:16
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excellent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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great mic and sounded good, looks are amazing, BUT if your going to spend this much buy a PR-40 like i have now.
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PA7M
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 30, 2007 10:45
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Great microfoon the best
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Verry good audio whit FT-2000.
also whit HC-4 elem its simply manny thanks Yeasu.
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W4AMP
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 24, 2007 07:05
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Great mike!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I run the mike with an FT2000, and it complements the rig well. I use the Parametric Equalizer on the FT2000 and have been getting great reports.I maximized the lows and midrange while dampening the higher frequencies. I also run about 5 db compression on the processor. At 3 kc tx width the mike is fantastic. Have not adjusted the FT200 element, curious as to the effect. Also nice to be able to add another element in the Future. Good job Yaesu!
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W6PSA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 20, 2007 23:48
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Good Mic
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I use the md-200 with my FT-2000 and get great reviews. They are a good combo together. If you are using this mic with the FT-2000 too, there are setting suggestions in the manual to get you started. Menu items 123-140. Nice mic, but pricey. Still 5-of-5 in my book.
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KD5VSV
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 10, 2007 19:54
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Beautiful Mic
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Beautiful microphone.
Great audio, expensive but a pure joy to stare at and use.
Great feature to support two elements.
Of all the mics in my shack, I get the most comments about the MD-200 and my black special edition EV RE20.
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TF2JB
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 27, 2007 06:07
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An excellent desk microphone
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Returning to ham radio in January of 2007 after being QRT for a long time I did not have my Shure 444 any more. I had figured that I would simply buy a new one, should one be needed again. Well, not so good; they don’t make them anymore. After considerable research, I decided to buy the Yaesu MD-200-A8X desk microphone. It is indeed an expensive accessory and it cost me USD 375 to import one to this country. I admit, that to begin with I had rather a hard time to justify the cost to myself.
Well, not any more. I have not been disappointed. To begin with, I must say that it is a beautiful piece of equipment. The build quality is exceptional and it has a very stable base. I particularly like the feature that there is room inside the mike for two elements that are switchable at the bottom of the base. I added the HC-4 from Heil as a second element for DX work. I am currently using an FT-840 transceiver and I am pleased to report that comments on my audio are very favourable and frequent. I use the original element from Yaesu for local QSO’s and the HC-4 for DX. Concerning other features, the MD-200 has the usual PTT and LOCK switches plus UP and DOWN scan buttons. There is also a red led which illuminates when in TX mode. I find the microphone easy to operate and the feeling is now that it has always been in the shack.
To begin with, however, I got reports that the original element sounded somewhat “dark”. I was a little bit disappointed, since the original element is claimed to be of “...studio-quality optimized for high fidelity SSB operation”. I sought to adjust the VSPC (variable side pressure control) which allows adjustment of the frequency response of the element. That did help, but not quite. It was not until I opened up the base of the mike (you need to remove the circuit board) and switched the tiny “lo-cut” filter switch on the circuit board itself to a new position that the original element worked to my satisfaction. This switch is not mentioned in the paperwork that comes with the mike. But I seem to remember reading somewhere that the original position is tailored to Japanese voices; thus I reckon that the other position is tailored to western voices.
In closing, I can truly recommend this microphone to all hams. Yes, it is expensive but it is worth it. This is a microphone that I am going to keep. Should I take a break from ham radio again I am certainly not going to sell it off as I did with my old 444.
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KE4QDC
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 5, 2006 06:15
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Great but expensive
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The MD-200 mic is beautiful to look at and does a great job but everybody I talk to says they cannot tell much difference between it and the MD-100 I also have. Good quality feel and build. Buy it for the looks but save the difference and buy the MD-100 if you just want a good quality sound
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