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Reviews For: Electro Voice RE-20

Category: Microphones for ham radio

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Review Summary For : Electro Voice RE-20
Reviews: 24MSRP: 650 to 790 (not wholesale or dis
Description:
Professional quality dynamic cardiod mic made famous by broadcasters and engineers worldwide. 50, 150, and 250 ohm impedance selectable.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.electrovoice.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15244.8
WA3VJB Rating: 2023-02-23
Excellent for AM ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
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.

When I first bought the RE-20, I also bought the matching 309 suspension cage. It is compatible with the RE-27, and continues to be in use. A company is now making aftermarket suspension bands, details under the review on eham.net foer the 309 (under audio accessories)
KT8R Rating: 2022-02-14
Excellent audio upgrade. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Purchased an used RE 20, and after getting the right EQ setting on the 590 SG, this is a great mic and I have little trouble busting pile ups during contests and have received excellent audio reports.

Updated: now using this mic on a FT 991A, seems to do just as well as on the 590SG.
K7PWR Rating: 2020-10-04
OUTSTANDING! :) Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Have this "Bad Boy" Broadcast Mic attached to a Kenwood ts-930s with a dbx processor, and pro tools, and it sounds awesome! ... Not as good as an essb station, but pretty darn close. The next upgrade will be an essb board added to the old "sugar" Kenwood....
This microphone searches for audio, you do not have to raise your voice to be heard, it just does its thing without any effort. Distinctive sound. Good clean loud audio, with a hint of that old school tube sound.... Slight bass, good mid, and excellant high's right out of the box... Add a dbx processor/essb, or pro tools and it will simply blow your mind. Very well built... Solid.

Expensive, but I feel that its worth every dollar.....

AE5GG Rating: 2015-08-13
Wow! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased the RE20 on Amazon for about $450 USD. I also purchased the 309 A shock mount as well (it fit on my Heil boom very well).

I found that my old Heil mic cable didn't map up to the newer 3 pin RE20 - so I purchased the Heil CC-1-XLR-YB cable that connected the RE20 to my Yaesu FT1000D - and it works like a champ!

I do not have an amplifier or equalizer on the mic and found that I actually had to turn down my mic gain and the processor level. I received good clean audio reports on many DX contacts.

For what it is worth, I was going between the Heil PR40 and the Electrovoice RE20. One of the key reasons that I went with the RE20 is because it allowed you to move around the microphone without losing voice/dynamic range as you talked vs. the Heil which (even according to their own web site) cites that you have to straight into the mic. I operate with my mic slightly to the side to prevent the "puff factor." I also tend to do a lot with the radio and amp so I didn't like that I was so restricted by the Heil PR40 (if you go even slightly off center your voice levels drop pretty quickly with the PR40).

** There are plenty of youtube videos that compare these mics - you can see and hear the difference! Check them out before you invest in either as minimally you'll be spending USD $300+

Like the other reviews, I am thrilled with this mic and it really looks professional in the ham shack.

73's and good DXing!
W1OBJ Rating: 2015-03-17
The Best Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After playing with several microphones I got the RE 20, no question its the better of them all.
I am currently running the RE 20 through the IHY 8 band EQ and EQ Plus with the Icom 756 Pro 3 with amazing results.
W4ACW Rating: 2014-08-16
Broadcast Standard Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I am pretty sure I won't have to buy another microphone again. Had many including, some Heil's mics and the Rode Procaster which is another good one and best for the money. The RE20 is just smoother by comparison.
HB9UQX Rating: 2013-06-11
Fantastic US product Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Hi all,

Still using the RE-20 processed by the 528E, but I switched from the IC-7000 to the fabulous ANAN-100. This SDR rig's audio is from design pure, flat and crystal clear.

With my RE-20, I produce 3 types of reactions :

1. No reaction (just signal report, working condx, wx, 73 bye) 30%
2. "you've got an excellent audio" 60%
3. "You've got one of the most natural, richest and balanced audios I've ever heard" 10%

FYI, I put the SYMETRIX' audio settings on my qrz.com.

This mike is in a high price range, but take a look at the cheaper RE-320 (with a new generation neodymium magnet) which is also awesome, brighter and more sensitive than the RE-20.

I would definitely do it again.

73 HB9UQX Peter

----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by HB9UQX on 2013-02-14

Hello dear Eham readers

I'm owning a RE-20 for one month now. It's held in the original 309A shock mount and hangs on a RODE arm. Looks really professional. I preamplify and voice process it through a SYMETRIX 528E. The processor output is set on mic level towards my IC-7000 rear mic input.

On SSB, where I only use 100W, I push the parametric eq on 300 Hz and both mid and high settings on 2.5 kHz for clarity. During transmit, I always watch my ALC level and the output level on the VP (clipping) to avoid overdrive.

Useless to say that all audio reports are like "perfect modulation, broadcast audio, very nice...". And most of them unsollicitated.

On local FM, I reduce the 2.5 kHz for softer modulation.

Regarding the comments I get, I can only recommend the Electrovoice RE-20. It's quite expensive but will be a gem in your shack and in the ears of the OM's on the waves.
W4MY Rating: 2013-01-28
Yes, a ham mic! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just got a used RE20 in great shape, and have gotten good reports so far. Just going straight into the OrionII. Maybe there's room for improvement later, (EQ, etc.) but on to the purpose of this review.

This is the first mic I've owned that I can have the external speaker up at normal volume and the VOX doesn't trip! Anti-vox set to minimum level, and vox sensitivity set to the optimum for my voice. Of course the mic is pointing away from the speaker, but I'm amazed at the nearly uniform good response from the front, and seemingly complete rejection of sound from its rear!

This attribute alone makes it worth the high end price, and is truly a welcome addition to my ham shack. I only run 100W in my shack, and I have good quality XLR connectors and shielded mic cable. I guess the "hum bucking coil" is doing its job as I have no problem with RF in the audio chain.

My kids are grown and on their own, finely, so I splurged. I'm thrilled to have it!
KW6LA Rating: 2009-04-23
Pro Mic Time Owned: more than 12 months.

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
GM0OTS Rating: 2009-03-31
MY FAVOURITE Time Owned: more than 12 months.
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.