ENG Type Dynamic Omni?
 

Looking for a handheld dynamic for "man on the street" interviews. I've narrowed it down to these:

EV 635N
EV 50N
AT 804
AKG D230

Oade Bros. recommend the AKG, the EV's are pretty much the induustry standard, and I've always been real happy with AT gear price/performance.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I searched the archives, talked to some dealers and went over to Kennedy's ENG. Here is what I found:

The AT804 and EV635 are really small, both get rather good user reports.

The AT804 has a fairly high signal level, due to its N magnet. So do the EV635N and EV50N.

The EV50 is a bigger EV635, and is ubiquitous in the media.

N (neodymium alloy) magnets give higher output than Alnico magnets, but cost quite a bit more.

The AKG D230 has the N magnet, is a bigger mic, and is highly regarded for its audio performance. Basically, its in the EV50N class.

There is a new Sony F112, it looks interesting but there doesn't seem to be much in user reports about it. Maybe a dark horse?

The Senn MD46 gets rather good user reviews, it is a cardioid, so aiming it matters.

Bottom Line: I'm going with the AKG.

I got an EV 635N and it has treated me nice. If I was planning on using it a lot on the streets, I would have gone with the EV 50 - similar design, just more wind protection.

The Electrovoice RE50 does indeed have the same element as the 635. Also, it has an internal shock mount system to reduce handling noise, and, as noted, more wind protection.

This mic was proven in very trying conditions in Viet Nam, the only change in 35-ish years is now you can get it in black.

There's a reason you see it everywhere... It's funny how standards evolve, in audio it seems to be "everyone knows how an RE50 sounds." Which doesn't make it best, just best-known and good for most hand-mike tasks.

Another funny thing - the AKG D230 looks a lot like an RE50...

Right, I knew that :)

Its pretty cheap and sounds good enough. Great thing to have in the bag.

And the RE50 is as close to bullet proof as a microphone gets. I have one that has been through the wars, yet still sounds like new, so I suspect that has a lot to do with their popularity among the news media crowd. I carry one in my kit on every shoot. It always gets the dirty jobs like explosions and gun shots.

My AKG D230 arrived today and I set about trying it out with my PMD660. The mic is large, solid as a rock, looks good and sounds GREAT. I was doing an A/B comparison with the AT899 on the left and right channels. These two mics sound good together (the AT899 needs the 80Hz low-cut active), and the ALC of the '660 could manage both, well balance in signal levels, so minimal adjustments will be needed in post. Both mics are completely intelligible, and the noise floors seemed very low (I was worried about the '660). This is going to be my "man on the street" set up. Top notch for sure. I was pleasantly surprised how well the D230 handles breath and pops, it is very well behaved. Haven't had it outside in the wind yet, but I'm betting it will do very well. The D230 gets my coveted +dB rating (so does the AT899). Not sure about the PMD660 yet.