Rode K2 Condenser Valve Microphone

by Rode
Order, 1 - 2 weeks $669.00
Rode K2 Condenser Valve Microphone
K2 Precision Variable Pattern Dual 1" Condenser Valve Microphone.

In the Box

Power Supply 30' Multicore Cable
Mains Cable
RC2 Custom Carry Case
SM2 Stand Mount
3/8" to 5/8" Thread Adapter

Reviews

Reviewed by 1 Customers
Rating: 3.0
Pretty Average Mic for the $$$
Rating: 3.0
By from Whangarei on
I bought a Rode K2 new a few years ago. I had problems with it and Rode eventually replaced the capsule and tube in the mic. Even after this, the mic had quite a noise floor, which was only improved when I purchased a decent NOS tube from the states.

Comparing the Rode K2 to another Rode mic that shares the HF-1 capsule, you will find they sound pretty much identical. Before the advent of the FET, a tube was needed to match the super high impedance of the diaphragm to the output stage. Tubes are a pain in this role, particularly as they often suffer from microphonics.

Needing a big chunky PSU and proprietary cable to use this mic and dealing with the idiosyncrasies of a tube mic were just a pain to me. I sold the mic and replaced it with an AT4050 which is just a much better sounding mic.

If you long for that "tube sound", you're better off with a tube based pre-amp. After all, how easy do you think it's going to be to drive the impedance converter into harmonics?

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