Cheap Dynamic Microphone Nady SP-4C Review

About a year ago I was looking for the best, cheapest microphone I could find. I did a lot of research, read all kinds of reviews, blogs, and musicians impressions to try to find not only the best bang for my buck, but also because I wanted a decent microphone that would be able to adequately perform for me. What I ended up buying was the Nady SP-4C (Starpower) Dynamic Microphone. Here's my review of this great little mic.

Last year I decided that I wanted to try a little home recording and experiment with some songwriting. This was something that I have always wanted to do, but never really had the time or money to adequately support the new hobby. I soon realized that getting started doesn't need to be all that expensive, assuming I could find some cheap essential equipment. I already had a good and capable working Mac with Garageband installed, and a few random instruments. The main thing I needed was a microphone. Though my Apple has a built in mic, I felt that it would less than ideal and pretty inflexible.

As I looked for microphones, I looked for 3 primary things.

1.) Price

2.) Quality

3.) Flexibility, or the ease of setup, compatibility, etc.

The Nady SP-4C Dynamic Microphone fulfills all these requirement with flying colors.

Price

First, the price. You can't really beat $15, and it comes with a cord as well. I assumed before I started looking that I would have to pay at least $30-40, so I was really excited when I found it to be under $20.

Quality

Second, the quality. I read a lot of reviews on quality. I read about dynamic vs. compressor microphones. It became quickly apparent to me that I should be buying a dynamic microphone. They are cheaper, less fragile, and don't require phantom power. Compressor microphones are very good, but for a beginner like me, a dynamic microphone would work just fine. All the reviews talk about good quality, and I can attest to that as well. I don't need to make a lot of adjustments, and the mic picks up my voice or an instrument with clarity and not a lot of background noise. Every once in a while, it sounds a little "muddy," but I find I can adjust my distance from the mic or adjust the bass or treble afterwords very easily.

Compatibility/Flexibility

Lastly, it is very compatible with whatever other audio equipment you may have. It came with an XLR to 1/4" cord, meaning that it is a standard mic that works with the most commonly used XLR cables, but the specific cord could be plugged into any 1/4" jack. That means I can use it easily with many different kinds of inputs, including most USB audio interfaces if I choose to upgrade later down the line. I also can slap on a 1/8" adapter that are extremely cheap, and plug it directly into my computer.

I bought my Nady Dynamic Microphone online. I was also able to buy a small 1/4" to 1/8" adapter with it, and some extra cords that I needed for my guitar that I would also be recording with. Finding all of these things on Amazon is great, and looking around, the prices can't be beat. My local music shop sells this same Nady Mic for about $10 more.

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Nady SP-4C Dynamic Microphone. I have used mine for over a year, and it still performs great. It is durable and feels good in the hand. It is cheap, flexible, and offers surprising quality of audio for the price. I also know some folks who use this as a performing microphone. It sounds great live, and they don't have to worry about dropping it or breaking it. Plus, even if they did, they have several for back-ups, and they can buy more for cheap. Go get one!