Customer Reviews

Azden High-performance (SMX-10) Stereo Condenser Microphone

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've had the mic for two weeks now and I'm using it w/a Canon HV30 and a NRG 59111 bracket. In quiet shooting situations, the mic will pick up a lot of motor noise if mounted directly to the camera; this is normal. The bracket suspends the mic about 5" above the camera and motor noise pickup is eliminated. The supplied windscreen does a pretty good job. I would prefer if there was a "power on" LED to serve as a reminder to shut the mic off but that would just draw power too. I understand the rationale behind not having one, but want one anyway. The mic cord is NOT detachable as shown in the picture. Maybe newer versions are, but the one I received does not detach. The shockmount is not that great. The upper/lower parts of the mount are connected by hard rubber squares. So, it's not really "shock mounted" but more of a "dampened mounted." Some handling noise/tapping the camera will be picked up by the mic. This is due to the "not really a shockmount" shockmount.

That said, I'm very happy with it. Note: This is not a shotgun mic, so don't expect to pickup conversation-level sound from 30 feet away. This mic is a true stereo mic and outputs two distinct L/R channel. This mic beats the pants off the stock in-camera mics in every way. There is much more clarity as compared to the stock mic. The best way to describe it is that with the stock mics, all the sounds are "mixed together and indistinct." Whereas with the SMX-10 each sound "stands out from all the others." Frequency response is also better with the SMX-10; I find there is a lot more high-end frequency information in recordings made with it vs. stock.

The mic is very light, not too long (doesn't hang over the front of the camera) and the cord is of the coiled variety so it doesn't hang all over the place. It's designed very well. Body is all-aluminum and very solid feeling. Switches are recessed into the body of the mic, so it would be very difficult to accidently slide them one way or the other. There really isn't anything else in it's price range that is better. Another option/very popular video mic is the Rode Stereo Videomic, but it is literally 2x the price and twice the size. I took a chance with the SMX-10 and am very happy with my purchase.

This has been a really nice addition to my Canon HV20 camcorder. I like it because it provides far superior sound than the built in mic on the HV20 and it is not too bulky. I can leave it attached to my camcorder and still fit the entire rig in a relatively small camera bag (Tamrac Velocity 7x). I did not rate it a 5 because of the shockmount that it comes with is not the greatest. I substituted the Rode SM3 shockmount, which works much better. I highly recommend this combination. It has added a new dimension to my videos and my rig still remains highly portable.

I bought this mic half-heartedly. It might possibly be complete junk, or might possibly be one of my greatest buys. And sure enough. It was a great buy. This mic is very very good for what I plan to use it for. I, sadly, have yet to test it out on a camcorder, but I have used it plugged into my computer and receive, nothing below, AMAZING sound quality from this mic. It has a very wide area pick up also, which I was very surprised with for its price. I am not sure about how it reacts to picking up DV Tape sound or that stuff, because I use it on a boom pole. This is a great item and well worth it if your on a budget for filming or voice over. The VO is pretty awsome with this thing. There is no noticeable white noise and the actually QUALITY of the recordings are just clear and normal. There is nothing that makes it sound like it couldn't be from a professional studio. Made my day. Great buy for the price!

This mic was purchased to be used in a classroom environment with teenage kids, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money. The mic seems well constructed and sturdy. The sound recorded with it is ok. It is better than the sound off the camera mic, and doesn't pick up near as much motor noise and handling noise as the camera mic did. The one negative to the mic is the lack of a power indicator. I think a simple LED would remind people to turn the mic off after use. Other than that, this is a decent mic, and good bang for the buck.

Seeking to produce something other than the usual crushingly boring home movies, I was looking for a good external stereo shotgun microphone for my small Digital Video Camera and my digital stereo sound recorder. Priced under $100, the SMX-10 was the most affordable serious stereo shotgun microphone I could find. It has the advantage if being intended for small video cameras, mounting on the camera and using the small external mike plug. Power is from a regular AA battery, nothing exotic. It is small enough to fit in my camera bag. In addition to using it on the camera I have used it with the recorder to collect sound environments, rain, thunder, a brook, wind chimes, night insects... To my untrained ears, the recordings are indistinguishable from the real thing.

With the included wind screen, this microphone is a vast improvement over the camera's internal microphone, however it inhibits, but my no means, eliminates that pesky wind noise. I can not tell any difference in the sound quality if the microphone battery power is on or off. Overall, highly recommended for the ambitious but impoverished amateur videographer.

I was looking to boost the audio quality on my HV20 and at first this seemed to do the job very well and the audio quality was outstanding. It had a full sound with no clipping or hiss.

The second time I used it my recording was interrupted several times with RF interference from a cell phone. If you have ever heard your cell phone on your PC speakers before it rings you know the sound it makes. The mic was mounted on top the camera which was about 5' up on a tripod. The closest cell phone was at least 3 feet away in someone's pocket or purse.

The body is metal (feels like aluminum) but the front grill is plastic. The mounting bracket fit well in my camera shoe and the rubber legs worked well to isolate the mic from motor noise. I wish it had and LED to indicate power on (should be on cable end). The cable is solid into the mic body so be careful not to crush the cable where it comes out of the back of the mic.

I was looking for a shotgun mic for video taping presentations in noisy conference rooms. This mic greatly improved the quality and volume of my audio but it did not shut out much of the background noise. I'm glad I bought it and it is worth the money, but I still need a good shotgun mic. That is the only reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 stars. It is classified as a shotgun mic but that is only because it has a shotgun mic look. It is a good mic with some zoom capabilities but not a true shotgun.

if you are planning on buying an external mic, chances are you are not happy with the built in mic that your camcorder has, in my experience buying this mic has an improvement but not for much.
sound quality does improve, you dont get as much background noise with it, but you still get enough for it to be annoying. The directionality aspect of it is limited, you will still pick up some sounds coming from the back of the mic, but that is to be expected with directional mics, my problem with it is that it does not do enough to prevent sound from the sides, its just not good enough.
for the price at hand, you might use it for some amateur filming, but if youre somewhat serious about sound quality, i suggest investing in a better mic.

I use this microphone with my HV30 and, Oh my gosh it really does a good job of picking up "true" sound I have done some music and video recordings with this particular microphone, and I was really impressed! The only down side is that this microphone picks up "everything" like the hand rubbing on the camera, zoom lever clicks, and sudden camera movements, as well as doing a horrid job of blocking out the wind even with the wind screen, that is why you upgrade to a better screen, but all in all I would recommend this mic for low end professional use, you get good sound without breaking the bank.

Very good microphone

I purchased this mic to use on my Nikon D7000. I have to say that I was expecting a lot more from this mic, that is compared to the on-board mic from the camera. This mic produces sound that is just a little clearer that then on-board mic. What I do like about the mic is that I can move it closer to my subject if needed, which then produces better sound. But I purchased it to use as a shot-gun mic, I don't want to hold it all of the time. I cannot recommend this mic if you are looking for really good sound from your hdslr.