Avantone Pro CK-1 Review
Small-Capsule FET Pencil Microphone
Highlighted Customer Reviews
Showing 1 to 10 of 10 Reviews
Good sound quality, questionable build
Avantone Pro CK-1 Small-Capsule FET Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by rotoghost on B&H Photo Video
Good news first, the sound quality from all three of the capsules is excellent. Well articulated, tight bass (from the Cardioid and Hyper). Low rolloff works well. Bad news is that the build is not up to par with the sound. The finish is not at fault, it looks fine, but there are shielding issues within the mic body. It was actually shorting out when I first tested the unit, and I found the culprit to be pressure from the pad and rolloff switches, causing a component on the board to touch the inside of the mic body. Moving an attached XLR plug would cause terrible popping and scratching. I fixed this issue myself, but it shouldn't have been that way from the factory. Comes in a wooden box with a plastic holder for the other capsules. The holder will not hold the Cardioid capsule, so you'll have to find somewhere else to keep that safe if you're using the Hyper or Omni. All this said, the capsules sound sound great, and as such I'm satisfied with it. Perhaps these mics need a bit more quality assurance and testing before they leave the factory. Would be a solid 4 stars for the sound quality, but price knocks one off for value's sake. ... More
Too noisy
Avantone Pro CK-1 Small-Capsule FET Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by Jon Fairhurst on B&H Photo Video
I bought this mic purely on good specs and low price. I hadn't seen any detailed reviews, so I knew I was taking a risk. Physically, I like the product and included accessories. The specs show it to be comparable to an AT4053b. Unfortunately, the self noise of my copy made it useless. Even in a terribly reverberent space, I ended up using a clean cardioid mic over this noisy hyper cardioid. Is the sound quality any good? I can't tell as the dialog I recorded is buried in hiss - even with a very good Fostex FR-2LE recorder. Maybe my copy was faulty. Maybe I could do some surgery and replace the FET amp with better circuitry that would make this world class. Maybe I'll use the box for trinkets and the mic as a prop or doorstop. Unfortunately, I won't be recording any audio with the mic in its current state. ... More
Best deal in a pencil condenser
Avantone Pro CK-1 Small-Capsule FET Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by soundguy jon on B&H Photo Video
I bought a pair of these to replace some older condensers I had as drum overheads. They sound SO much better... silky and smooth. To get all the pickup pattern options for this price is unbeatable. I'd have no hesitation to get another pair, they sound great. There is no discernible background noise at all, so another reviewer must have had a bad one. I've mostly used the hypercardioid pattern to reduce bleed from the rest of the kit and reflections from the drum enclosure, it works well. They come in a wooden box and have a good shock mount mic clip too. ... More
A BARGAIN!
Avantone Pro CK-1 Small-Capsule FET Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by thesegoto11 on B&H Photo Video
Quite simply: great for the price. They're not Neumann SKM 185s by any stretch of the imagination, but at 10% of the cost, they're an absolute bargain. Very little noise, great reaction, crisp capturing ... can't ask for much more in mics this cheap. I use two, one at the neck of my guitar, the other at the butt. Provides a surprisingly robust stereo sound capturing the rich tones of my Martin, Gibson and Yamaha guitars.
Really really great for the $$
Avantone Pro Avantone Audio CK-1 Small-Diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by Bob K. on Reverb
These are really swell mics for the dough. There's better stuff out there, but, for the money, they are a great value. I am a home recording guy, and have worked in studios with incredible mics. But, for the $150 (or less) that you'll pay for these, they are most excellent for acoustic instruments.
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Love this microphone.
Avantone CK-1 FET Multi-Pattern Pencil Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by Edwin on Guitar Center
Big sound from a small condenser microphone. I am a fan of Aventone mic's, you get a lot for your money. There are a lot of options on the market but I think this is a great addition to any mic locker.
Trustworthy
Avantone Pro Avantone Audio CK-1 Small-Diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by Walter P. on Reverb
I ordered this item but it went missing in shipping. Not the seller's fault and they issued a full refund so I give them a full five stars for being trustworthy.
Avantone Pro Avantone Audio CK-1 Small-Diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by Douglas R. on Reverb
not as warm as i'd like on the acoustic guitar but sounds great on vocals
Awesome mic
Avantone Pro Avantone Audio CK-1 Small-Diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by Joe S. on Reverb
Great mic. Sou ds great. Awesome for acoustic guitars. Well worth the price tag. Should cost more.
Loads of bang for the buck
Avantone Pro Avantone Audio CK-1 Small-Diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by Anthony H. on Reverb
An excellent SDC mic. Crisp, clear, versatile and simple.
