Behringer XM8500 Dynamic Vocal Microphone with XLR Connector, Cardioid Pickup for Studio Recording & Live Performance on Stage, Podcasting, Streaming

Great quality and very decent sound for only £13, perfect for karaoke if you have a karaoke speaker to go with it, as it had a case and is a cardiod pattern. Definitely would recommend if you can get it for £13

Great little mic for the price! It was listed on Amazon UK for around £14 at the time I bought it though. Still fantastic value that for the money vs sound quality! It is comparable to an SM58 from Shure as the frequency response is similar to the 58 and the build quality isn't bad at all for the money ( it won't break but if it does buy another). You get a three- year guarantee so you're onto a winner. There's no need for any phantom power as the mic is a dynamic mic with a cardioid polar pattern (picks sound up from the front mainly with quite a steep drop off at the sides). There's no on / off switch on this mic - no proper mic such as this should have one anyway as it means that the user could switch the mic off mid-recording!! The case and mic clip aren't bad either but, there's no XLR cable included - buy a stagg one they're cheap enough on here. I have an SM58 too and was put off buying further 58's due to the price vs my use case ( I produce spoken word recordings for radio - I'm not a singer) My signal chain: XM8500 via XLR into the input of an ART Tube MP Tube Pre Amp with 20db pad enabled and phase inversion disabled. The output from the tube amp is then fed into the input of my Focusrite Scarlet Solo audio interface via a further XLR cable. The audio then goes into my iMac via USB and is recorded into Audacity raking care not to clip the audio at any stage of the Sinaloa chain. I originally got the Tube amp to add extra gain to the signal from my SM58 as that was a bit low, but I still use it with the XM8500 and in fact just swapped the mics over when the XM8500 arrived and haven't gone back since. I'm not beating meant to Shure - they make a fantastic mic but for those on a budget the XM8500 is a good option! Don't be fooled by the name sounding a bit like the more expensive mic - it's not a cheap copy - it IS a GREAT mic in it's own right. I probably won't buy another 58 again now that I've discovered this alternative!

For an entry level XLR mic this is a decent one, sound quality is good but not perfect, if you were to use this for streaming or recording you may want to introduce sound gates to remove the very minor distortion and static that can be produced when using this microphone. The microphone its self is solid construction and comes in a hard shell plastic case with foam lining keeping it safe, the head of the mic is removable so fitting a different head with built in pop filter is an option without modification. If you intend to use this microphone for streaming you will want to set up sound gates and a hot key to mute the microphone as there is no built in switch or button to mute but then again at this price point I wouldn't expect there to be. Overall good for the money, decent quality and solid construction.

The Behringer Ultravoice XM8500 is virtually as good as a Shure SM58. I own both and although the SM58 has a slight edge in performance it is marginal, when the price is taken into account £100 for the SM58 £15 for the XM8500 you can see why this XM8500 gets great reviews, just take a look on YouTube. I tried them back to back and the XM8500 performs superbly I would gig with this microphone without hesitation. It has slightly more gain than the SM58 at the same gain settings so sounds louder without distortion. Highly recommend a true bargain and the foam inlay hard plastic case offers secure protection. Having used the XM8500 for a couple of days now I have a few extra observations compared to the SM58. As mentioned before the XM is more sensitive (louder) than the SM58 and the XM has a bit more bass response where as the SM has slightly more emphasis on mids and highs, so they have slightly different characteristics, both sound really good, just a bit different. I have compared these two microphones back to back, but used in isolation both mics are really good and in a live setting I would be happy with either, 99% of any audience would not distinguish any difference between them.

Very good microphone. Solid and feels a good weight and well built. Unbelievable value for money at £14. I bought it as a spare to use for Open Mic nights I run. I use a genuine Shure SM58 myself and an old AKG D880 as a spare and I don't want them to go walkabouts!!! To be clear it is good and has very good feedback resistance - as good as the AKG. Its sounds every bit as good as the AKG when in use. However it is no Shure SM58 replacement. The Shure is warmer and certainly gives clearer vocal reproduction. But the Shure has slightly lower feedback resistance. The AKG D880 is highly regarded as a male vocal mic and if that's what you want then this Behringer XM8500 is perfect. If you want a genuine Shure SM58 then this is close but no cigar. But SM58s are almost 6 times the price.

About twenty years ago when I studied popular music and gigged a fair big the standard answer to what type of Microphone you should get was the Shure SM58 (or 57) depending on what you were using it for. There must be millions of the SM58’s used by bands and studios the world over with good reasons – great sound and very robust. Now I’m getting back into music and want to start gigging again but have a limited budget. When I first started looking at the 8500 it was just over £20 and daft as it sounds I thought that seemed too cheap to seriously consider but after reading lots of reviews across many sites I bit the bullet and ordered it by which time it was down to £14! Initial impressions on delivery were very good, the microphone comes in a strong padded plastic case which looks like it will last the test of time. Also impressed by the weight – it feels like a high quality piece of kit – no cheapy plastic here. The supplied clip works well and holds the microphone securely and the XLR socket accepts a connection snuggly with no rattling. Performance is excellent, I have been practicing with a borrowed SM58 and I can tell no discernible difference between the two in terms of tone, others might but if there is one it’s too subtle for me to detect. Also I would say that the 8500 seems a bit more sensitive compared to the SM58 I’ve been using in that I don’t need to be quite as close to the mic to be picked up at the same level. It used to be that you had to pay a fortune for stuff this good and I know they say you get what you pay for but so far so good. I guess time will tell but I will come back and update my review if there is any longevity issues.

Last year I was commissioned to produce an Album. Mic'ed up the Drum Kit with appropriate Mics for Bass Drum and Snare etc, then used a couple of Shure SM58s for Toms and fill. The recording sessions went fine save for one of the SM58s getting broken! They ain't cheap to replace, and I prefer to keep them back for Vocals etc. Not wanting to fork out for another SM58 to use on Drums, I searched around and discovered these. At that price I thought I'd give them a go. Guess what? Barely any discernible difference in the recordings. They are well built, no frill, good reproduction sound and the nearest I've found to the increasingly expensive SM58s. At this price - perfect for general workhorse tasks in the Studio and on Stage. Fine for live Vocal work. Maybe not the shimmer of a Shure SM58 Beta, but they give ordinary SM58s a run for there money. A good investment for newbies Singers too. I have a fair bit of Behringer stuff, normally bought where I anticipate gear might get damaged; i.e. Live. I have a Behringer Bass Combo - reliable as hell; a Studio Pro FX Unit bought 20 years ago, and my Lexicon takes Second place to it when doing Re Mastering Work. Recently I bought a Behringer Neutron Analogue Synth - brilliant. I have a Moog Prodigy, a Roland SH1000 and a Novation Bass Station -it's up there with them in terms of sound, but more reliable. What I'm saying is, if you are a 'Brand' person, and have the money, then buy your preferred Brand. But if you want something to do the job at a decent price, then give these serious consideration

A good microphone, it compares well with microphones costing many times more. Great option for a gigging musician. The sound quality, especially at this price, is fantastic. Comes in a plastic case, to protect the microphone; which is more than a lot of expensive microphones do. It’s price point also means you are not overly concerned about using it, especially for karaoke type events. Feedback rejection is good, handling noise is acceptable. You will need an XLR cable and suitable interface/mixer that accepts XLR, so not the best solution for a direct to PC microphone (you’ll need an audio interface).