Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Aston Microphones Stealth Broadcast Quality Cardioid Condenser Studio/Live Microphone

Chris Kennedy

Good mic

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2024

Great value for sure

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2021

Verified Purchase

Aston Stealth is an AMAZING microphone! If you're looking at the SM7B or the Aston Stealth - PICK THE STEALTH! This mic has a built in pre amp so you don't have to buy a $150 Cloud Lifter(like you might for a SM7B)
The clarity is absolutely perfect, it's just a solid built mic!
The only "con" to this mic is the attachment method for the stand. It just feels small to be able to hold such a large mic. Plus when you disconnect the mic from the stand, it causes you to "pop" the mic off the attachment and feels like it's jarring the mic. But the stand works well overall.
The price BTW from this seller is A+
You won't find a better deal

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vkng

Good sounding mic, sabotaged by an absolute failure of a shock mount

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

SOUND
The sound is really quite good, but it's only on par with the sound quality & character of other mics in the space (RE20 or RE320, SM7B, AT BP40, Telefunken M82, Heil PR40 or PR30, etc.) but it can sound like several of those mics. I should qualify that it has a unique sound as it only sounds like the different voicing would fit in the same category as the other mic, not that it sounds like a modeled version of those mics.

It does suffer from plosive a fair bit, so you've got to have good mic technique and stay 4 to 6 inches stood off. You can't use other pop filters like on an RE20 or Heil.

BUILD
I wish it were as well built as their other mics, but I think that cost and tuning meant they couldn't use the steel body. The finish is actually a little fragile as it was scuffed by the Aston Swiftshield shock mount pads. While it feels substantial, the mic isn't as strong as I would want.

MOUNTING
This is the single biggest failure of the entire mic, it doesn't work, replacing it is absolutely necessary (and quite difficult); it makes me afraid to use the mic in anything but a deskstand but it is so loud on a desk that tapping the desk is louder than tapping the side of the mic. I can only imagine it was some cost-saving issue that made them stick with their proprietary mount. I would have vastly preferred a 5/8" threading where the proprietary shock mount slot is. Other reviewers have commented that their mount broke off inside the mic or that it wobbles so much that it will drop the mic.

It's really hard to find replacements. The size (59mm-60mm) and the weight of the mic (625g) makes it too heavy for most of the studio quality maximum horizontal capacity of 500g (you'll most likely use it horizontally because it's an end address mic). Other Dynamic Mics like the Heil PR40, PR30, RE20, etc. all fit a general mount as do many condensers. The only shock mounts that look like they'll work are the MXL large mount and the Koolertron are too small), the discontinued Telefunken M740 mount or any other mount designed for very large diaphragm condenser mics like the U47 or U48.

None of Aston's three shock mounts fit, nor are they rated by Aston as fitting the Stealth. I tried the Aston Swiftshield shock mount but the Stealth was too wide to fit well and the pads scratched the sides of the mic body as I mounted it and when I took it out (some of the scratches were smudges but there are a couple streaks down the side of the mic) the Aston Swiftshield mount is only opens a millimeter wider than the diameter of the Stealth so it's a struggle to mount it as the mount pads flop and catch. While I saw videos and kits with the Aston Swiftshield it always sags and you can see the strain on the bands when used any way but vertically (Aston doesn't provide a weight rating that I've found but lists support for far heavier mics like the Blue Woodpecker, presumably only in vertical). Both of the Aston and Rycote collaboration shock mounts (the one with a single screw and a purple version of the USM) are too narrow and don't support the weight.

The Rycote InVision Universal Shock Mount (USM-L) would be my go-to but it only supports 500g horizontal weight and bottoms out in the ring although it does fit – the regular USM won't fit the body of the mic nor will it support the weight.

The shock mount is so frustratingly bad that I almost returned the mic and I love the sound. I wish that Aston had leaned into their wave springform like on the Spirit and Origin to make a tubular shock mount like stage mics use.

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Royce Saindon

Out of the box didn't work

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

Just received this Mic today. I have a Rodecaster Pro II. I plugged it in and it would not transmit any signal to the RP II. I tested it with and without phantom and in all voicings on the dial. The only thing that sent signal was v2 with phantom and it came out as white noise. I will be sending it back and requesting a replacement. If the second one is better I will make sure to edit this review. If not I will be looking into a different Mic.

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Dexter Arafiles

Excellent mic! Very versatile.

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2022

Verified Purchase

Let me preface this review with, my voice is a little weird and I've tried well over 30 mics (dynamic and condenser) in my lifetime. I can sing really high yet my speaking voice is low.
It's difficult to find the right mic. The best thing you can do is look up different reviews with different voices and find a reviewer similar to your voice. After that, pulling the trigger is scary, because spending 300+ dollar for something that you believe is right for you can end up being not right for you.
So I looked at this mic as, it has 3 (essentially 8) chances to get my voice, and I am happy to report it did. V1, v2, and Dark mode all sound great to my ears, especially dark mode. The simulated ribbon mic sound fits me perfectly for any situation from speaking, singing, and streaming.
The preamp is really sensitive. If you though the cloudlifter boosted a dynamic, this thing boosts it almost too much that I barely have to adjust the volume when I turn it on. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it surprised me the 1st time I powered it when I set it to my usual 60 percent and there was so much noise. With this mic, a little adjustment goes a long way.
Last thing, I followed everyone's advise to get a different shock mount as the one you get is not as shock absorbant as the "On-Stage Shock Mount" that you can buy on Amazon. Getting that shock mount makes this the perfect mic for me.
In conclusion, if you've accepted your weird voice, give this mic a try. One of the modes should work for you as it did for me.

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S. Graf

Great sound quality and very versatile

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2023

Verified Purchase

This Aston Stealth is great sounding and very versatile. It has 4 microphone setting to choose from. V1 Male voice, V2 Female voice, G for Guitar, D for dark with less highs. It’s like having four microphones. Low noise floor.
Fantastic built to last. Thanks Amazon for a great prize.

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Travis P.

Quite possibly my favorite mic yet

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

I love my Aston Origins for their rich true sound, but I wanted to try out their broadcast microphone for my podcast. The Stealth is the best mic on the market in imo.

3 people found this helpful

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Alicia Lexta

Close to a perfect mic, but with some solid gripes to be had

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024

Verified Purchase

This mic especially at the incredible pricing its dropped to has nothing really competing with it, The sound is superb, I've used about 6 mics over 100usd and mode 2 has worked best for me be clear and reduce the muddyness compared some other mics, as well a tighter pickup I feel overall if your going to be disappointed anything its least likely the audio, the main aspect a mic.
Unfortunately, there's more aspects than just audio, and the mount is easily one most complained about parts, it does not inspire confidence at all, and the mic has a lot wiggle room that cannot be removed
The build also long and heavy, making it a tricky mount.
Mine had an audio hum it developed as well, which was easily noticeable to anyone listening.
Even with it having broke, I considered keeping it and would had so if I didn't have another mic already in possession, as well I still told my friend I would recommend it, cause durability in question, the rest is great, and at half or less the cost comparable mics, it could be a winner even if have get a replace sooner then other brand.

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Teej

Almost perfect.

Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2024

Verified Purchase

When my item was delivered, I tried it quickly. The stealth sounded great. It was like singing in a processed vocal with saturation..Yeah sounds like that. The top foam tho had a dimple spot…I’m very oc with my gear..I didn’t report it tho coz I love the sound. Amazon….I hope you have a hotline for us to tell you to pls take extra care packing our stuff.

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Gridsquare

Great mic, meh mount.

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2019

Verified Purchase

I won't bore you with the technical specs, as there are far better people to do so on these reviews. I use this mic for game streaming and voice recording for YouTube content. I pair this mic with a Scarlet 2i2 and couldn't be happier. I chose this over the SM7B because I don't need a cloud lifter to make it work. It has a preamp built in and the sound is crystal clear.

I have two complaints, one small and the other is (I think) substantial....The minor complaint is that the mic is a bit plosive. I wish they sold a pop filter like the one for the RE20(like eposvox uses). The big problem I have is the plastic insert mount...thing that I've never seen before on any mic. It works...but it's better for a mic that never moves, like a recording studio. For a content creator who moves his stuff around quite frequently, I bump this thing a lot and it always comes loose. Not a big deal, but for the price of this mic I think we should get a better option. I went ahead and purchased their shock mount from Aston, I'll review it when I get it.

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