I've watched MANY YouTube reviews about this microphone and have yet to see anyone come away with a less than outstanding opinion of this microphone. I don't have any experience with the earlier models of the E100 series, but this one is fantastic. Everything on it just sounds IMPORTANT. I use it for voiceover and podcasting and have managed to sell two other folks on it already. I wish they would include the CAD-branded foam windscreen with it (come on CAD, it's not expensive and it would make folks happy), but other than that I have no complaints. I got this on a stupid deal here on Amazon, like $60 out the door, but even at $99 or $120 it would be worth it. You won't regret buying this microphone.

It’s hard to be disappointed when the sale price drops below $80, but here we are.The issue: I purchased it twice only to find both mics suffered from fatal self noise issues. This goes beyond the self noise the mic should demonstrate, indicating both were defective.There are two ways to look at this. One, we could focus on the tone, which I enjoyed. It’s a bit veiled and a little muddy in the lows, but the high pass switch really cleans that up. This would have been a fun mic to EQ, because I think it has a nice smoothness to it overall. But here’s the thing, the second point, the QA is, at best, questionable. If you get a working one, this is an incredible deal anywhere below $100. But can you trust that the mic will perform for a long time? I can’t answer that for you - personally, I’m not risking it again.My advice: if you buy this, test it a lot within your return window, don’t wait.

I have akg c414 xlx. You can compare to it and the difference is 8/10. Shocker product Highly recommended.

Sound is good for the price but it came with a broken shock mount that had to be fixed and the CAD logo just doesn’t exist on the mic. I looked in the box and no sign of it. Pretty bad QC..

This is a highly recommendend mic used by podcasters, streamers and voiceover performers. Highly detailed and articulate this mic punches way above its weight. Give it a go and you will be pleasantly surprised. Absolutely no regrets in buying or recommending.

This Microphone has a 30-year legacy. This is the latest in the equitek range of Cad Microphones. I love this mic and has now become my number-one go-to microphone. I realize it doesn't cost as much as the TLM103 or the AKG 414, but I think it holds its own against both of these microphones. It has its own sound which is smooth. and the lows are great sounding.The best thing to do is to go to an outlet that allows you to test out the mic before you buy it, but I don't think anyone who gets this microphone will be disappointed.

I know this mic because i used it in other studio that I've been at and i really loved how they sound on toms and percs. So i decided to buy one for myself. But unfortunately for me, i didn't used it right away when it arrived because i was away, because the mic is broken! It distorts with any sound source instantly. I can't send it back because the time for it has passed, and now i am stuck with a broken mic!! Guys check them as doon as they arrived, to not be in the same situation.EDIT: I really love this mic actually! I managed to get mine replaced and it's a real charm. I bought an other one used and both works well. I will buy two more, just to have a good number for my studio.

As a working audio engineer, I am not easily impressed by gear that claims to perform miracles for cheap. That being said... wow.I bought this because many respected live sound and recording engineers have been discussing the remarkably flat frequency response of this mic. At first, I was leery that a sub-$150 LDC would be worth anything given most Chinese made mics are a compromise. When I got it in the mail, the massive carrying case was a bit of a surprise. The fact that the shock mount didn't suck either was promising. But, the really surprising thing was the weight: at nearly a pound, this thing is heavy and will challenge the best of mic stands. The switches were also sturdy and well marked with five different polar patterns and a PAD.The first test was on a 12 string acoustic guitar paired with a Shure SM81 focused at the upper frets to compliment the m179. The results during the live show were amazing! Hardly any subtractive EQ was used in a cardioid pattern and the response was so flat, it was the closest to a plug-and-play kit I have seen in to years. The slight (and I mean slight) presence between 12-15k seemed a perfect fit for guitar and works well with most voices.But the m179 isn't just a live piece. A week later I use it on an upright bass that has a bad pickup in the studio. Aimed at the upper portion of the F-hole, it provided a rich solid tone after backing off above 8k. Then for kicks, I threw it on a Marshal amp with an electric bass with the pad engaged. Once again, it blew me away with how little tweaking it took to get a great tone. Lastly, the hardcore test: AT4050 vs m179 on female jazz vocalist.The winner? M179. Yep. I said it.... pound for pound the AT was beaten in clarity by this 'cheap' mic.Is this the best LDC I have used? No. But, it is up there in *very* high ranking. Very high. Do yourself a favor: buy one and put it through the ringer. You will want another for overheads, grand piano... hell, the possibilities are endless. This could end up being the 58 of LDCs with the right marketing

I bought this microphone just or one purpose: Tom miking.Prehistory:After having read raving critics about the CAD - mainly from US engineers at Gearslutz - I couldn't resist any longer and wantedto make my own picture.Since I'm located in Germany, having done a search for shopping resources over here quickly revealed: Nothing.No CAD M179 was available in Germany at that time, which seems to be strange because CAD produces in China.Anyway, I finally found it on Amazon.com in the U.S.Buying experience:Although I've always been a bit skeptical about customs, delays and whatever else can go wrong with oversea transports, I ordered the price reduced bundle of 3 units.To my greatest surprise, the package arrived quite fast (10 days, 2 of them in the customs), was safely packed and 100 % as described.Import tax was very low by the way, only 2.5% of the microphone price plus shipping (tax for Germany, other countries in the EU may vary).Packaging:The CAD comes in a very large, cube-like package, printed with the-more-the-better zillions of colors, mainly in purple, red and blue.One could say the carton design looks cheap, but as always, taste is a personal thing and in the end it's the content that counts, isn't it?Although not my piece of cake, I must admit that the microphone seems to be well protected by this giant package.Construction:The microphone is sturdy built, with a anodized metal surface while being surprisingly heavy.The capsule is placed safe inside the solid metal windscreen.Part of delivery is a ring clamp plus a professional shock mount - highly recommended to reduce vibrations when miking drums.The overall construction is very good, in my opinion even exceptional for the given price.The CAD M179 offers a pad switch, which is a must for drum miking or the capsule could tend to distort.Both, variable pattern wheel as well as the pad switch, are easy accessible in front of the mike.Overall impression: No bells and whistles, but a solid workhorse, built for pro's.Sound:The CAD offers a warm, natural sound, that perfectly fits for Toms, but also for clean Guitars and even background vocals.I personally wouldn't use it for Lead vocals, but what can you expect for the price.Of course, the CAD wasn't built to be a concurrence to Neumann and other high end brands. But it does its job extremely well.The main purpose for me was Tom-miking, so the following research is covering only my experience with Toms.Set to cardioid, surrounding sounds from back and side are successfully suppressed, quite important when dealing with bleeding HiHats or cymbals.The Toms immediately sounded really big, not to say huge, without messy crash sounds coming through.Although having used Sennheiser MKH-40 for Toms before (one costs 10 times the $$ of a M179 ...), the results were doubtless significantly better then ever!You can turn up the Tom tracks in your mix, really push them in breaks and the like, and at the same time your mix won't suffer of the typical cymbal bleeding as known from other microphones (like the MKH-40 or MD421).Amazing.In Short:Pros:* very good and sturdy crafted* exceptional good sounding results, specially with Toms* low priceCons:* heavy weight that demands for mic stands* typical microphone clamps will place the CAD more over the center of Toms, not at side, due to it's size. I can live with that, although your setup will be cluttered even more when using stands.Conclusion:I love this microphone! My dream of a perfect drum sound has become more true, day in and out.A clear recommendation: Buy it!