Behringer XM8500

I have been countlessly recommended this microphone for two reasons, and I shall state these now:
1. Extremely affordable
At twenty dollars, there's not much that could beat this microphone. Behringer has stepped their game up significantly over the last few years, and while I don't agree with some of their choices, I cannot argue about the value of this mic.
2. Sound
The microphone is dark-sounding. Some would describe it to be a bit muddy, which I do not disagree with - it absolutely can sound muddy on people. However, I consider my voice to be a bit harsh and sharp, and the XM really helps make my voice presentable. I use it for podcasts and streams.

The microphone arrives in a decent carry case. It's made out of cheap plastic, but it seems to be decently durable, and as it is padded from the inside, I am not worried about the mic. The microphone itself is decently heavy, but a lot of it is emphasized on the bottom, so it gives me a sort of uneven feeling. The build quality itself is solid, however, and I'll give it that. I'll also include that the microphone has poor shock and plosive rejection, so I would recommend even a cheap spider mount and windscreen or pop filter. Hence why the quality is at 4, not 5.

The sound itself is way better than the price tag claims. I've compared this to an SM58 and while that is a cult classic, I actually prefer the XM to its signature. If you have a darker voice, I wouldn't recommend the XM, as you'd need to apply a low cut to get rid of that mud. I will try a 40 or 60hz low cut and see what it does. I cannot complain about the sound quality.

Features..it has an XLR port and it's a microphone. This cannot get any more barebones unless you make a microphone out of a coffee pot. This isn't bad by any means, I'd actually be more worried if it had switches on its body and cost the exact same.

Overall, this is probably the best dynamic microphone in the $20-50 range. It rejects background noise decently well, sounds good and is built well enough to last a few years. You shouldn't be shy of using this mic! Just remember a windscreen and shock mount.

It's not an sm58, but is it? It definitely looks the same besides the grill, and it doesn't feel much different either.
I actually carried out listening tests with random members of the public, with dry recordings of speech of 3 microphones. This, the T.Bone MB85, and the original Shure SM58. Rather surprisingly, a larger majority of the public preferred the sound of this one.
I personally find it a tad muddy, but that can easily be gotten rid of.
I also carried out a feedback rejection test between the three microphones. An SPL meter was set up in a static location, and a mic stand was securely set in front of a Martin Audio LE1200 monitor switched into passive mode, powered by a Martin Audio 4.8Q amplifier, and the microphones were all plugged into the same channel on a Midas Pro1. This means the only variable of the test was the microphone and the gain setting.
In short, the microphone which returned the highest SPL without feeding back Won. I'm not sure if it would behave the same in a live band situation, but in this scenario, at least, the XM8500 won!
Very Impressive!

I remember 10 years ago when I bought my first behringer gear, it was some guitar effect pedals, the feeling was not very good, the gear was generally of poor quality in every way. And this feeling for the brand was created...

Surprisingly in recent years I got some behringer equipment that made me smile. And this mic is one of them.

First of all, for so little money we get a mic with holder and case, which doesn't always happen in much more expensive microphones.
Second, the microphone looks great, is well built, with a beautiful black finish. It's not light or heavy, it's just the right size for a hand microphone, and most importantly, it sounds great.

The XM8500 is one of the cheapest alternatives to the Shure SM58, although they look identical they are built internally with slightly different methods. The XM8500 has no transformer unlike the SM58, Impedance is different, it has more gain, which is good, and sounds relatively close with a warmer tone. I've also tried the mic on an electric guitar cab and on a drum toms and snare, both worked perfectly well.

I think this is the best low cost mic on the market.