the t.bone MB 75

It's never easy being forced to re-think your whole ethos on things like microphones. We're all told from day one in sound engineering that for snare drums, brass instruments, guitar amps and even vocals, the Shure SM57 is king. Consequently I have several of them, and have happily used them for years, thinking I was in the "can't go wrong" zone.

And then I had cause to buy a Thomann MB75, just for a small recording project that didn't really warrant getting another ‘57. So just out of interest, I thought I'd compare the MB75 with one of my ‘57s.

With the help of a friend, I recorded a snare drum track and a vocal track. Each track was recorded at the same time but with two mics - the MB75 and the ‘57. Then we solo-ed each track and did a comparative listening test, on both the vocal and snare track.

The MB75 won on all counts - on both tracks. I have to say, it didn't win hands down; it was a close-run thing. But it definitely won.

On the snare track, the MB75 had a warmer, rounder sound than the ‘57 with a slightly more pleasing mid-range. The ‘57 in comparison had a slightly honky sound with a nasal sharpness in the mid that would probably need a bit of EQ to smooth out. As I say, the differences were not huge, but they were definitely there. We even tried blind listening tests to make sure we weren't being influenced by knowing which one was which, and we did this by one person turning his back so he couldn't see which track was muted, then playing one track then the other. The two different tracks - and consequently the two different mics - were easily identified.

We did broadly the same thing with the vocal tracks. The same vocal performance was recorded with the two mics, and compared in an A/B fashion. The MB75 had a smoother sound without the pronounced mid that seemed to come through on the ‘57. We did both speech and singing, and the same was true for both. Although the differences were not huge, they were real and again, in blind tests, both mics were easily identified.

None of these differences were so great that the mics could not be made to sound identical with the judicious use of EQ, and of course some people may prefer the slightly more "middle-y" sound of the ‘57 rather than the smoother sound of the MB75 (although I can't think why - the MB75 definitely sounded nicer!). But of course if you rely on EQ to get the sound you want rather than have the mic do it for you, then you're using up valuable resources and processing power on your computer (or whatever multi-track device you have). In my humble opinion the closer you can get to the sound you want WITHOUT using your EQ, the better. This mic, surprisingly, gets closer to that sound for me than an SM57, on both vocals and snare drum.

We didn't do a comparative test on handling noise - given that a mic of this nature is hardly ever hand-held, we didn't think it was relevant. But, if it's of any consequence at all, the MB75 did feel a tiny bit lighter in the hand. But only by an ounce or so.

And then of course you look at the price! It kind of makes it a no-brainer, really. With the MB75 being about a quarter of the price of the '57, I'm really at a loss as to why I didn't buy several of these things years ago, and save myself processing power on my computer... not to mention hundreds of pounds!

This mic is highly, highly recommended. Excellent sound compared to an SM57 and truly amazing value for money! Go for it!

I bought a pair of these to add to my microphone collection which I use to record a four piece (Vocals, drums, Bass and Guitar) pop / rock band.

I have a Sure SM57 which I normally use to record the guitar amp and wanted something similar to use simultaneously but in a different position, or in conjunction with a bass microphone on the bass amp.

Being on a low budget and having had good experiences with T.Bone products previously (BD200 bass mic and HD990D 'phones) i took a risk on these which appear comparable with the SM57.

The MB75 arrives in a box virtually identical (except for the slip cover) as that which contains my SM57. The MB75 is virtually identical in size, weight and appearance to the SM57. They would be very difficult to tell apart if it were not for the identification mark on the capsule cover.

Included with the MB75 box is a decent XLR cable and mic stand clip adapter to allow fitting to a standard mic stand thread. Unlike the SM57 there is no soft case or mic stand clip provided.

I ran a simple A/B comparison between the SM57 and the MB75 using an electric guitar through a small guitar amplifier recorded into my Zoom R24 recorder. Playing the two tracks back there was no discernible difference in sound; both were clear and detailed.

Please bear in mind that, whilst I tried to keep everything (sound levels, gain, placement, guitar etc.) identical this was a non scientific experiment and your ears may be better than mine! However, in my opinion, the MB75 is a solid alternative to the SM57 at around a third of the price. The only con is the lack of a mic stand clip; a very minor point, especially since a XLR cable is included in the package. I would have no hesitation in purchasing more of these mics in the future.

These absolutely nail the home studio guitar cab mic role. Get a second for very heavy guitar and use in a fredman pair or a PRA628 for more conventional sounds and use this pointed right at the dustcap and the PRA628 at the edge. Better results and change left over from buying an SM57 or e906.

However, these skip the transformer, so they're not as loud as the SM57 they copy and can be a little noisier, but that's only noticeable if you're working on quiet sources. I might opt for the pricier Shure as a stage mic, but I'd definately have a few of these in the spares/extras box if I did.

They're a little bit brighter than an SM57, but that works to their advantage most of the time, particularly when used as a pair either in a 55degree fredman setup or as centre - edge on a guitar speaker as there's loads of brightness available if you want it.

The shock mount isn't any way near as good as good as the SM57, so it's worth usinng an external shock mount or spending on the real deal if you're dealing with drums or floor rumble.

I'm using a handful of these and a PRA628 along a with a vintage EV PL11, Unidyne 515, and a modern AKG Perception 200 to get an absolute wealth of really useful recordable guitar sounds. For the most part I'm leaning on these more than the more expensive mics as they so the thing so well.

I have 57s, and I have these. I blindly reach for one or the other from my mic drawer and it makes no difference to me which one I end up with - they're that close. There is no discernible difference between the two and that's exactly why you should buy this mic - it's so much cheaper.

The fact that you can buy three of these for the price of a 57 makes it a no-brainer; that's your snare and two toms covered right there. Excellent on guitar cabs, and pretty much anything you put in front of it.

57s are an industry standard and now you can get an equivalent for a third of the price. Cool.