I first discovered this mic on YouTube. I kept seeing it again and again used in live performances by my favorite saxophone players, such as Michael Brecker. I also noticed that they often use this mic for sax, trumpet and trombone players at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival. It is also commonly used by radio dj's and talk shows. After searching for years with unpleasant results for the best mic for my live saxophone performances, I decided to give the Electrovoice RE 20 a try. This is by far the best live saxophone mic I have ever used by a long shot. Shure Beta 57's and 58's give the saxophone a bright and harsh tone. My clip on pencil condensor also produces a bright, harsh tone. Ever since I started using the RE 20, I no longer have the problem of the other members of the band and audio engineers telling me to turn down the sax mic. Now that the tone coming out of the PA system sounds exactly like the tone coming out of my saxophone, Everyone in the band is enjoying my saxophone tone and I hear myself clearly in the mix every time. Best money I ever spent on music gear. You owe it to your saxophone to get this mic that will do justice to your tone. I do get an excellent tone out of large diaphragm condenser mics such as the Neuman U 87, but those mics are too fragile and expensive to be used for live sound, and they also give me too much feedback. This mic is very directional and therefore doesn't pick up other instruments on the stage.

We use the RE 20 in a commercial radio station for live broadcasts. Perfect vocal mic with very little pop even at extremely close range.

We use the RE 20 in a commercial radio station for live broadcasts. Perfect vocal mic with very little pop even at extremely close range.

I have used all sorts of mics and about 4 years ago purchased a Neumann TLM 103 for my home studio. Well, all I can say is the Neumann is back in its original packing collecting dust, and it doesn't hold a candle to a EV RE20 for v/o use when you have to deal with unwanted noise in the home setting. I mean noise such as computer fans, even if extremely quiet, and any other low level noise you get when you haven't been able to spend thousands of pounds or dollars on sound insulation. The Neumann will pick up the sound of a pin dropping and also breath and mouth noises and isn't good for 'close mic' work, while the RE20 is excellent in blocking unwanted sounds. Plus the RE20 makes a good voice sound even better in any setting. To my mind it's the number one mic in the world for voiceover or radio work and would even be worth twice the price - it's that good!

I have used all sorts of mics and about 4 years ago purchased a Neumann TLM 103 for my home studio. Well, all I can say is the Neumann is back in its original packing collecting dust, and it doesn't hold a candle to a EV RE20 for v/o use when you have to deal with unwanted noise in the home setting. I mean noise such as computer fans, even if extremely quiet, and any other low level noise you get when you haven't been able to spend thousands of pounds or dollars on sound insulation. The Neumann will pick up the sound of a pin dropping and also breath and mouth noises and isn't good for 'close mic' work, while the RE20 is excellent in blocking unwanted sounds. Plus the RE20 makes a good voice sound even better in any setting. To my mind it's the number one mic in the world for voiceover or radio work and would even be worth twice the price - it's that good!