the t.bone Retro Tube II

The retro tube 2 is my second T.Bone tube condenser mic,
My first introduction was a used sct800 I picked up at a bargain price not expecting much,
I was pleasantly surprised, it is less bright than my grey Rode NT1 & warmer than my black NT1,

The SCT800 got me interested in the other bargain mics from T.Bone,
after listening to tests I chose the RetroTube2,

You get a lot of mic for your money, 35mm capsule housed in a HEAVYWEIGHT body heavier than the specs claim, 1400g+,
Retro Tube2 is VERY solidly built, likewise the shock mount,

Retro Tube2 needs a sturdy support but I love the quality feel its heft imparts,

after 3 days buring in I made some comparisons with my other mics,

Retro Tube2 is not harsh or sibilant like many bargain condenser mics even with the stock china 12at7,
The sound could be described as Retro, its warm with detail & plenty of bottom end, more open than the sct800 due to an extended upper frequency response but not harsh,

I am very happy with the Retro Tube2.

Sometime I'm roaming YouTube and listening to vid's and always think yeah but............. Is it real. I have a small recording studio for my own projects and sometimes invite other people to record. Always I had issues with microphones and not the cheapest ones........ I won't say names...... And then I heard somebody working with the t.bone retro tube II and I had something like.........have to read about it........... I can remember that I found a story from a American studio owner who said........changed the tube to a Goldpin tube and I don't use anything else anymore.....It has to do with taste he said......don't change it's good but bring in JJ or TAD or Tung-Sol or Sovtek when your taste is different. I did the same and wow...........this mic blows me away......I have four now and was testing with different tubes. Acoustic guitar and vocals it doesn't matter.......it does sound great...... and let's be real the price is amazing and also from the parts. No they're not noisy at all..........

I can't really say much about the sound itself as I was using it for micing acoustic drums with other mics in a small and untreated room and to be honest... I just couldn't get a decent sound of my kit but the mic WAS definitely not the reason for it. This is why you may see b-stock item as I have returned everything I have order with acoustic drums.

There's literally nothing bad I can say about this mic.

You have to be aware that it is big and heavy. The included long mic cable was very helpful and I could test at least 10+ different places in my room. You don't even need a mic stand most of the times as OMNI setting + metal basket, which is super heavy-duty, let you place it wherever you can just put it down on its side/

I may come back to this mic later in the future as for vocal mic. I really didn't have much time to test it in this setting as the whole of my attention was focused on micing the acoustic drumkit and getting a decent recording.

A unique mic with great built quality definitely worth a shot/

The first unit arrived quickly but the power supply did not turn on. A quick call to Thomann and a returns postal certificate was issued.
The goods were refunded promptly.
A second unit was ordered and also arrived quickly and all worked fine this time.
The case is good quality. The microphone mount is amongst the most solid that we have seen.
The mic is quite heavy and we would recommend a really good, heavy mic stand to support it.
The three polar patterns all work as designed and all sound fine. The mic is not noisy and exhibits good response all round, with no unnatural over emphasis on any particular frequency range.
A very good value, inexpensive valve microphone. The same mic, re-badged, is available from many other places but expect to pay at least £100 to £200 more.
Great value for the price.

I was intrigued by the specs and price of this microphone, and I absolutely do NOT regret buying it.

Full, warm sound with plenty of detail in the high frequencies, tried it extensively both on just vocals and for recording singer-songwriters that also played guitar at the same time.

Also tried it as a drum room microphone, with excellent results. Punchy and present, without being too piercing.

Surprisingly low noise floor for being a tube microphone, and also aesthetically pleasing.

It is quite heavy, so a good mic stand is recommended.

Overall, I would buy it again, and would also recommend to other people.