At least in this test, I found the Deity to have the best balance. To me, the Sennheiser was too bright and bass-light whereas the Rode sounded a bit muffled and muddy in the lower mids. I will say that the Deity seems to lack a little bit of the 'life' in the Sennheiser, when played back on my mixcube. Hard to pick but, if I had to choose, I'd take the Deity and try to work with it in post with maybe some subtle parallel distortion. Perfect demonstration with a good chesty delivery, quiet background, and plenty of sibilant consonants.
For clarity the Sennheiser, for warmth the Rode. If the Aputure Deity is indeed waterproof then surely this is a BIG consideration for those working in all weathers.
David, It's been three years now, so which of these microphones did you settle on. For the record I found the ME66 a bit bright, the NTG2 a bit muddy and the Apurture Deity the most natural sounding to my ears. That being said, I would use any of these with no qualms. ;-) Cheers!
For me, the Sennheiser has smoother highs and sounds clean and better of the three, but it lacks a bit of low frequencies which make the Rode NTG2 sound quite good.
Listening through my Rocket 6 monitors, the Rode is by far the worst. And I own that mic! The Sennheiser sounds bright and the Apurture has more bass, both sound good.
I like Sennheiser a lot, but I'm not too keen on the ME66, the upper mids sound a bit too harsh for me, although it does have the lowest Equivalent noise floor, followed by the Deity, then the Rode (according to their specifications). I think I actually liked the sound of the Deity the most between these mics, but it would be interesting to compare them to the Rode NTG3 and Sennheiser MKH 416, because I believe those are the microphones Deity is attempting to compete against. It's actually interesting because the MKH416 has an Equivalent noise level of 13 dB A weighted, while the Deity has an Equivalent noise level of 12 dB A weighted, meaning it beats out the workhorse 416 at least in terms of Equivalent noise level (but really.. 1 dB difference is basically nothing). But yeah, I'd be interested in hearing the Deity go against the 416 and NTG3.
There is a video out now comparing those two. As you'd expect, the 416 is better in every regard except the noise floor which looked the same but, at almost 3x the cost, I wouldn't say you get a proportionate improvement in sound quality.
The Sennheiser is the best one, for sure. No back noise et and a great and high sound, which makes everything clean. Thanks for the comparaison.
At least in this test, I found the Deity to have the best balance. To me, the Sennheiser was too bright and bass-light whereas the Rode sounded a bit muffled and muddy in the lower mids. I will say that the Deity seems to lack a little bit of the 'life' in the Sennheiser, when played back on my mixcube. Hard to pick but, if I had to choose, I'd take the Deity and try to work with it in post with maybe some subtle parallel distortion. Perfect demonstration with a good chesty delivery, quiet background, and plenty of sibilant consonants.
For clarity the Sennheiser, for warmth the Rode. If the Aputure Deity is indeed waterproof then surely this is a BIG consideration for those working in all weathers.
I shall shortly be testing this claim with a good dunking!
Matt Allen well said. Definitely think the sennheiser is the best but not by much
David, It's been three years now, so which of these microphones did you settle on. For the record I found the ME66 a bit bright, the NTG2 a bit muddy and the Apurture Deity the most natural sounding to my ears. That being said, I would use any of these with no qualms. ;-) Cheers!
I own all of them but I tend to use the ME66, I agree about the NTG2
Without knowing anything about the mics or their prices, the sennheiser sounded the best to me. The other two were comparable to each other.
For me, the Sennheiser has smoother highs and sounds clean and better of the three, but it lacks a bit of low frequencies which make the Rode NTG2 sound quite good.
EXCELLENT TEST - SENNHEISER all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Listening through my Rocket 6 monitors, the Rode is by far the worst. And I own that mic! The Sennheiser sounds bright and the Apurture has more bass, both sound good.
Yes, I have the rode as well. Also was disappointed a bit in it on this test.
I like Sennheiser a lot, but I'm not too keen on the ME66, the upper mids sound a bit too harsh for me, although it does have the lowest Equivalent noise floor, followed by the Deity, then the Rode (according to their specifications). I think I actually liked the sound of the Deity the most between these mics, but it would be interesting to compare them to the Rode NTG3 and Sennheiser MKH 416, because I believe those are the microphones Deity is attempting to compete against. It's actually interesting because the MKH416 has an Equivalent noise level of 13 dB A weighted, while the Deity has an Equivalent noise level of 12 dB A weighted, meaning it beats out the workhorse 416 at least in terms of Equivalent noise level (but really.. 1 dB difference is basically nothing). But yeah, I'd be interested in hearing the Deity go against the 416 and NTG3.
Indeed, if I owned a 416 or NTG3 I'd have done a comparison but alas I do not and the 416 is certainly a bit rich for my modest pocket, sorry.
There is a video out now comparing those two. As you'd expect, the 416 is better in every regard except the noise floor which looked the same but, at almost 3x the cost, I wouldn't say you get a proportionate improvement in sound quality.
Even without speakers, it's clear the Rode is better. Bass is punchier and has better range.
Thank You
Alice In Wonderland