NW-700 Side Address Studio Microphone Review
We looked at a small shotgun microphone for mobile use before. However as we cover more studio type gear it seems only appropriate that we cover microphones that would fit those application as well. Today we have something I was lucky enough to grab on a lighting deal, the NW-700 from Neewer.
Unboxing and overview
Packaging for the NW-700 doesn’t even bother calling out what’s inside beyond identifying it as a Condenser Microphone Kit. However packages inside with some foam and other packaging is the NW-700 itself, a shock mount, filter and a XLR to 3.5mm cable. Depending on your application this kit will either have things you don’t need or be missing stuff you do. The shockmount was a nice surprise as it had a removable screw to reduce it to 3/8 thread, common on photography equipment. When removed this allowed it to fit on more standard 5/8 microphone stands like the one seen in my video below. The microphones body is primarily aluminum
Usage
As I mentioned earlier depending on what you have there might not be everything you need in the box to actually use the NW-700. Neweer claims that you can use the microphone with a sound card that provides 5v on the microphone port however in my experience this was inconsistent at best. Using my desktop and laptop although the mic worked it was far too quiet to be useful in my experience. Larger kits include a phantom power injector alongside the NW-700 which dramatically increases it’s sensitivity. Although I don’t have one of those the mixer I used during my review(Beachtek DXA-Micro-Pro-Plus also currently in for review) provided phantom power in my testing. With phantom power available to it the NW-700 was loud and clear.
Performance and pickup pattern
With proper power to it the NW-700 performed well. The microphone is designed for use as a side address with the condenser directed towards the side with the markings on the body. Although no pattern data is listed online from playing with it the NW-700 appears to be a cardiod pattern, side rejection seems decent although it’s no where near as focused as shotgun microphones. Rated for 20hz-16Khz the NW-700 is a bit narrow for instrumental applications however as a podcasting mic it more than performs.
Kit pricing and Closing Thoughts
Overall I was impressed with the NW-700 at 14.99 for the base kit if you already have phantom power it’s a steal. There are larger kits available as well however at 39.99 there’s a larger kit including an arm and Phantom power injector. Honestly that kit is probably the best deal. The next largest is 69.99 including an injector arm as well as other accessories including headphones. Depending on your usage and what you have already these kits offer an excellent value for a variety of applications.
