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..........

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.

I bought this microphone to try and improve the quality of my recorded vocals. Success! This is without doubt a quality product. It comes with all necessary bits and bobs other than a stand and for this you will need a heavy and sturdy one because the mike weighs a lot! I find it gives warmth and clarity to my vocals It comes in a really good flight case which offers it total protection when stored or in transit. I bought an ART pre amp to go with it which makes setting levels a breeze. Possible flaws? Some of the threads are very fine so you need to take care when setting it up. That?s it. Once again Thomann supplies a very good product for an amazing price!
On reflection, there are several controls on the microphone and the power supply and it would be more that useful to have some kind of handbook showing how and for what these controls are used for.