If you are thinking about starting a career that includes singing or talking or have that kind of a hobby, you might be in a need of a good microphone. What would you say if I told you that there was this nice, low-cost microphone that can make you sound decent when performing or recording? In this Behringer XM8500 review, we talk about a unique dynamic microphone. A piece of technology that will let your voice be heard. So, keep on reading if you would like to discover more about what the Behringer X8500 is like and find out if it has what you’ve been looking for.
- Frequency range from 50Hz to 15,000Hz which is specifically tailored for vocals
- Built-in shock mount
- Built-in spherical pop and wind filter
- Great durability
- Significant background noise reduction
- Sounds with lower frequencies tend to sound a bit less detailed
Design
When it comes to this microphone’s design, I must say that the people behind the Behringer XM 8500 managed to enrich the market with a nice-looking microphone. The entire microphone is black and its body has a soft, matt glare. The handle is narrower at the bottom and it gets wider as it goes to meet the head of the Behringer XM8500.
The head of the microphone is, as I already mentioned, black like the rest of the microphone. This gives the microphone a nice-looking composition of its external elements and makes it look professional and stylish.
The head has a nice, metal grill that has a spherical shape and is very sturdy. In fact, this grill is so sturdy that it will take almost any abuse on stage. Of course, this is not a way for me to say that you should intentionally try to harm your microphone. All I’m trying to say is that if an accident happens, you will be more than happy to see that your XM8500 still sounds good.
The sturdiness is not a characteristic that describes the head of the Behringer XM 8500 only. In fact, this is something that applies to the rest of the microphone. That being said, Behringer XM8500 has a robust body made of metal that increases its shock immunity and protects the internal components of the microphone.
It’s preferable that a microphone has a nice weight meaning that it’s not to heavy nor too light. This is exactly the case of the XM8500 dynamic vocal microphone. The microphone won’t allow your hands to get tired when performing on stage, but it will also be heavy enough to stay in them during more intense live performances.
Features
We’re at the point of the Behringer XM8500 review where we have to talk more about the features this vocal mic comes packed with. As I already mentioned, this microphone is primarily designed for professionals. Singers, to be more pricese. That being said, this microphone has a nice, ultra-wide frequency response range that goes from 50Hz to 15,000Hz. This frequency range covers all the frequencies that are typical for vocalization with a brightened midrange. It also excludes higher and lower frequencies so that your sound can cut through with precision and detail. The BehringerXM8500 high signal output also helps the sound reach its final destination full and intact. Furthermore, there’s a built-in pop and wind filter that is supposed to get rid of all those unwanted plosives, hiss noises, and breathing sounds. This combination of features promises that the XM8500 will deliver that sound nicely and with good clarity.
Another feature that helps the microphone help all of you, singers and speakers, is its cardioid polar pickup pattern. This type of polar pattern works great in eliminating the unwanted background noise, and the sounds coming from a source that’s not directly in front of the head of the microphone. Of course, with a pickup pattern like this, your source’s sound will be the only sound that the Behringer XM8500 will project.
Being dynamic, this microphone will calm you down if things like moisture and feedback are something you’re concerned about. Dynamic microphones tend to be immune to both of these unwanted events and, therefore, improve the quality of your sound. Furthermore, Behringer XM 8500’s built-in shock mount will provide for a nice and clear tone protected from all of those handling noise that could drastically pollute the sound if the shock mount was absent.
Performance
As you’ve probably noticed in our Behringer XM8500 review so far, this mic makes a lot of promises.
Behringer XM 8500 is packed to deliver nicely and accurately. Once you start using it, you will notice that the sound it projects has a certain warmness to the tone. That’s not a bad thing though, as it still “keeps it real”. There will be nice details and moments when you will be surprised by its ability to capture even the tiniest ones of them.
Furthermore, your voice will sound pretty loud and without distortion. The internal shock mount will work neatly and prevent any noise to be transferred from your hands to the projection of the sound. This is also the case with the pop filter and wind filter, as it will be your plosives’ and breath’s final destination.
As far as its build quality, the XM8500 really shows its sturdiness when tested for it. Your microphone will last and so will you good-quality performances.
Wrapping up the Behringer XM8500 review
If you like how the Behringer XM8500 sounds so far, you may want to consider buying this dynamic cardioid microphone. It certainly has a lot to offer. I personally believe that the microphone doesn’t ask for too much in terms of finances.
However, I do believe that it will fit in well with the rest of your audio equipment. After all, the Behringer XM 8500 looks nice and sounds nice, so it is definitely a very low-budget nicely packed microphone. So take some time, and think things through. Go through this review once more if needed. If the Behringer XM8500 still seems like a good option to you, go ahead and get it. If you need more options, take a look at the other microphones we reviewed.
