TZ Stellar X2 Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser XLR Microphone

Amazing microphone. I got this on sale for $170 and the quality is honestly crazy. The microphone is sturdy, huge, and very well built, and it definitely punches above the price I paid for it, especially in terms of durability. It feels solid in hand and doesn’t feel cheap at all. The presentation is also very premium, and in terms of connectivity it functions like any other XLR microphone you will need an interface with a good preamp. Setup is straightforward and easy, just like any standard XLR mic. The microphone works well and has great sound presence and sound wise it has great clarity and picks up vocals very well, and compatibility shouldn’t be an issue since it works with pretty much any audio interface. Overall, it’s easy to use, sounds great, and feels like a much more expensive microphone than what I paid for. At first I thought had gotten scammed because it got delayed a few times during shipping but the packaging probably made it look menacing to transit haha

Picked up this microphone as an addition for my podcasting/voice over studio. For the amount it seemed liked a great deal. And honestly too good to be true. Once i received the microphone I was amazed at how sturdy this thing is. It came with a foam windscreen, shock mount, carrying case, pouch, and a 3/8 adapter screw. Once hooked up it exceeded my expectations. It has a flat curve and is very neutral in voice recordings. It is a condenser microphone, so SOME noise management will be needed. Personally, I use it in an untreaded podcast and YouTube recording room, and there is no background noise heard. The only downside I have is with the shock mount. I feel you should invest in a decent shock mount if you are worried about the weight. Other than that.. this is an easy purchase to make.. And I recommended it to everyone looking for a well priced microphone!

If you are looking for a great LDC microphone at an unbelievable price, buy the TZ Stellar X2 now. There's nothing like it (or even close to it) available on the market today that wouldn't cost you the proverbial "arm and a leg". This is a precision, hand made product using premium parts and materials that sounds unbelievably good for a mic at almost any price point. It has been favorably compared to the Neumann U87 in a number of recent high profile reviews and will not disappoint even the most critical listener. I've been testing the X2 for the last several days in my studio with both male and female vocalists and I have to say that the results have been really impressive. The sound is extremely well balanced; warm lows without any evidence of boominess; a remarkably smooth midrange (where I think this mic truly excels) and a crisp high end that is never overly bright or annoying (like so many mid priced condensers these days). Extremely low self-noise and beefy output means that you can run your preamp at lower levels and avoid distortion and clipping. The X2 has been widely praised for voiceover work but I quickly found that it shines equally well for music vocal applications. The long and the short is that you absolutely will not find a better affordable mic anywhere at this price, or even at multiples of this price.

Ladies and Gents, if you're looking for a top quality mic for a pittance of a price, this is it. Holy cow... the sound is beautiful. Like a couple of the other reviewers, I listened to the Booth Junkie comparison and instantly fell in love. I got myself on the wait list, especially seeing that they'd "fixed" two of the major issues he had with noise floor and decibel spread. I am absolutely not disappointed. Hands down one of the best mic purchases I've made. So, now that I have the glowing praise done - let's talk comparison. I don't have a Neumann to compare this to. I own four mics now: Shure SM7B, CAD E100S, Rode NTK (which I upgraded the tube for to a Telefunken Black Diamond E88CC), and this one. Let's say that the CAD isn't in the running simply because it is flat - which is a great thing for using your board as you can really color it any way you see fit. The Shure didn't get a head to head for me, as I feel the SM7B is beautiful for bass note/deep voices - very warm. So it was down to the NTK, which can be considered unfair as a tube mic already has an edge (IMHO) since, once it warms up, it spreads honey over everything. For my voice (contralto), the Rode still is my favorite. The X2 by contrast is brighter and touch more shimmery (even after adding not only it's foam head, but a pop filter in front of it), which doesn't make me sound my best. THAT SAID... the moment my baritone-voiced son got on it... it was absolutely beautiful. His voice sounded like a million bucks. It lifted his vocals and added a shine that nothing else I have has done. Even then... my own vocals through it are still nice and it is my solid second in the four I have. I did not send any vocals through my Mackie board for the comparison. They were straight into my Zoom H4N using Kopul Studio Elite 4000 XLRs. In conjunction with those cables, the sound was pristine and super clear. I will rave about this mic until the sun sets for a final time, because for the price this mic is ABSOLUTELY out of this world. I would snatch this up in a heartbeat before they raise prices, because once they figure out they're sitting on a mic that people would pay over 500 for (potentially more - as once this is put through a board, I'm certain the true magic will shine through), I'm sure it won't be this price for long. Get it, get yourself some quality cables, and pat yourself on the back for being the smart cookie who jumped on a tremendous deal for a... ahem... "stellar" mic. ;)

Let me start by saying that I was skeptical of the reviews upon hearing this microphone compared to the mighty Neumann U87. There also seems to be some conflicting videos out there about this thing. While I do not own a U87, I do own a Neumann TLM103 which I have used extensively (the manufacturer claims that the Stellar X2 is "in between" the TLM103 and the U87). I set the mics up to do a 1 take, A/B listening test and here are my findings: This microphone is ABSOLUTELY an incredible mic at this price point and far beyond anything else you can get, even compared to mics 2-3 times the price. It is a very, very similar sound to the TLM103. Is it exactly the same? No, but it is close enough that most people would not be able to tell the difference. It is slightly more sensitive than the Neumann (about 2db of difference), and also slightly less sensitive to plosives (a good thing). The biggest audible difference is that the X2 has a slight boost in the presence/sibilance end, as well a very slight low end bump around 200hz. It is not harsh or muddy compared to the TLM103, but that little bit of presence is the only main giveaway that it is not the Neumann. Pros: - Incredible sound quality - Great value (especially considering it comes with shock mount and hard case) Cons: - Build quality does not feel as robust as the Neumann mics, but that is to be expected. - The very slight boost on the bottom and top end may not be the right thing for all applications - A tiny bit higher noise floor than the TLM103 In summary, buy this mic! Remember that a microphone is not a 1 stop shop, it is a tool and you use different ones for different needs. This thing is killer, and despite having several much more expensive microphones, this will be added to my arsenal to use for the right application. Also worth noting that they came out with the Stellar X2 Vintage model, which I would LOVE to compare to my Neumann U47 if I can get my hands on one. Expect a more mid-forward presentation with that model.

For anyone with a home studio in an untreated room, with a reasonable audio interface (like a Scarlet or M Audio), decent headphones and gear but nothing over the top (like $50 headphones and gear like an MPC One), I must say this mic surprised me. After reading the mixed reviews about how awesome the Stellar X2 is and others saying it's not as awesome (no where near a Neumann or more like a Rhodes etc) and tends to be just average, I was left confused. My previous mics were a Samson C01 and Blue Ember. And this mic is way better than these in my home studio hands down. All I wanted was a new mic that clearly improved or upgraded me another level. And this mic did that. It's a much improved sound and I am totally satisfied (so it's not a RIP off or waste of money here). I have no idea why there is so many mixed reviews online and YouTube. Perhaps this $200 mic is comparable to any other $200 mic so I am just hearing an improvement because my previous mics were in the $100 range. Regardless, at least for me the Stellar X2 is well worth the price. Very struck by the build quality and sound quality. A key improvement to note too is I noticed I do not have to crank up my audio interface gain as much on this mic and so the noise level is substantially less. I also get a more rich or thick overall sound. If your not an audiophile focused on specs and in a real world home studio environment try this mic you will be quite pleased. Will be keeping this gear for sure. Update: I had to return the mic. I realized only now that if you are recording at home in an untreated room (meaning no sound proofing) then a condensor mic is not the way to go. A dynamic mic like the SM58 is better. It took me quite some time to realize this. Condensor picks up the tiniest sound because its so sensitive and so an untreated room does not really work well. Also the Stellar is prone to being syllabant (my S sounded like a lisp). Hope this helps.

EDIT: I just received an email from TZ audio informing me that there are already counterfeit products on the market! the counterfeit distributor is Yongda Fai and is selling the product or $159. The genuine product is listed at $199 is available on Amazon prime and it shipped from the US. The counterfeit is shipped from China. BEWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE BUYING!!! I have no idea what the fakers are putting on the inside of these microphones but how would you know? The only way to be sure is to buy the genuine TZ product. Previously… I'm a semi-professional musician, but rank amateur when it comes to recording. I've been doing recordings for demonstrations, but wanted something good, but even balked at the idea of spending over $200 for a good mike. I'd thought about buying one of the Rode NT variations. But it just didn't seem worth it. I saw an incredible X2 review on YouTube and thought, for the price I'd take a chance. I got my Stellar X2 yesterday after 3 months of waiting. I have had a "similar" mic, an AKG P420 for some time. The AKG was got very good reviews and I'd been pretty happy with it.... until now. I put the AKG and Stellar X2 on the same stand to record simultaneously for comparison. The X2 is smaller than I expected and weighs 315 grams while the AKG weights over 500 grams. But the X2 is solid. It comes with a shock mount a nice case and a zipper case for accessories. One "accessory" not mentioned is that in the shock mount is an adapter for mic stand-to-3/8" screw mount. My smaller stand has the 3/8" so it was helpful (though I've already purchased adapters). I did a couple quick recordings in my living room. Nothing special, but recorded both mics simultaneously, side-by-side (see photo). At first I was taken aback by how crisp the X2 was. I'd never experienced a recorded sound like that. My first recording was the AKG in the left channel and X2 in the right. Flipping the pan back and forth I began to hear a low level "rumble" in the AKG that I'd never paid attention to before. But when I panned to the X2...dead quiet when no voice or guitar was being playd. I'd attributed the AKG's noise to ambient noise in my home, which it very well could be. But the X2 picked up none of that (if that is the case). Perhaps I just didn't recogize the noise in the AKG as "self noise". I don't know. But there is a remarkable difference with the X2. Is it like a Neumann U87? I have no idea as I've never even seen a Neumann, but relied on the reviews to take a chance on the X2. Again, I have no idea how the X2 actually stacks up against a Neumann, but if you're just getting into recording and want a good quality mic without breaking the bank, this might be the one for you. I may have to buy a second when my cash reserves recover (will probably have to sell my AKG now :0 ).

When I received this microphone, I immediately plugged it into my Universal Audio Apollo Twin MKII and, with no fx on at all, it sounded beautiful. The slight boost in the low end really warmed up my voice. There is a slight bump at around 5-6k, slight cut at around 8k, and slight bump at 10k. These bumps and cuts on the high end add a beautiful sounding presence. After adding EQ and compression, HOLY COW!!! This microphone is great for vocals and acoustic guitar. I haven’t tried it out on anything else yet, but I’m pretty confident that, with another one of these, they’d make a great pair for overhead mics. This mic is, by far, the absolute best budget mic I have ever heard. I would recommend this mic to anyone and everyone on a budget. You do t need to take my word for it. Watch Booth Junkie’s shootout with a Nuemann U87 on YouTube. That was the clincher for me. Edit: We’ll, I tried it on my guitalele and recorded an entire song using ONLY this microphone, aside from using an amp sim for the bass and drum loops. I was so impressed at how accurately this microphone records everything. It’s almost like it translates what my ears hear perfectly. I can’t say enough good things about this mic. When I can afford one, I will be getting another one, maybe two, if they have a matched pair.