ElectroVoice RE320 Dynamic "Radio" Microphone Review And Test
The ElectroVoice RE320 was created to provide an affordable alternative to the distinguished and well-regarded ElectroVoice RE20, which has been the de facto standard for broadcast and radio use since its introduction in the '60s. The ElectroVoice RE320 shares many of the same characteristics and traits of the RE20, not the least of which being the physical design. The only physical difference is the addition of a frequency contour switch, which makes the microphone have something of a "dual personality." Switching it to the contoured settings, mainly intended for helping mic kick drums, really improves the low frequency response which makes for a very pleasing "radio" sound.
The ElectroVoice 309a shock-mount is also a must if hum and rumbling is making its way into your audio. Even though I had the microphone stand placed on a carpet (for testing), there was an unacceptable amount of low frequency rumbling that was further exacerbated by switching the microphone to its low frequency contour setting. Unfortunately, as of this writing, genuine ElectroVoice shock-mounts are hovering around the $100 mark. Of course, you could just use a regular condenser microphone's shock-mount, but the end result will look a tad jury-rigged.
Overall, the microphone worked exceptionally well during my testing, and I really did like that stereotypical boomy radio announcer sound that it gave to one's own voice. Its output was considerable higher than that of an RE20, so while you won't need to have the gain turned up to its highest setting, you'll still need to be relatively generous with it, as it is a dynamic microphone. This has the potential to introduce unwanted hiss into your audio, especially if the preamp used with the microphone is of low-quality. Devices which have the ability to raise the gain output of the microphone, before it reaches the preamp, could definitely help the situation, but their prices are excessively pricey.
In the end, I couldn't justify having and using a microphone (and shock-mount) that cost as much as it did. With some careful tweaking of the EQ, I obtain a similar sound from my Shure SM58, which didn't cost me a dime!