Mic Review: fifine Tank3 vs SM7B, RE20, X2, K688, SL40X and review of the fifine BM88 mic arm stand
We're reviewing the FIFINE Tank3 dynamic microphone, along with the FIFINE BM88 low-profile mic arm stand. Both items were sent to me at no cost for the purpose of reviewing.
0:00 Intro
1:06 Unboxing of Tank3 microphone
2:08 SM7B vs Tank3: physical differences
3:40 BM88 mic arm stand review
6:10 XLR location: comments and comparison
6:47 Foam windscreen options
8:43 K688 vs Tank3: physical differences
10:50 Calibration mic used for testing
11:20 SM7B vs Tank3: audio comparison
12:03 Looking at response curves for the mics
16:16 RE20 vs Tank3: audio comparison
16:48 K688 vs Tank3: audio comparison
17:02 Stellar X2 vs Tank3: audio comparison
17:45 USB mode vs XLR mode ** (please see note below)
18:30 Final thoughts: Tank3 microphone
20:21 Final thoughts: BM88 mic arm stand
21:50 FDUCE SL40X vs Tank3 audio comparison
22:55 How to: Creating a frequency response curve
26:54 Final thoughts: budget microphones
Other microphones in this review include the Shure SM7B, EV RE20, Stellar X2, and FIFINE K688, along with a bonus comparison where I put it up against the cheapest broadcast-style dynamic microphone I could find. Which would you buy?
The Tank3 focuses on offering a solid-metal build at a sub-$100 price point. My testing shows it has a frequency-response profile that offers clarity and a subtle low-end.
AMAZON PURCHASE LINKS for the FIFINE Tank3:
US: https://www.amazon.com/FIFINE-Microph...
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Microphone-Reco...
We also reviewed the BM88 mic arm stand with low-profile and a claimed support up to 1.5kg/3.3lbs. It managed to support my heaviest microphones, such as the SM7B and RE20, although it may be hard to tighten the joints sufficiently for some users.
AMAZON PURCHASE LINKS for the FIFINE BM88:
US: https://www.amazon.com/FIFINE-Microph...
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/FIFINE-Micropho...
Pink Nose generator:
https://steveseguin.github.io/pink-no...
Frequency Response Analysis and Graphing tool:
https://colab.research.google.com/dri...
** ❕Note about any background noise issues:
When doing more testing, I was not able to reproduce this USB + XLR noise issue or any other noise issue. The noise at times in the recording may have been caused by my XLR cable picking up interference, or there may have been some other source of interference in my home studio. Either way, the USB-C output was never impacted, which is an added +1 point to the Tank3.