Superlux S1215 Microphone: The next standard in live vocal microphones!
(Originally posted on Worship Music Gear) Need a vocal mic for live sound applications? Many still go to the old stand by… the Shure SM58 (or Beta58) They do the job, but a lot of mics can do the job. Just like a lot of cars can get you from A to B; some just do it better than others, but that usually comes with a price tag. A truly good find does the job well for the same price. And then I found the 
Superlux S125, or rather a wonderful gentleman, Noel Walker from Heartbeat introduced me to it at a music conference. After listening to the specs on this 1/2” condenser mic, and see that it was the price of an SM58, I figured I would give it a try as I needed a good vocal mic anyway.
The next day, I took it down to my studio after the conference and A/B’d it with a friends SM58 and my Audio Technica. I was immediately impressed by it’s smooth but clear sound. What really struck me was when my mom, who did not know that I had purchased the S125 and is not a “qualified” tone connoisseur, heard the mic and said “Wow! What happened to your microphone. It wounds amazing!” I knew then I had stumbled across “gold”.
Since the purchase, I have personally put this microphone up against SM58s, Beta58s, SM87s, both Sennheiser dynamic and condenser mics, and a bunch of others. In each instance, I still chose my Superlux S125. If I had to make comparisons, I would put the S125 in the same playing field as the Shure KSM9s and the Neumann KMS 104. However, when comparing the (low) price tag on the S125 as opposed to the (much higher) price tags on the others, I think we’ve found a clear winner.
From a practical stand point, I’ve found the Superlux S125 Microphone to be very rugged, maybe not SM58 rugged (as the S125 is still a condenser), but a sturdy mic non-the-less. And again, at (the low price), you wouldn’t cry like a baby if you had to replace it if it were lost, stolen, or broken (I would though). I’ve had mine get knocked over in the stand a few times with no harm done. Based on these experiences (the joys of having teenagers around), I would say the engineers at Superlux did a “bang up” job of building the shock mounted capsule (pardon the pun).
The S125 also has some really excellent features like a triple pop filter, a 150 Hz low cut filter, and a -10 dB attenuator, making it a very versatile mic. And it looks great too! I recommend this mic for… Everyone!
Contribu
ted by Chad Nedohin. Chad is a worship leader, recording artist and part of the Compassion Artist Group. You can find out more about Chad here: http://www.chadnedohin.com/