Earthworks Audio SR314

I never write reviews but in this case I feel the need to do after a month use: I use this mic in my studio and have tested it with our band in a live setting. Never heard such a clear and open sound from a microphone! Especially in the studio, if you close your eyes it's like if you listen directly to the person behind the mic without anything in between. I had expected high quality sound from Earthworks but this beats everything. I have used SE 2000A, Aston, AKG C414, Neumann TLM, Shure's etc. but nothing comes even close. Beautiful flat response in the complete audio spectrum! Also live, being a condenser mic, it has no feedback! Building quality is exceptional; beautiful and robust. After a recording the sound is already so good that it needs hardly any (or no) EQ. I can recommend this mic to everyone without any hesitation. The only problem is that all my other mics are not used anymore for recordings. Thanks Earthworks for such an great studio and live microphone! OK, it's not cheap but worth every penny. Read also the review in SoundOnSound to get the bigger picture. Highly recommended !!

Returning to live singing after a series of major joint replacements I decided I wanted a microphone that would let me be myself on stage, let my real voice come across with nuance, ease, power and accuracy. If this sounds like a tall order it's not too much of an ask... I can sing pretty well have albums to my name with Warner, BMG etc (mostly mellow pop, jazz, torch song, cross over stuff) ... When the microphone arrived I was really taken by its looks (too flash? just right?)... but everything fell in place once I started singing with it. It has a way of melting away and allowing myself to just focus on getting the song, the phrases, the emotion across.
It's startling in how close it gets to what I think is my real voice (just straight into the desk at a live gig or straight into my RME in my studio, with no EQ or effects)... I haven't done a big band on stage with it so I don't know how it holds up in terms of feedback with a drummer plus percussionist right behind you...
but for my style of mellow to slightly upbeat 5 piece sets it's a revelation and godsend.
Not the most forgiving of microphones but a real singer's companion, work tool, weapon even on stage... AND in the recording studio.
I've yet to put it through its paces on recording other than voice, but I can imagine it doing very well on cello, flutes and other melody instruments.
The real thing.

I bought the Earthworks Audio SR314 for live gigs. In an acoustic, intimate setup, this mic will definitely work. Probably also with a drummer who plays with brushes. With our rock & roll lineup, on large and medium-sized stages, this mic doesn't work. As the frontman, I stand in front of the drums, and the crosstalk is way too loud. If you sing close to the mic, you get an excess of plosive sounds. A nightmare for the FOH. Half the time we also play on old school tube amps, which doesn't make it any better. Although I want to give the mic another chance when we play without amps, it was discarded during the first soundcheck.

Studio recordings:
Since it doesn't work for live performances yet, which is why I bought it, I tested the Earthworks Audio SR314 extensively in the recording studio. Both alongside high-end microphones and microphones from a lower price range. Female and male voices, in multiple genres. The competitors included the much more expensive Neumann U47Fet, Neumann M149, Neumann U87Ai, and the Elam Elux 251. The comparison with microphones that are up to five times more expensive may not be valid, but I also tested the mic alongside a Beyerdynamic M88 and AKG C535EB, among others. The cheaper AKG C535EB (-no longer manufactured, but AKG has new comparable models-) performed best in a head-to-head test. The difference between the two microphones was negligible and a matter of taste. The AKG has more treble compared to the neutral Earthworks, but that's easy to adjust with some EQ. I have the luxury of choosing from many options. That's why, as far as I'm concerned, this Earthworks is a bad buy. Live gigs were what I hoped to use it for. I didn't send it back, simply because I waited too long. (It was sleeping in its box). It's a good, neutral microphone, but if this were my first condenser for the studio, I would probably look for more affordable alternatives.