Neumann KMS 105 BK

Some years ago, I bought a KMS104 (cardioid), and was immediately impressed with the sheer detail and delicacy of the sound I was able to get. I chose cardioid, since most other vocal mics I had were cardioid, and I wanted to avoid the "rear lobe" that some super/hyper-cardioid mics exhibit. Anyway, I was pleased with the 104 but have found that I sometimes struggle to get wedge monitoring loud enough when using it.

I decided to try the KMS105 as an experiment really, on the basis that it was going to be as good as the 104, but would hopefully be better from a feedback point of view. I was right! The 105 IS a much better betif you're using wedges rather than IEMs. The sound is still wonderfully crisp, but with a rich body as well, just like the 104, but I find I can get all the level I need from monitoring, even on "loud" stages. There is a rear pickup lobe, but to be honest it's not noticeable, and certainly have never been an issue.

It is now my best mic, and goes out on every gig where there is a decent vocalist. I plan to sell the 104 and get another 105, because for me, it's just that bit more useable.

I found this mic through Podcastage on Youtube when I was looking for a replacement for my SM7B, which I found to be picking up too much background noise, as well as being too gain hungry. After hearing the KMS 105 in a video, I decided to buy it on the spot, and returned the SM7B. And here we are.

First things first - yes this mic is expensive, that just can't be ignored.
That being said, I think you get exactly what you pay for, and then some.

Sound:
It's a Neumann so it's no surprise it sounds excellent. The KMS 105 is warm, incredibly detailed, yet not harsh at all. Compared to an SM7B, PodMic, and an sE V7 MK, the KMS 105 is easily the best sounding and it's not particularly close. Of course the PodMic and sE V7 are both much cheaper, but even the SM7B doesn't sound as good as the Neumann.

Noise rejection:
This was particularly important for me. I have another person in the room with me at all times, so I can't have my mic picking up too much background noise. The KMS 105 is a condenser, and some people online will tell you it's not a good idea to use a mic like this in an untreated space, especially with others around. Well let me tell you - the Neumann stays dead silent until you actually speak right into it. I don't know how they did it, but to my untrained ears it seems like it picks up less noise and reverb than any broadcast dynamic mic I've tried so far.

Features:
The KMS 105 is a pretty straightforward handheld mic, so there's pretty much no features to speak of. I have mine attached to a Rode PSA-1 boom arm, and the only slightly annoying thing is that the KMS 105 attachment gets a bit loose over time if it's moved too much.

Summary:
I'll be honest - I'm not the target audience for this mic. My use case starts and ends with voice chat. I use the mic to talk to friends while gaming, colleagues at work, or family. I know the KMS 105 is completely overkill for me, but I couldn't help myself. I love high quality tech and I strongly believe in buying something good once, and using it for many years to come. It seems like this mic is exactly that, and I intend to make use of it for a long long time.