Behringer Dynamic BA 85A Mic Review / Test

Today I review the budget $25 dynamic microphone, the Behringer BA 85A. This is a copy of the Shure Beta 58a, and it’s an interesting cheap alternative. It has a super cardioid polar pattern to increase background noise rejection, but it suffers from bad plosive rejection, handling noise, and resonant frequencies. Still for $25, it’s an incredible option.
Buy the AmazonBasics Dynamic Mic
Amazon: geni.us/ba85a
Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20
Amazon: geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/k6g4d
00:00 - Intro
00:11 - Price
00:31 - Setup
00:49 - What’s in the Box
01:09 - Build Quality
01:48 - Specifications
02:03 - Polar Pattern Test
02:22 - Handling Noise Test
02:33 - Microphone Resonance (Tap Test)
02:49 - Plosive Test
03:00 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
03:17 - Backgrounda Noise Test (Keyboard Test)
03:35 - Untreated Room Test
03:50 - BA85A vs Beta 58a vs XM8500
04:42 - Music Test
06:03 - Pros & Cons
07:34 - Overall Thoughts
08:59 - Recommendation
09:30 - Outro
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[@MDM-bm8lc]

Bandrew: “C’mon, you’re not even trying to hide the fact that you are ripping off the Bets 58A” Me: Don't show him their synthesizer line.

[@alexanderermakov1180]

I simply love your reviews. They are so helpful. Thank you incredibly much.

[@noamushroom1]

this is how you do it !! one of the best reviews !! thank you. just orderd two

[@yebii_]

Finally! I've been waiting for this video cause no one had any reviews going for this mic. I ordered it a couple days ago and honestly just taking a leap of faith lol

[@MalteSpieltYT]

i go to your channel still for the best mic tests. thank you for doing this

[@Shoda0197]

I can't thank you enough for this review, I've been looking for a cheap do it all mic and this might be it. Thanks bro!

[@busywl69]

love all these affordable options now with quality recording hardware and synths. about time.

[@sapelesteve]

Great review Bandrew! Given that price tag, that does seem like a really good deal.

[@ltchester3409]

Love your reviews, really appreciate the in depth-tests with a funny twist. :)

[@imryden]

Now that's a good 25 dollar mic. Not bad for those who need a overall mic.

[@Kemuridajit]

Sucks it went up to $50😢

[@lvtaylortaylor9904]

Great test. Thanks for sharing your results.

[@Trig242]

Just snagged one for a talkback mice in my studio. Perfect price! Great review

[@danielshepherd7306]

Shure B58a has been one of my favorite microphones for decades. This seems to be a very reasonable fill-in for many situations!

[@lexhitreset]

You’re always crushing it ✊

[@onetwo3088]

Amazing review!

[@mangomak1342]

These videos are just so fun to watch 1. Throws box 2. Makes edgy song 3. Info and honesty

[@TheBackRowShow]

Very clear. Should have mine today!

[@simon_patterson]

Thank you. I've ordered one.

[@Twisted_Prince]

I liked this mic for the electric guitar but for everything else i personally prefer the XM8500, i think it has a warmer, less grainy sound. I think this mic sounds quite harsh, still good value for its price, I just dont think its a versatile as the XM8500.. brilliant review as always 👌🏻

[@theswime945]

Thank you, I haven't laughed so much for ages. Absolutely cutting edge comedy. You should petition Larry David with your comedic subtlelty. Thanks.

[@abdulmohammed7702]

OUTSTANDING review

[@ariellima9298]

really good tests, and fun approach. Thank you !

[@Podcastage]

Thank you for watching and for the kind words.

[@fluffybuht5936]

Thanks for sharing this and love the content you have been creating. I'm more on the budget end, but wanted to know if you have ever made a video that uses ebay to purchase good gear at great prices since they are used?

[@raymondlooi]

Another great again! 👍🤩 Shure is WARMER (vocal), yup Behry not bad! (Without comparison)

[@studio9131]

During that comparison with the shure and both Behringer mics. the XM8500 sounds the cloest to the Shure mic and a little bit more of a audio difference with the 85A. If you didn't do it back to back it honestly sounds the same despite the price tags

[@bpfoley89]

This made me look through your old Behringer videos, and the C-1 video was your first Mic that need Phantom Power!

[@Podcastage]

Hahaha. Yeah. I had only done electret condensers before that that required 15v or lower. I couldn't afford anything back then...I was so flipping broke. So the $60 for that was even difficult for me to swing.

[@AsherAmir2002]

@@Podcastage I cannot believe it you deserve all the success and hope you reach 500k at the end of the year

[@RazvanCosti]

We deserve to have the Behringer song released asap!

[@IamPeavey]

Please do a comparison between this and the SM48. BA58A vs SM48 ! It’s calling for it !

[@fabianfernandezgonzalez3170]

Best review ever!

[@riseoftheflutes1739]

OMG "for the GAMERS im going to use the SAD W keys." DUDE I AM SO GOING TO START SAYING THIS! Edit: omg i love the editing you did with the transition of the guitar song to you talking telling us how its a rip off of the other mic. Ngl that was excellent.

[@Bikerboi98]

I want to see XM8500 VS BA 85A!

[@wowwow9679]

yeah

[@tomasagustinveravicentin7789]

Yeeeeah

[@fikrikautsar2614]

Yuhuuu.. 👍🏻

[@SinisterSkip]

That's be great. Sofar I think the X8500 sounds more natural with less added 'jittery crap' onto the voice recordings that the BA85 adds in my ears, but could be the specific videos. Love to see a direct comparison.

[@SinisterSkip]

Got you your answer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKTHkIGrmLR9mbM

[@alexwilliams769]

Great review

[@Jeff_Okayabashi]

Thank you for the review. I got the BA 58A for 18.86USD and the UM2 for 35.49USD, it was on sale. Set it to 20+dB (93 percent) in window and 50 percent on the interface. Mainly use it for game xD.

[@nicholasrojas6129]

Been thinking of getting this setup for gaming too. What mic stand did you get

[@wadewilliams1892]

Good video well done 👍🏽

[@Fincredible01]

That mic is amazing for the price

[@pakfumejia6951]

Great review man! If its possible could you do a review on the boya m1000? Its cheap and kinda sounds nice for its price too.

[@BadWolfKnight]

I still like XM8500 for stage/personal use. I didn't even notice the improvements until you mentioned them. BTW... I just got deity D3 pro and it's very good. I had to trust other people and buy it because you didn't have a review for d3 or d3pro.. :( For other's sake, I think this is a good time to review the D3 mics as they are on sale for month of December.

[@kevinlamarr1424]

I just need to get started on my podcast so $25 and a pop filter ain’t bad

[@hkkendall7150]

Thanks!...Good Review.

[@marcustavaresfoto]

@podcastage I liked the music you composed for it

[@KeltonWagley]

You should review the condenser mic they released with this line up

[@jamiemusictravel]

Hi there Podcastage! Could you test out the RME Babyface audio interface? Thank you.

[@agambhasin]

6:28 just because you said that, i ordered it right now!

[@HEYDJ]

Are you gonna do a mic round up vid for 2019? Anyway, nice review as always!

[@Podcastage]

What kind of roundup?

[@Casquillo8520]

@@Podcastage Best budget

[@HEYDJ]

@@Podcastage best budget USB and XLR mic options for 2019. 😁

[@L77kim77l]

@@Podcastage Yeah Best Budget 2019 would be 👍

[@paulforester6996]

@Jeffery Maxwell Rawson but those Shure stickers would be fun to put on a Ford probe, so it says "Shure Probe" on the back of the car. Imagine getting a ticket with that on your car. Lol

[@obhikthepencilsharpeners2482]

Just became your fan! 😀

[@Vertshark]

Dammit! It's not enough I've got 2 Pr-40s, 3 Senny 835's, an ATR2100 AND 2005-USB, an AT510, various USB mics (some good like the Podcaster/ others not so good that are slightly neewer (heh)), AND a Behringer XM8500, NOW I have to get a BA85A. DAMN IT PODCASTAGE! You've blown my bank account to hell! You've blown it to hell (channeling my inner Heston)

[@GoreMelian]

Nice video!!

[@TGEntertainments]

any video on comparison between XLR to usb and XLR to 3.5mm Jack? I see lot of people use the 2nd option

[@johnvanjones8274]

Since when are nerdy microphones comparison videos entertaining?? Great work 🤩

[@olafkliemt1145]

great vid as always, and i liked the song. can you please be so kind and post the chords ? was very nice...

[@clintonmaher6930]

Will we still be seeing a Neat King Bee review from you?

[@Saymok]

The Song is Awesome!!

[@rangersmith4652]

I have a Beta 58A that I use for church solo work. It's quite a bit better than the Behringer in your testing, but for a lot of users it's not 6X better. I find the differences to be worth the extra cash. That said, for just a bit more, the Shure SM48 is a better choice than this Behringer.

[@kesamek8537]

You could make an album with that. Very decent.

[@scoremoore4280]

Bandrew, I wonder if you can make a tutorial on how to remove background noise using and EQ?. I know this is off topic, but no matter what I try I cannot remove my noise or you can just recommend a website or book I can study. . For Hand noise rejection, it fails but hey many people could let this mic work for them, could even get some paid gig doing voice overs.

[@StevenChisham]

I want to hear it against the xm8500 directly. Does the xm8500 have the same resonance issue when you hit it?

[@CheapGeek]

Thanks for this! Just saved me some money. Not much money ;)

[@urbanmetal7802]

Hey Bandrew, how do you think this compares to Samson Q2U on USB mode vs this one on UM2? Thanks!

[@mikozuna]

Did you ever do a review of the Behringer 1800s 3 pack?

[@Gookun]

can anyone suggest a good mic for recording vocals and guitar/instruments? Under 100$ I was thinking of samson c01u pro usb

[@Ghostwritersinthesky]

i think the Behringer BA85A is a very good dynamic microphone for voice, i would keep one as a backup.

[@MetroidChild]

Great, so the XM8500 is the bottom heavy one and this is the top heavy one, they really just need to develop a more balanced one (and maybe work on a slightly extended range on the top) and they could just sell it as a true allrounder.

[@chaosinternational3584]

Review the Synco D-2!!

[@TheUberSchattenjager]

Would be neat to get your take on "who it's for" on these reviews

[@thewanderingson6917]

Review the Samson Q8X!!!!!

[@RHProject11]

For cover song recommend or no?

[@agambhasin]

That sad expression on the SAD-W keys🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@callmepayishhhh]

suprisingly, behringer product but with no stickers 🤔

[@ArikGST]

Great, and I just bought the XM8500, should have waited like 1 week xD

[@Vertshark]

Return it

[@ArikGST]

@@Vertshark nah, too lazy, it'll work, it's my back up to my back up to my back up anyways, I use a Rode NTG2 for most of my stuff.

[@WheezyTech]

I don't know how Beringer manages to get away with copying so many designs of just about everything in audio. Fair play to them, its usually not bad stuff so it works out for those of us that would rather spend half the price of the original guitar pedal they ripped off, for example.

[@seancoyote]

Patents last only 20 years(14 for how something looks), And the Sure Beta 58 A was made in 1989.

[@thecatch4648]

Can you please tell me which one better Rode NT-1000 black edition or Nt1a??

[@DaveAllredDNA3e8]

When recording audio for KZbin in an untreated room with quite a bit of fan noise. Would you recommend a compressor mic or dynamic mic I can link a KZbin video for sample audio that helps

[@rvninnorthcarolina3377]

Very open question. Depends on how loud the fan noise is? First rule of thumb would be to reduce the amount of ambient noise in the space. If that is impossible then I would recommend a dynamic vocal mic with a cardioid or super-cardioid pattern. Reason I say Dynamic versus Condenser is that Dynamic mics tend to be less sensitive and would work better in a loud ambient noise environment. They tend to not be as bright but you need noise rejection. You may also want to get a good DSP unit that will allow you to gate the audio so when you are not talking the gain turns down as well as adding features such as vocal compression and EQ.

[@reez7249]

Hi sir, between this mic which is the Behringer Ba 85a,Superlux Tm 58 or Superlux Top248 which u recommend for vocals in studio recording,karaoke,live etc. Thanks & much appreciate🙏✌️

[@Arard_yt]

omg, where's the intro? :v

[@MeTuLHeD]

I guess you could always buy a thicker replacement foam to help with plosives.

[@NameNaameNameeNaamee]

Why should they hide that it's a copy? The original is not protected anymore, so it's legal. There are tons of copys out there already, this is simply one of them. I think its good that they are upfront with it.

[@metal571]

The Shure is clearly nicer in treble resolution... which is apparently a thing for mics, not just frequency response. So you are buying more sound quality there but that's way way more money. Agree on value, clearly

[@vampula12]

Metal, it is as such as it is with headphones(it is, actually the same tech, but other way around) you buy a freq. response that you prefer in inclosure you like, thats all.(add comfort in headphones case) If mics have similar freq. response and indistinguishable in blind test, with same build quality it is NOT worth it to get the one that is more expensive LOGICALLY and ECONOMICALLY. Also the trable resolution IS a part of frequency response. ALL YOU HEAR IS MEASURABLE. Stop bullcraping people with this... well you know CRAP that comes from you beeng hypocritical or just hypnotised by imagning some things in your head. Zeos clearly had some influence on you for sure. It is a shame, I was thinking of you as Tyll's successor, but i see that hes legacy is gone for now...

[@rvninnorthcarolina3377]

The Shure is a PROFESSIONAL Vocal mic intended to be used mostly for music applications for the serious vocalist or by reputable sound professionals. The Behringer is intended to be an obvious "knock off" to appeal to those on a budget. To call it cheaper _replacement_ for the Beta 58A is wrong...it is just a less expensive mic with it's own audio qualities. It would seem Behringer is trying to mislead buyers by making them believe their much cheaper version is the same thing, but it is not. You can hear it. I happen to listen to KZbin through my older Studio Monitors (Genelec 1030A) and I could hear the difference between the two mics on this video, and I find the Behringer a respectable mic, but you could hear that it does not have the same characteristics as the Shure. But here is the thing....in this blogging environment, fidelity is not nearly as important. People listen to pod/vlog casts through headphones, laptop speakers, $12.00 earbuds and $300.00 headphones...some even through studio monitors like me (Genelec 1030A). The goal is to provide a clear and natural sound and certainly the Behringers provide that ability. Put in line with a nice dsp to tailor the audio and little and it would be a nice mic...starting out new with a tight budget...go for it. Serious studio, project work or live sound....buy the right tools for the job.

[@dylandylan11731]

RV'n in North Carolina personally, I'd be more concerned with things such as gain before feedback, handling noise, output impedance, reliability and if it still sounds the same after 20 gigs/shows. You don't need genelec monitirs to work that out. The fact it's ripping another product off, turns me straight off - It could have looked the same as the older xm8500, but if the sonic quality, gain before feedback, handling noise, reliability and what I've mentioned meets expected standards, it's a winner.

[@rvninnorthcarolina3377]

@@dylandylan11731 I totally agree with your point. I used to own a Live Sound Company and because of my profession and because of "Equipment riders", bargain gear was not an option and there was a reason for that. Behringer would be better to let the mic stand on its own and not try to ride the coat tales of an awesome mic like the Beta58A....I have Shure SM57, SM58 and Beta58's that I bought 20 years ago. They have been through hundreds of gigs. All I have replaced on them is the wind screens. Some show obvious handling wear but they all perform well after all this time. I kept them just because.......My guess is this mic would not stand up the same. BUT, for the starting out blogger....it seems to be a good choice.

[@paulcantshutup]

Hmm! What are the chances of getting original audio using the 85A? It sounds so good for the price, I'm wondering if a little bit of digital hackery-dackery-doo wouldn't turn it into something useful.

[@xHadesStamps]

Sounds very presence-boosted.

[@AudioHotline]

I literally JUST got done recording my review for this! Awesome job as usual dude!

[@Podcastage]

I look forward to hearing your take on it.

[@DJ-Coma]

Audio Hotline when’s it dropping

[@AudioHotline]

DJ Coma it will be out tomorrow morning!

[@DJ-Coma]

Audio Hotline looking forward to it!

[@DJ-Coma]

Audio Hotline I’m not seeing it yet. Is it out!

[@B-Hathaway]

The Shure almost sounds too warm for me. I think I actually prefer the Behringer. There is some graininess, but it really just sounds a bit cleaner.

[@robertsteinberger5667]

I like the 5800 behringer even more because it does not have a high eq boost that this mic has but tell me if i am wrong. I wonder when this high eq boost is wanted and when not or maybe for the female voice its better?

[@club805clothing]

I work for Ernie Ball Music Man. Good choice of guitar!

[@Podcastage]

sportsfan inc get outta town. It’s my favorite guitar I’ve ever played. Never had a guitar fit so well in my hand. Keep up the great work.

[@andarubimasakti1332]

Can you go cheaper with xm1800s review?

[@breadwarandcircus]

Best throw ever

[@rickharold7884]

Cool thx

[@jenky1044]

Maybe Beringer should have gone with the "Red Pill" 🤔 I mean "Red Stripe" ...then it might look like they tried NOT to rip off Sure. Beringer is being a bit lame. Great review Bandrew and thank you for your honesty. Peace and happy holidays, to you and your family.

[@JoseMiguelLMaria]

Anyone knows how this compares to the "t.bone MB85 Beta" from Thomann?

[@believe-in-righteousness]

Thanks

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

I got a cheap as chips Behringer 8500 and it is a good microphone.

[@williamcrowther2006]

How does it work with an xlr cable to USB???

[@victoralejandro8151]

I can't remember if the mic was any good. I was just enjoying the video.

[@iguessme]

0:51 is the funniest thing i‘ve seen in my entired life 😂

[@SullySadface]

I've been binging these lately and that made my day

[@thevoiceoveroutlaw]

I Shure did like that guitar playing.

[@tomasagustinveravicentin7789]

I prefer this one over the beta for voice

[@earec22]

It's a great mic for Shure

[@chrisw443]

The day after. Classic TV movie. Kick ass mic for the price.

[@TheTinkerDad]

Wow... I didn't know Blink 182 made a song about microphones... No, seriously, that totally sounded like some early Blink 182 :) Awesome vid, awesome mic for this price!

[@PrinceWesterburg]

All I'll say is; Condenser mics have dropped to less than a 10th of their 1990's prices, time dynamics followed! :o)

[@ceilingsandfloors]

Yeah wasn't the AKG c1000 was the best you could get for todays equivalent of $500? Nowadays it's like €93 where I am, and not even the best at that price range.

[@reggiep75]

2:23 - Rejects that noise BADLY as it sounds like an earthquake! 9:54 - Arrrgghhh... PASSION!!