Is This $11,000 Microphone Actually Worth It? (Sony C800g Review, Audio Examples, Mic Shootout)

[@MakePopMusic]

What's your favorite mic?!

[@joeygproducedit7863]

yes 😁

[@MrJayBeatstv]

Mic 5 sounded great

[@vodkastudios4170]

Sennheiser e835, no need to buy anything else for what I do. In general you can EQ most mic recordings to sound how it needs to sound for the track and vocal.

[@rnbyido]

Elam 251

[@PaulEubanks]

3,5,&9 were my faves. Now I need to go look at see which ones those were.

[@JackDenning]

As someone with similar vocals, who has tried thousands of dollars worth of mics, preamps, etc. It's super validating to hear mic 2 performed well for you guys. That's the one I've settled on to cut vocals & I've been so happy with it! Congrats on this milestone - this is a huge win!

[@MarifiliaSiori]

Your videos come out an hour before I finish working - always ending my week on a perfect note! Thanks man

[@precisionsoundworksstudio]

The Sony C800G... just what the doctor ordered. Awesome vid, Austin. Always love your content.

[@onivarsae]

this is an amazing milestone i am very happy for your success

[@NickJacobsMusic]

holy, the vocals at 9:00 without the plugins already sound so good!

[@MakePopMusic]

I was shocked how clear my vocals with NOTHING were. I ran it through my actual analog vocal chain to and I swear to god I may never need to process it in the box hahaha

[@NickJacobsMusic]

@@MakePopMusic I can definitely relate! (although not an 11k mic) I recently got a Universal Audio Bock 187 mic, a good pre-amp and an analog wa-2a and it feels like black magic! A bit of EQ and the vocals feel so dope already!

[@levelc1976]

I loved this mic shoot out! Very eye opening and helpful to hear the differences and not knowing what they were at the time.. Thank you!

[@owziemusic]

the video we’ve all been waiting for

[@tommorton7211]

Your partnership with Miranda continues to inspire.

[@carlosbrown3591]

Great video. I've had my C800G since 2014/2015. Got it for around $8k. I also have a U87AI, Flea47, and Brauner Phantom AE. Next im going to get the ELA M 251T.

[@TheRealSandman]

I loved the sound of #4 in the shootout & thought it was the best... after seeing what mic number 4 was it was the microphone I always use for my vocals so it's great to see it getting some love!

[@luislaboy86]

I really liked mic 7 I’m impressed with the reveal, thanks for doing this

[@1BLiViON1]

Thank you for the content, brother. It's always a pleasure to see the upload notification.

[@carriesolomonmusic]

Mic sounds amazing! Crystal clear, bright but not harsh and still full. One day I want one😏

[@psycholarge]

Best C800G review. I have the Stam audio clone and it certainly gets the job done.

[@neveyo2239]

Thank you for you honest opinion!! Learned a lot from this channel! ❤

[@benjaminsweetmilk5013]

Can’t get enough of your videos! ❤

[@ColeMizeStudios]

Super helpful video Austin, it was fun doing the blind test plus it removes any bias from our true feelings on how each mic actually sounds. Keep up the awesome work! Much respect! ✌😎 - Cole Mize

[@KeenanCrow]

Was shocked to find that my favorite out of the group was the Lauten LA-320. That thing sounds incredible.

[@MakePopMusic]

It's so insane especially for the price

[@alainpatry]

13:49 I'm happy you included the Slate emulation in your shootout!

[@richertz]

The Sony C80, very close sound, same capsule materials, significanly cheaper. I use this mic and with a bit of EQ you are in the same playing field. I doubt the C800 is a waste of money as it probably holds its value but you need to be able to justify it.

[@jediae]

im buying this mic next i see no one speak about it much but i think its probably a really good mic in its price range

[@bridgeportquess220]

The C80 is one of my favorites!

[@vontreherumaiBH]

C80 was trash! I used it for a few hours and sold it the next day !

[@richertz]

@@vontreherumaiBH lol

[@bridgeportquess220]

@ 🧢!!! The C80 is not a C800G but nowhere near trash! I’ve used it on a few projects

[@ereiffman]

My blind rankings were almost identical to yours and Mirandas. I own a JZ BH2 and i love it

[@chloemartiniofficial]

Amazing mic! If by any chance, one day you'll be able to get a hold of Stam Audio's clone (the newer version) SA-800G then pls compare it with the original Sony. Some say it's the best clone.

[@GrigioPeru]

Great sound terrible company and I hope they see this worst company I ever dealt with

[@davidasher22]

No mic should cost that much money. That said, I think the Sony was either 7 or 4.. possibly 8. 5 and 9 sounded the worst. The rest sounded really good, just not as saturated in the top end like i would expect from the Sony. Fun video!

[@nicefish10]

Why? Because you can’t afford one? Is that like saying no car should cost $1 million? Is that like saying no Guitar should cost $50,000? Who are you to say what anything should cost… …you fucking idiot

[@JackRollinsonMusic]

Great comparison and super interesting results. Thanks Austin!

[@aleksamrkela831]

Glad you're happy with your purchase! I do not jive with the (IMO) extremely bright sound of the C800 at all, but I don't want to rain on your parade. :D

[@MakePopMusic]

I get it, but I don’t find it extremely bright tbh. It’s bright but it’s even and controlled to me personally.

[@Matifara]

Just loving your content

[@FedoraRose]

One microphone that is often overlooked on KZbin is the Manley reference cardiod, which is just so good.

[@MakePopMusic]

I know a ton of people who love it but that mic has never done it for me personally.

[@aeiplanner]

too harsh and sterile. no bueno....especially for the money.

[@straighttrippingmusic]

I liked 1 and 4, 4 was better than 1.. also liked 7.. I thought 4 was better with every test.. 1 and 7 didn't sound as good with later tests. When I watched a different youtube video of sony 800, i also commented that it sounded as if there is some built in compression on high end. thanks for sharing!

[@studio_person]

I was comparing it on my vocals vs Telefunken ELAM 251 and despite ELAM was more smooth and less sibilant I still decided to use Sony because it was bringing me more forward and bright sound I was looking for.

[@MakePopMusic]

that forward punch really is unmatched

[@RobertSandifer]

Love this video! I’m so glad you love the mic. It is such a sick piece to add to the collection!

[@ProdWoo]

Sounds like the Sony the the Eden were the favs of Miranda, I'm guessing.

[@VictoriaWhitlock]

That’s crazy. I liked 4,5, and 7

[@fairuzhussaini7301]

21:34 - This is the EXACT WHOLE POINT of the entire video. You'd want to buy and invest in the best of gears only if your ROI meets you back. Otherwise, unless if you're made of money doing music as a hobbyist, I suppose use what you have and make good music with it. Inspiration will come from seeing the seed you sow on hard work making it to the chart, not just having expensive tools laying around underutilised.

[@KordTaylor]

❤ Cool. I was the first GC Pro guy in the Bay Area. Great connect man. And wow, Miranda is such a gem 💎 My poor wife has to deal with both me AND my kid with gear stuff. 😂

[@AdamStantonMusic]

I fully agree that Mic 4 was overall the best. Thanks for this!

[@josuamuller4543]

love the new "old" hair

[@TannerByTheSea]

Get the Hazzelrig VLC & VNE.. stick a fork in it! I heard you giving shout outs.. definitely thank your wife! 🙏🏼 she sounds super cool like my wife! It is an investment nice work, brother! Respect

[@MakePopMusic]

Working on it!! The Hazelrigg stuff is my favorite hardware I’ve ever used. It’s so good

[@stingrayandfriends]

I got this two years ago, I almost ended up with the ELA M, but this one always had the most publicity was always the highest praised within the industry whether by Justin Bieber, Dre, etc. I use it for Pop and it's still my fav

[@stingrayandfriends]

Some people like the ELA more, but the Sony and ELA always come extremely close

[@stingrayandfriends]

I had to buy mine for $21,000, because I would've had to wait over 2 years. I actually pre-ordered it at first, but cancelled months later. On the receipt from Reverb, the owner waited 2 and a half years just for it to ship, just to resell it brand new from Vintage I believe

[@Furybeatsgme]

I really like the sound of the one of the earlier versions that didnt have the heatsink

[@MattShockley]

Can you get the Sony C100 and compare and see how much different they are with your golden ears and eq talents?

[@MakePopMusic]

It won’t be anything alike. It isn’t a tube mic, it uses a different capsule, all different electronics on the inside. It’s basically like comparing any other $1000 mic to a C800.

[@MattShockley]

@@MakePopMusic quite possibly so but you used a bunch of non Sony mics in this vid that I prob never wouid have reached for. I think with your talents you could possibly make the C100 sound almost identical at a fraction of the price. My main mic is Telefunken U47 on nearly every song I release however, I did use the C100 and noticed it has a much tighter and forward sound which I can def hear from the C800. I have never sang through C800. The C100 needed way more De-essing though than the U47. But I think it would make for a great comparison if you could do a comparison video for us and try and make it work for the person who can not afford to own the C800. The top mics typically are the telefunken U47, telefunken ElA m251, Neumann U67, Sony c800, & shure SM7b. Beyond those, seems it’s hit or miss. But not everyone has your skills and clearly you can make average gear sound really great.

[@marcusmittila]

Thank you for the video. Interesting stuff!

[@combs08]

On my ten year old TV (great for testing audio 😂) i still preferred the 4 on all ranges, the 7 sounded great with the low range too but 4 was the only real standout across the board. There were others that sounded pretty "bad" across the board too. Excited to see the results!

[@MakePopMusic]

Hahahaha it's wild how EVERY source and EVERY person so far has said 4 on top, 7 right after

[@modern.day.meditations]

Wow, mic 6 makes you sound like The Weeknd! That is so awesome!

[@nukenoly8751]

Good preamp with a SM7B and good EQ Compression for the best vocals

[@MauChaza]

I guessed mic 5 was the c800g, then downloaded the files and.... youtube audio compression is crazy, they sounded pretty similar in tone but I thought it was just you having different takes with a bit different tone, but listening to the raw audio, number 5 has that background noise and more kinda cheaper sound to it, still kinda similar, but when you have them side by side without yt compression the differences are huge.

[@drillgirl718]

my favorite mic is 4, then second place is 5, im pretty sure 4 is the sony c800g, i hear something super clear and open about the voice, lets see

[@Simsomsss]

Wake up mum- Austin dropped a new Video!

[@illangelo.]

Great work man thanks for doing this

[@Furybeatsgme]

2 was the best but this is going thru the rme pre using a great pre is just as important as the mic i think you should do this same test thru a 73 or api style pre and see what mics come to life

[@chucknkd]

Our GCPRO crew in nashville is THE BEST hands down

[@billt3031]

I bought the WarmAudio WA8000 as a sony c800g clone. It would be cool to see the differences between these two

[@jonritchey8653]

I second this

[@marcelcomello620]

Overall i though the Slate was the most under-performing, at least on your voice. Not sure how the other emulations are but honestly, I'd rather buy the best "real" mic within my budget, that meets my vocal needs. Thanks for sharing the shootout, great to hear the tonal differences between these mics AND between these ranges.

[@MakePopMusic]

I 100% agree.

[@marcelcomello620]

One additional thought... for the price of that one Sony mic, you could literally buy ALL the other microphones in the test, and still have change left for a 1073 and a decent compressor ;-) ouch!

[@Squiddys]

woo this is an amazing mic

[@ProdLucio]

hey do you think you can make a video on how your room is treated to record

[@MakePopMusic]

Got a studio tour coming in the next couple months!

[@stingrayandfriends]

If you have an Apollo, please let me know your favorite unison preamp (or whatever preamp you have), because that sound is smooth. Sometimes the preamp really determines the overall sound

[@MakePopMusic]

I don't use Apollo but I'd say 1073 unison would be best

[@stingrayandfriends]

@@MakePopMusic Well, I do like the UAD Neve 1084, so I guess I'm on the right track (no pun intended) haha

[@paulmistygatz7888]

Hahah this is so interesting! I just looked at the files and man…what I personally liked (mic 6) is the one that you disliked the most and said you would never use it 🤣 Also, my second choose was mic number 3, a 289$ mic. That mic was ranked place 6 from your perspective. The one I disliked the most was mic number 8 which you ranked second. So, my favorite mics in this scenario all costs under 350$! The ones I disliked the most were the second most expensive mic from the shootout! Our choices couldn’t be more polarized! I wonder how biased you were by yourself in this shootout. I don’t think that, as you said, the Sony has the most depth to it. Warner and fuller sounds always tend to have more depth to it than flat sounds, not always though, but I would make the claim that the Sony is not able to reproduce depth the way a U47 does! Interestingly, my favorite mic n this scenario is the one that The Weeknd and Michael Jackson used a lot. This makes sense because your voice sounds The Weeknd-ish. Maybe do a song with the SM7B! Very revealing results from the shootout!

[@Elcaminotodeath]

Is this the mic that uses a water stabilizer system?

[@MateuszKoscielny]

I jumped straight into a shootout and bro, C800 is great, but $289 for LA220 is a real bargain. Is this the best budget mic on the market? In my opinion yes

[@MakePopMusic]

The 220 and the JZ Blackhole 2 were show stealers at their price range! The only mics I actually hated were the SM7b and the AA 251. The rest were all solid. Eden and C800 were next level though.

[@MateuszKoscielny]

​@@MakePopMusic good to hear it, I'm not too fond of the sound of SM7b either. Even its lookalike from Universal Audio, the SD1 mic is way better and has a brighter and more pleasant sound. I'm in the SM7 hate club ngl🤣

[@Frank290578]

Nice video🙂. I have the neumann u87ai . And the avalon vt737sp. And ad2022.

[@HavenReact]

I have a u87 and I’ve been trying to figure out its differences from the c800g for the longest

[@MakePopMusic]

Basically everything. Different components, different capsules, different tones and characters. Apples and oranges.

[@novylux]

"hi guys! :)" - miranda @ 5:20

[@AgapeSignal]

he said it went straight into the RME.. but i can hear the external pre amp..

[@MakePopMusic]

No you can’t. Cause there isn’t an external preamp being used. lol

[@AgapeSignal]

@@MakePopMusic sure...

[@JuanNungaray]

🤦🏻‍♂️🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@americanantagon1st]

I was surprised by Mic 9. I think that something may be wrong with yours. I have the other flagship mic from the same company and it requires no top end boost. Thanks for sharing.

[@MakePopMusic]

Maybe I’ll reach out because I remember liking the mic and when I tried it on the shootout it was disgusting

[@Animetrix-WAV]

the GA8000 or the Stan Audio are absolutely enough. The differences are absolutely not worth the price difference of 10k.

[@JuanNungaray]

Who wants to see a crappy knock off sitting in their studio, at least not me lol.

[@Animetrix-WAV]

@@JuanNungaray idc about the brand, if the sound is right. And I do care about my money. I won't be that dumb and pay 10k because of a logo if the sound is almost the same.

[@JuanNungaray]

@ I care about my money that’s why I invested in the real thing, now that it went up in value it’s a win for me and will keep going up, sadly you can’t say that about knockoffs they depreciate greatly in value, so who made the smarter move at the end of the day? Cheers!

[@keenanearle2173]

Ah yes...music gear more expensive than my car. Classic

[@claytonsturgeon7900]

Sorry bout ur car

[@industryandaudio]

It’s worth it. Most people just can’t afford it.

[@bmerd1969]

Sound great 👍

[@delicateofficial7670]

where do I see which mic was which?

[@MichaeLance]

Yikes! 💰Good on you man! It’s pretty

[@b.a.mrecords3893]

Tbh I like the Neumann u87 Ai a lot better, for less than half the price aswell, you can get a used one for 2500-3000k usd and for rap vocals it’s just better imo, more popular 2 in most pro studios I would recommend you compare the 2, maybe for singing and rnb the Sony is better

[@MakePopMusic]

I don’t really like the u87 at all honestly. I love the 149, and 67 though. 87 is so boring and flat to me on 80% of sources I’ve used it in

[@b.a.mrecords3893]

@ can you make a video of comparison of different high end mics? I’m curious to see regardless if I disagree, maybe put in some different styles of vocals or instruments aswell

[@JuanNungaray]

The hate is real, just because you can’t afford it 🤣🤣🤣🤦🏻‍♂️ I own both and the Sony kills the U87

[@MakePopMusic]

@@JuanNungaray they're not even comparable mics. In terms of specs, sound, usage, etc. I don't know why everyone thinks the U87 would ever be lined up with a C800. I can see a 251, Manley Ref, Lewitt 1040, Lauten Eden, etc. All those mics are bright and could be swapped for a C800 in instances. I would never swap a U87 for a C800 or vice versa.

[@mwiltse123]

I know I'm a little late to the party, but do you think I should invest in getting the slate ML1 or just save up more money to buy a better option. I keep going back and forth in my head and don't know what I should do lol

[@JdsBleedo]

Slate mic isn't bad and at 299 it's a steal

[@alstontyler4788]

I have an Eden and I can say on this shootout it sounded like one of the worst. Which mic voicing did you have it set to? 7 sounded the best to me!

[@MakePopMusic]

Really? It was by farrrrr my second favorite. It’s on forward, which I always use.

[@JuanNungaray]

Your ears are messed up lol, that mic sounded great at least on this example it did.

[@paulmistygatz7888]

6 is my favorite mic! Love that warm sound. 3 is similar, not as fat and warm. 5 might be the Sony. 8 sounds horrible. It all depends on what you like and the context, and the vision of the song.

[@stevenmalibu25]

I actually liked mic 5 the most.. slightly more than 4.. and after seeing the key I'm surprised.

[@Circharles]

In this day and age with technology and how much the audio world has evolved. This mic is not a must have. Too many great microphones out now. Dont get me wrong, this microphone is a great mic. If you have the money go for it. Just know you are buying the name and the reputation. It doesnt devalue. Its just not a “ must have” to make great records.

[@MakePopMusic]

Exactly my thoughts

[@InfamousAWJ]

Where can I see the mic identities? Who won?

[@InfamousAWJ]

Sorry nvm I downloaded the file.

[@Azz2584]

Thank you!

[@sideast]

What's it going into ???? How did the telefunken compare?? What pre amps do you have ?

[@MakePopMusic]

The shootout and tests were all straight into the interface. I usually use a RND Newton or a Heritage HA81A. I didn’t compare this to a telefunken directly. But the 251 generally has a little more air above 12k and less punch around the high mids.

[@ThomasPenninger]

Please please please brent iii type song soon 🙏🙏🙏

[@anythingsimple1125]

Imo The sibilant problem is enginers Who just put expensive mics on artist Like if an artist could use a darker mic the just use a bright one bcs its expensive And then boost the High end with eq bcs everyone does that

[@MakePopMusic]

That! AND most people try to mix a c800 or 251 like a u87 or something and it's just SO different. I think most people WAY overcook their C800 with eq. It doesn't need that much tbh.

[@bradenandre2298]

Totally unrelated but what watch is that? It’s sick!

[@MakePopMusic]

Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 5! Was in the market to get a Tudor Black Bay but then I had to go and spend $11k on a mic lol

[@luislaboy86]

I downloaded the files and the answer key but there was no list as to which mics maybe I missed something s they were maybe i missed something

[@luislaboy86]

Nevermind I found it Duh

[@ProducerStefanSchnabel]

If you have a chance take a test for the: Advanced Audio cm800t ✌🏻😉

[@MakePopMusic]

I've heard the AA and I don't like it at all. It doesn't sound anything like a Sony to me. The Golden Age clone is amazing and I've heard great things about the Stam clone too.

[@ProducerStefanSchnabel]

@ oh okay. Thank you for your feedback. Much fun with the original. ✨🎶🙂✌🏻

[@JdsBleedo]

​@@MakePopMusicThe Golden age was so so amazing Sony stopped them for selling in the US

[@drillgirl718]

i would say the cm800t is just a darker cousin, but they got the same crispiness and clarity and transformer tone, i have both mics, ill try to do a shootout for yall

[@ProducerStefanSchnabel]

@ Awesome! Please let me know if you have the video online.

[@TheBigViktor]

Sorry, but how u get the black color bars on windows window? 😀

[@MakePopMusic]

We just crop it in premiere pro

[@sideast]

What an amazing mic ! Great investment better than having cash sitting in bank 😎

[@MakePopMusic]

This person gets it 🙏🏻

[@berdeauxlaveau6515]

LAUTEN AUDIO EDEN OR SONY C800?

[@Circharles]

@@berdeauxlaveau6515 epic. Exactly what i commented. Too many great microphones nowadays.

[@berdeauxlaveau6515]

@ I really would love a shootout of both mics.

[@LilWoppo]

yes it is worth it.

[@paulmistygatz7888]

Bit misleading to say that Justin Bieber or other artists used that mic because is has such a specific sound. Truth is, they used more OTHER mics than than the Sony, even more expensive ones like U47 or, more often, U87. Not because studios couldn’t afford the Sony, just because they preferred to use another mic. So, you could make the same statement about the U87 or U47 with most of the artists you mentioned. It would also be true. That said, there are some rappers who really only want to use this mic because it’s part of their signature sound. Drake, Travis Scott, Future, just to name a few. Personally, I don’t like the sound so much, although I own a transformerless C800 capsule mic.

[@BgTheEngineer]

Not for the price they are asking for. I believe the Sony C-100 Hi-Res Condenser Microphone Sounds exactly the same and I i used this on many big clients

[@BeyondAFeeling]

I saw you commenting on mike dean's insta-post haha!! Great choice very amazing microphone, enjoy recording :)

[@MakePopMusic]

Mike is the goat

[@BeyondAFeeling]

@@MakePopMusic Yessir, sure is

[@chrisi245]

Oh Yeah 🎉

[@ericlee5935]

Nice, 4 every time, and I also liked 7

[@diegooliveirabenjamin]

I recently bought a PRS Custom 24, worth 35k here in Brazil, that’s literally like if it’s worth 6k in the US, cus our currency worth shit, anyways, I never though it would make a difference since I have other guitars to do my job, well, I’m glad i bought it, makes me happy everyday, pays off at the studio, and I already received offers to sell for a profit if a want. So yeah, buys are very relative…

[@lilwombat]

i liked 4,7,8. 1 and 3 were really good. the others i did not like at all. 5 being the worst which makes total sense after seeing what it is. when i first heard that mic demo'd i just thought it sounded bad like not even in comparison to anything just really strange sounding. the one from the other company that does one like that also sounds odd.

[@danielslovak827]

Probably not the best mic, but recently, I've been really loving the SC-1 from universal audio 😅

[@KeyfloMusic]

imho, the best capture for the c800g is a warmer preamp, because you can really hear those highs get aggressive on a singer who's tone is prominent in the high mid to high end range. Belting into that mic it begins to get harsh. Again just my opinion. The 251 however, I feel is better than the c800. Another thing, for mics like these, don't waste time on the clones, because they will disappoint and make you feel like the real deals aren't worth it. Dope video Austin.

[@DarkTrapStudio]

You haven't heard the Stam one, sound amazing, nothing like Warm Audio.

[@Des_Armoni]

Fax u need the cl1b with the c800. Thats what most studios combine it with anyway BUT still the very best possible mic or a 251

[@JuanNungaray]

nah the 251 wont beat the Sony, tried them both on different sources, The Sony came home with me.

[@MrJayBeatstv]

After seeing the key I feel that I have horrible hearing lol

[@e.apollis2877]

Mxl has mic comparable for $250! Advanced Audio Microphones copies supposedly better sounding coz Dave knows his stuff!

[@sideast]

I would sell this mic and get a telefunken , 47, Neve 1073 and tube tech comp !

[@MakePopMusic]

47 is wayyyyy too dark for my taste