Aston Microphones is known for making quality microphones and mic accessories. Their latest, the Aston Microphones Stealth Dynamic Mic is a mic that I think is their best example of audio wizardry yet.
In the box you get the mic, a mic stand mount, a 5/8 inch to 3/8 inch mic stand adapter, a manual, and a few extra goodies. The picture shows the mic mounted with the Aston Halo Reflection Filter–the mic does not come with the Halo Reflection Filter. The mic dimensions are 7.72 inches long and 2.28 inches wide (diameter). The mic weight is 1.52 pounds. In addition to circuitry for four separate mics, this large mic body contains an internal shock mount system to help reduce vibration noise as well as a built-in Class A preamp. The mic attaches to the mic mount via a quick-release attachment that inserts into the mic end cap–it is easy to click the mic onto the stand and then remove it when you are done. Though so far I’ve had no troubles, I should point out that the part of the mic mount that clicks into the mic end cap is plastic.
The four separate mic circuits gives the Stealth a lot of flexibility. Aston worked with a team of audio engineers, recording artists, and producers to choose the four mic voices to fit a range of vocal styles and uses. There is a twist ring near the mic end cap that is used to select which voice you want to use. The “V1” setting works well for users with deeper vocal ranges (generally male voices) while the “V2” setting works well for users with higher vocal ranges (generally female voices). I found the “V1” setting to be the best choice for my voice. The “G” setting is meant for recording guitar, and I found it works well will acoustic or electric guitar. The “D” setting has a “darker” profile like what might be achieved from classic ribbon mics. But the point is that you have four separate profiles in one mic so you can use whichever setting that works best for your application.
And in reality you actually have eight choices, since the mic comes with a built-in Class A preamp, meaning you can use each of the four mic settings in passive mode (no preamp) and four in active mode (with the preamp). The preamp adds gain to boost the low signal levels of a dynamic mic, and the high quality preamp in the Stealth means you can dial back the gain on your audio interface, which can increase the sound quality. Some similarly priced mics require you to purchase an external preamp (eg Cloudlifter) in order to drive the mic to a usable level, so it is very convenient to have the preamp already built into the Stealth. The preamp automatically detects if you are using phantom power (48V). There is a purple LED ring on the mic that lights when the preamp is engaged, though this light can be turned off if desired.
The build quality of the mic is very good–the mic feels solid. The body of the mic is metal, though the head of the mic is plastic. It is not clear why they chose to make the head plastic, though given the company’s attention to detail elsewhere, I assume they made this design choice for better-acoustics reasons. The head of the mic has a built-in acoustic foam pop shield, which helps reduce those plosives. This is a passive or active dynamic mic (moving coil transducer), and you speak directly into built-in pop filter in the head of the mic. The mic has a cardioid polar pattern that provides good off-axis noise reduction. The back end cap of the mic has an XLR mic input, a port for the mic mount, and a button to turn on/off the purple LED indicating when phantom power is being used.
All in all, the Aston Microphones Stealth Dynamic Mic has four great sounding mic voices, as well as a built-in pop filter, built-in shock mount, and built-in preamp. I’ve used this mic for podcasting, recording guitar, and singing–this mic handles each of these cases. The point is that with four voices and the built-in extras, this is a high quality and flexible mic that is also a good value that works especially well in a studio where you don’t have a lot of space.
- Pricing and Availability on Amazon: Aston Microphones Stealth Dynamic Mic
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