K&M KM 23850 Microphone Desk Arm Reviews

3.9/5.0 based on 6 customer reviews

Sweetwater Advice

Ron Daniel

I've got one of these stands mounted to the desk in my studio. It's perfect for voiceover work - I slap on the cans, pull the mic over to me, cut the track, and push it out of the way. It's constructed well, holds its position, and does what I need it to do. No regrets.

Sort By Date Sort By Rating

Customer Reviews

John Meade
from Cranston, RI
August 3, 2012Music Background:
Not a musician.

Just Like I Remembered

I spent 30+ years as a broadcaster and this item was a staple around radio stations. I was looking for one to attach to a butcher block table I use as a high desk, without doing damage to the table. This is just what I was looking for. It's sturdy, flexible and stores easily out of the way when I don't need it.

Ben Balser
from Gonzales, LA
July 17, 2012Music Background:
Composer, video/broadcast editor, educator, consultant

Amazing!

Solves tons of problems for me. I do VO recordings almost daily now. My old desk stand was making black marks on my desk, was a PITA to keep moving around, taking apart, putting back together, etc. This solved all of that. Took all of 10 minutes to install, another 5 to rig and I was ready to rock! It's solid, very strong, sturdy, steady, super well built. Who knew such an odd piece of hardware would be so awesome! AND because I have more freedom to position it exactly where I need it, my voice work is coming out even BETTER (proximity effect). The clamp it comes with is nice, but my desk had no ledge, so I got the flange made for this, that bolts to the top of my desk. Very solid, strong, durable, I'm super impressed. Wish I'd bought it a year ago!

Ben Balser
from Baton Rouge, LA
June 26, 2012Music Background:
Composer, video/broadcast editor, educator, consultant

Actually Improved My Sound!

I do TONS of VO work as well as video editing and effects. I used to have a desktop mic stand, but I had to keep moving it around, it was awkward, etc. I got the 23850 and am blown away on several fronts. First, I am noticing I'm getting better bass and clarity out of my mic now. I'm old school and strongly believe in using Proximity Effect during recording than EQ in post. PE is very much improved because I can position the mic much better, with more flexibility and freedom, than with my old mic stand, which now feels like some piece of caveman hardware made out of rocks, twigs and vines. I'm using the same techniques, settings, etc, and comparing these recordings to my old ones from my desktop mic stand. Three friends doing blind side-by-side tests agree with me, the new recordings sound much more noticeably crisper with more low end. And it's just easier to deal with. Grab and pull it in place to record, push it away when I'm done. It is super sturdy, too. I have a Sennheiser e835 on it with a dual screen pop filter, and it acts like there's no weight at all. Improved sound, improved convenience, I love this! Thanks to Jason Koons for recommending this to me. Best money I've spent on my studio all year.

Jesse
from LA, CA, USA
September 18, 2012Music Background:
composer

The thing to get

love this thing. Seems a little expensive at first but it looks great, works great, feels solid, and even comes with a well-integrated mic cable.

Brendan Milburn
from Glendale, CA
April 13, 2013Music Background:
Pro Musician

Worked well for about one year.

The top of the clamp - the part that presses on the underside of your desk - fell off after about a month. I was able to keep using it by simply screwing the exposed bolt into it and holding the whole thing together with a little added pressure: bolt into rubber clampy bit into table...but eventually the bolt bent, and now I can't keep the thing mounted on my desk.

Sad. But it was decent while it worked.

John Havard
from Florence, MS
January 17, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist

Flimsy base pin

This arm/boom/scissor stand has the best desk mount clamp I have ever seen. The same cannot be said for the arm. The base is one single piece of formed sheet metal, including the base "pin". Ultimately your microphone is relying on a stressed piece of metal less than 1/4" wide, and 1/16" thick. I mounted an RE20 on the thing, which apparently was too much weight for that tiny fold of metal. Fortunately, the microphone made a soft landing and received no damage. On the downside, my nose broke its fall. It's repairable with a small bit of welding. I imagine the K&M could be repaired, too.