Blue Microphones enCORE 200 Reviews

Best bang for the buck... EVER!
I was leary of Blue stage mics to begin with. Now I wish I had taken advantage of the BOGO offer when it was available. I have a number of Shure mics that have just been replaced the Blue Encore 200. I may even try the Encore 300 now.
This a solid piece of equipment with minimal handling noise and the almost eliminates proximity issues you'll find other mics. I can stand close or far and still hit a lick. Didn't have a problem with feedback at all. I would recommend this to anyone.
P.S.
It looks and sounds so good that it really turned some heads the first time I used it...
Michael V. Perea

My wife borrowed this mic when we did a gig and she fell in love with it! Awesome clarity and the active power indicator is pretty shnazzy to have. I bought it for her for her birthday and I couldn't be happier with it.

This mic is definetly on a different Planet compared to the standard Sm58 and is cheaper..Built quality is very Rugged and looks beautiful.Tone.?.Has a typical Blue mic Tone.Has a Smooth High End with pronounced High Mids and a detailed Low End.Not Muddy At All...Vocals cut through the mix and awesome feedback Rejection.I would say It is meant for Vocals,Acoustic Guitars or quite acoustic Instruments.Not Possibly for use as a podium Mic or Spoken words.I would say get it for all the vocalist in the band.You will be Glad U did!!!

Used for my live acoustic set. Phantom power is needed so upgrade your grandpas mixer. Comes in great cloth mic case and I really like the atmosphere it captures. Defiantly competition for the Shure brand that we all know and love. Give Blue a chance if you looking for a good clean vocal mic. I now have 3 different Blue Models. Working on getting more for studio tho.

I purchased two of these from Sweetwater on the 2-for-1 deal. I first heard the enCORE 200 Mic being used in the Moog Sound Lab when Toro Y Moi performed So Many Details live. Check it out on YouTube. It's a great mic for live vocals. For the price it's truly a no-brainer.

I bought a pair of these on the 2 for 1 deal. I got to say, afer I found the sweet spot on these mics they sound just awesome, especially for the price. I use mine with a Bose L1 system in a solo act. The mic is very smooth and articulate. It really brings out the low end in my voice which in my case is very important for doing country music. I would recommend this mic if you have a powerful vocal, it'll make you sound even better, it's able to clearly reproduce our voice. It's also a nice looking mic to boot.

Ordered 2 of these last week (BOGO deal is amazing). We put them in this past Sunday and the sound quality is great. We had a few tech guys comment that the vocals were clearer and they didn't know we had the new mics, so they really heard the difference. I would recommend these to anyone, in fact I may order a couple more to replace all of the 58's we currently use.

Also, Brian @ Sweetwater is the best!

I was lucky enough to grab two of these during the buy one get one free deal... I did a side by side comparison with a Shure SM58... Completely different but in a good way! (And I love the 'ole stand by 58s) Very clean and honest vocals, almost to a point of being unforgiving if you aren't right on your mark. The gold looks a little funky but it's growing on me.

Really good microphone!!!!!

I am very pleased in this microphone. I purchased it during the promotional deal to get some for my church and see how they are. Quick background, we used e835's, then I purchased one enCORE 100 a few years back. I was pleased with the 100, but the handling noise was a bit of a problem, even having it stay on the stand. After one use on the 200's, I can clearly hear the difference. The subtle differences in the 100 and 200 make the 200 better in my opinion. It's more clear, refined, but honest. I'm glad I made the purchase, and only regret not buying a second pair of microphones in the promotional sale.

Amazing mic

I got the chance to hear this mic on a female touring singer songwriter and it killed me. I was stage tech for that event. Could bring it up loud in the wedge with no problems. As mentioned in the title, it sounds positively silky and smokey on a female vocal. It sounds polished, and doesn't need much carving out like most condenser vocals I'm used to dialing in. I thought it was a condenser at first because it needs 48v. I also thought it was at an overall sound quality point closer to the KSM9, and was amazed when I saw the price! GO get this mic! I cant' wait to try it on hand-percussion!

I love all the mics from this series.
I now own one of each.
This one is still my personal favorite for solo performances. It has such a nice sound to it.

I've been putting off buying a mic for a rather long time. Mostly because I hadn't found anything I really liked that looked cool to boot. There is the Shure 58 standby, but I really wanted something a little more stand out. This mic is that. In fact, I'd be surprised if it doesn't come close to replacing the 58 as the standard.

All of the reviews from people with more experience, better ears, and time/money for testing said he same thing: This mic is better than the 58.

I've been fortunate to work with a lot of mics in my professional life including the 58, but also vintage ribbon mics and many, many others from the cheep $10 1/4" plugs up to high end I-could-buy-a-car-for-that mics. So, I know just enough to be smug about a good decision.

The Encore 200 is an outstanding mic. The price won't sink your budget and I got mine during the BOGO (until August 31, 2015) so I even got two! I think it responds better than most (including the 58) to my deeper male vocals. Feed back is actually very tame even when pointing the mic at the speaker in a very echo-y room.

Build and design is very rugged. I haven't taken to running it over with a car or freezing it like people of done with the 58s, but I'm certain that it will last a long time under normal stage and road use. Plus, the copper grill stands out making it very pretty and sort of classy.

Bottom line: Buy it. You won't regret your purchase.

Amazing this mic still sounds good and that as i expected when we got it back in 2011. just the other week i had em mic up to one of our pro guest performer and it still impressive and quiet honestly up there with our wireless expensive mic. Phantom power turn on for these and your good to go. i keep em eq flat but roll off the low end and walla, let the mic sing and the pros vocalist do their magic. awesome! And yes same original purchase since 2011 from sweetwater and still going all 8 of them.

I have used the Encore 100 before, and was surprised at how much easier it was to work with compared to an SM58 in both live sound and studio work. When I saw the buy one get one deal, I couldn't resist picking up the Encore 200. It works beautifully on everything I've tried so far--better than an RE20 on a bass cabinet, crisp on floor toms and snares, and powerful on vocals. My Rhodes absolutely sings through the suitcase amp with the Encore 200 on axis with the cone. The phantom power requirement shouldn't bother anyone in 2014, and this is a hot mic both in output and in looks. As long as you understand and work around the proximity effect (which impacts nearly every mic out there...), this mic will turn into a go-to for you.

This mic is a sleeper in the industry. A true diamond in the rough.

I bought one to try on our singers at our church. They sounded absolutely fantastic. This mic adds something that other mics are missing. Mid Range presence. Very little EQ was even put on the mics and the they sounded VERY natural. One comment from all of our singers "I dont have to try as hard to sing now, the microphone does the work for me."

I like it and they like it, so.................. I'm going to be ordering more!

I've been singing through the Shure classic forever (haven't you?). I kept wondering why anyone else was making mics in this price range if it was the only mic we needed. I took a gamble on this as a step up to the Beta price point based on the mission statement and product philosophy I'd read about the Blue company founders. Ten minutes after placing the order, my sales rep, Robbie, called me to let me know that this is is favorite studio mic. We did A/B tests first rehearsal when it came. WOW, WOW, WOW, the transparency is phenomenal, no muddy midrange or darkness to the sound. Another big plus is that although it is a cardiod pattern, you can still move a little while you're singing and not instantly vanish from your mix. Hurray!, now I can still aim for a pedal or make eye contact with my bassist and not fall out of the harmony mix. I can't say the same for a Shure Beta. If you've got phantom power available from your board you really need to try this one.

I have used an SM58 for years a have really liked the sound when singing up close to it. I also recently got my first Condenser Microphone a Rode NT1-A Studio. I find this mic to be way to hot. Even with a shock guard on, it picks up sounds from everywhere, accentuates all the p's and s's. To get it to sound good, I have to be backed away from the mic by 1/2 foot or so. I tried the Blue enCore 200 on the recommendation of my personal Sweetwater sales guy (Nick). I don't know how he finds the time to follow up on every order I place, even a pack of guitar pics. But he got this recommendation right. I can sing close to the Blue and get the enhanced sound from doing so without overwhelming the mic. But it adds a great deal of dimension that the SM58 never could. It makes me sound like an almost decent singer. I highly recommend this mic; you will not be disappointed. And if you really want to sound great, add a tube preamp (PreSonus Studio Channel). I am not a salesman, just a singer trying to sound better. This combo really does it.

Sound absolutely great for singers with strong, powerful voices as well as those with less powerful voices. I didn't think getting these mics would make as much difference as it did. The SM58s are now sidelined since getting these mics.

I was looking for the best mic in the world for live and studio work, this IS that mic!
It's hard to describe the sound you get from it b/c everyone's voice is different. What I can tell you is other than the fact it just looks REALLY cool, every sound guy that's seen it and every artist that has tried to use it can't say anything bad about it! It's the Best mic around and I'll stick with Blue tell the day I die!

I took them into a studio and ran them against an SM58 just to see how different they were without getting the whole setup out. Man was I amazed! We set the EQ flat on the board and ran the two off the same EQs. The enCore 200s were flat across the spectrum. All I had to do was adjust the trim and level. The 'hot' frequencies were gone. And Clean? I didn't know what to do at first! I had not heard my voice in that kind of quality before. (It was just different than I had ever heard.) Since then I have had them out when the group practices and we just hear things we didn't have before. I was looking for clarity and crispness like the more expense units without the price. As I said, I love these units!

This mic is absolutly amazing. I use it for both Live and also in the studio with the Blue Icicle, which is also amazing for the money. I used to use a Sure SM 58 for my live vocals, but this mic blow it out of the water. The sound is so crisp and clear and I have had no problems with feed back at all. This mic has taken the group I play with to the next level because of the sound quality.

I have a voice that sound guys say is hard to mic live. I don't sing soft, but no matter the mic, it's been a challenge go get my voice in the front of the house. My rep, Luke Herrian, suggested this mic. I was blown away. This this is awesome and my sound guy now loves me again.

If you need clarity and vocals brought to the front, this mic will do it.

These has replaced our sm58s. Worship team love it and so is our sound engineer here @ FAOG honolulu,hawaii. Does not need much tweaking on these. We now have 8 for our Sunday services. Great for church use. At-least will get you close enough to those $700 live mics (wired) such as ksm9 which we happen to have the wireless ones....so, do yourself a favor and add them to your church Sound locker....:D aloha!

I am using this mic for an "off label" use: recording spoken word for audio book narration. Without any preamp, the sound is wonderfully clean and rich. We tested this mic by recording in an open room with no sound sound shielding. I was amazed at the lack of ambient noise picked up; almost studio clean!

In the recording booth, I hooked the enCORE 200 to a BLUE Robbie Preamp. I was able to get some working distance and still get a full rich sound without any EQ needed to boost the presence. Previously, we'd been using some fairly high end mics touted as broadcast quality. While I can't fault them for quality, the voice through the enCORE need no tweaking to get that rich sound people love to hear.

BLUE has a great reputation. This mic will only send that reputation higher!

This mic should be valued at $225 because it is the real deal. Blue just keeps making great products. Great Bass Response, Perfect highs, even mid-range, & CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. + it's Active, get that extra volume with Phantom Power capability. This mic is ONLY $150???? Wow. Can you charge a little MORE so I don't feel bad making such a steel?

First impression: 5 stars for the sound, -0.5 for the phantom power. Looks great too.

Yes, the sound of this mic blew me away.
Great clarity for a dynamic mic, almost too much (if that is possible).
Can sound a little "breathy". But you can EQ that out.

I'd take it out on stage if it didn't need the phantom power:
My PAs don't have that option.
I guess it stays in the studio, at least for now.
If I work out a way to preamp it that is sturdy enough for the road ... hmmm.

Great microphone.....just as good or better than the Sure Beta

First off I will say that both the encore 100 and 200 are both really attractive microphones and feel really nice in the hand. This mic is really nice sounding it's not really all that neutral which can be a bad thing for some people but I like how it listens. It makes your voice sound how you hear it but it's got a bit of a vintage tone to it, hard to explain. It's a really nice live vocal mic because it can handle a lot and doesn't feedback too too much. But in my opinion it's a better studio mic. Live played with it doing recording on my iPad with the apogee one, recording vocals, screams, acoustic guitar, electric guitar amps- sounds so nice.

The encore 100 is similar except it doesn't require phantom power, it's louder, it's more sensitive, and it is much more neutral. I basically use the encore 200 when I'm in the only microphone in the pa because I don't have to worry about other mics getting messed up from the phantom power, and I use the 100 when I'm not the only vocalist.

The Blue enCORE 200 was by far one of my best purchases. The tight EQ pattern has a stellar quality for Male vocals and still portrays Female vocals well. I definitely plan on picking up a few more of these to have in the mic locker.

the female singer in my band had been using a sm58. we switched her to this mic and the best description i can offer is that it sounded as if the tweeters in the P.A. speakers were non-existent w/the 58 in comparison to the Blue 200. think, VHS vs. blue-ray. quite simply more of everything. we were also having occasional feedback issues w/the 58 which made me think she needed a mic w/a tighter pickup pattern, but we've had no issues w/feedback w/the 200 and it's a cardioid pattern like the 58. many thanks to Tim H at Sweetwater for recommending this mic over the much more expensive OM7 and Beta 87 mics that i was considering. this mic has piqued my interest in checking out Blue's studio mics now. that said, i wouldn't hesitate to put the 200 up in the studio. it's that good. the old "industry standards" are just fine when it comes to tube amps and whatnot, but not so much w/mics...especially the newer breeds of stage mics (such as this one) that are out there now. you'll spend a LITTLE more than the "standards", but you'll get A LOT more for performance and bang for your buck w/this mic.

Actualklky purchased 2. When I receieved my forst one I used in making a video for a project I was working on. I was disappointed by the sound for my voice (think baritone - bass). The equipment I used lacked EQ so it was the device (Zoom R-16) and the mic and me. I then used it to play out through a mixer with EQ capabilities.....WOW, what a difference...just a little EQ and the difference is astoundinbg. I have received many compliments on the airiness and clarity of the sound. For live sound I would HIGHLY recommend this.

My gig rig consists of the Bose L1 Model I, two Bose B1 Subwoofer Bass Modules, and the Bose T1 ToneMatch 4-channel Mixer. My pedal is the Vocalist Live 5. I mention the setup only because with this system you hear everything exactly the way the audience hears it. Also, the Bose system faithfully reproduces sound so that vocals are clearly understood. Some reviews have suggested that the Blue enCORE 200 was no different from the Shure SM58. I have been using the Shure SM58S for years and it has proven to be road worthy. However, with my sound system once I switched to the Blue enCORE 200 I heard what I had been missing. I purchased two enCORE 200’s and at this price you just can't go wrong. Bose has not provided a ToneMatch Preset for the enCORE, so I am using the Neumann KMS 105 setting, trimming the high off just a bit and that seems to be working fine.

Pros: Price, dynamic range, lovely to look at, solid construction in a hand held condenser mic. As far as durability, that remains to be seen.

Cons: No On/Off Switch, requires phantom power (not really a con but a requirement)

The Blue enCORE 200 delivers balanced natural sounding vocals with detail and clarity bringing that studio quality sound to the stage. Don’t let the price fool you.

I was apprehensive about a dynamic mic that requires phantom power but after using it on several gigs I would never go back to my SM58. This mic has eliminated all of the harshness of the 58 and sounds to me like it has a broader frequency range. I liked it a lot. I would highly recommend it for a good quality, gig worthy mic that is a few steps higher than the traditional SM58. A new standard has been born!

I bought three of these mics. All of the people who sing with me are to them from the beta 58 they were using. Very road worthy with a solid feel. EQ adjustments are minimal with very controlled proximity effect. Vocal reproduction is pristine for a live vocal mic.

I've used a Shure Beta 87A and a Beta 58. And this mic takes the cake. It's a beast. Heavy and durable. For someone like myself, who keeps his mic in his stand, it's amazing. I get a lot of comments on the original look. The phantom powered processor really adds a shimmer to the vocal that my Shure's did not posess. This mic is worth your money.

The encore series are some great microphones.

Only used these for a little bit because I am having so much fun with the pair of 300s I got with them. They have high handling noise. But I like blue mics because everyone and their mothers use the industry standard and its nice to switch it up every once in a while.

My first Blue mic purchases. I originally bought 2 (four!), and liked them so well, I bought another (2!). (The 2 for 1 price is a killer deal, too, until the end of 2015!) These are very substantial mic bodies, as well as having an excellent finish. They are very clear and detailed. Within a few minutes of using them, our vocalists both commented on much better their voices sounded with these mics. I would have given 5 stars except that the grooves machined into the handles create a lot a noise when placing and removing them from the mic clips. Also more handling noise than I would have expected, so front vocalists will need to be aware, and grip firmly with gentle, sweeping moves when mic is in hand. Sound wise, you will not be disappointed! The standard cardoid pickup pattern can be a challenge unless you use feedback suppression, gating, or good mic to speaker separation, but can also be a benefit, such as leaving our drummer's mic open even when he's not singing, it picks up a nice even overall sound of the trap set with just one mic, especially when playing brushes or other subtle patterns.

I purchased four of these to use at our venue. The first night I replaced the SM58 with this mic for a male blues singer and what a difference it made for the clarity if his vocals. The second opportunity I had to setup a different night we had a rocking Americana band I started off with the Encore setup for lead and backup vocals. It was perfect for the backup vocalist but, it came across as to bright and harsh for the lead male vocalist so instead of trying to eq it out I stuck the SM58 back up for the lead vocals and the SM58 was much better. So, I really think it depends on the vocalist. It is best to have choices and I do think this is a good choice.

I put the Blue Microphone enCore 200 to a good test at an outdoor festival. I used two. The microphones were great for live vocals but limited when someone used it as an instrument mic. I had performers who would sing then use the same mic for their violin. I haven't had the mics long so I cannot comment on their durability. It is a great sounding mic for its intended use (vocals).

This is a very good mic, especially for the price point. As others have mentioned it makes singing easier. You get to sing further away from the mic (as it should be) because it has very good gain before feedback. This lets you use mic techniques and breath techniques to full effect. Nothing like a studio condenser in terms of gain, but way more than a typical passive mic. The frequency range/response seems broader too than typical dynamic mics I've used (shure, samson, others). The bass isn't overbearing, even with proximity effect. My only complaint is plosives are hard to avoid. I sing a few songs with "Ps" in them, It gets annoying. I don't like singing into a windscreen, but I may start to because of the plosive issue.

Very good mic for the money , the sm 58 seems to have more bottom. But this mic has s nice crisp sound ,

I tested one of these in a certain music store. I was A/B'ing against some other mikes. I had great hopes for the Active portion of it. However, the results seemed a bit too......active. I tried a Sennheiser 838 against it, and the Sennheiser sounded muddy, so I nixed that. I tried an EV (can't remember model) and it didn't quite have enough clarity. So, it was down to the encore 200 and a Shure 55.

I went with the SHure. On the enCore, it seemed to take the active electronics too long to settle down during changes of dynamics. I'm only talking milliseconds here, but it was noticeable. I was not performing, but singing into a PA at the store. Possibly with the rest of the band playing, the twitchiness would not be noticed, but, just unaided, the Shure had better bassiness, and seemed to be smoother.

I recently purchased two of these during the buy one, get one free. I have an old Shure SM-58 that I was hoping to augment with two more vocal mics. I was hoping that they would be able to be a little more sensitive than the SM-58 so guys in my band who don't know how to work the mics (and tend to not get close enough) would have a little more breathing room. Unfortunately, there wasn't much difference in that respect that I could tell between the SM-58 and the enCORE 200. Despite requiring phantom power, I still had to crank the gain on my pre-amp up just as far as I do the SM-58 for the same response.

The main reason I'll be returning both of these mics is because of the noise they generate (when not singing/speaking). They are pretty noisy with a low rumble compared to the SM-58 and pretty much require a noise gate in the process chain. I really wanted to have these work because I like pretty much everything else about them - excellent price, rugged, great pouch, etc.

Bought this mic originially for my wife, her vocals were great until the band kicked in, and she could never cut through the mix or be loud enough. Even with the gain right at feedback, it still puts out at least 5-8db less signal than even 15year old sm58s. Probably a better studio microphone than stage.

I brought this mic after reading the reviews and I love the Bluebird mic. A friend of mine recorded his album with that and it sounds fantastic.

The Encore 200 isn't that much different from the Shure SM58 in fact it does have quite a bit of handling noise.

Tone wise its ok but nothing that would knock me off my feet, there are better mics in this price range, I do like the glam shining look of the mic

I have a TON of microphones and got this one for free as a promotion. The output is very very low so you have to crank the gain and darn thing weighs a ton.

Back to the Shure mics.