K&M 23510 Adjustable Stereo Microphone Bar Reviews

Great Bendable Mic Bar. Well made.

Note: 3/8" and 5/8" adapters - mentioned in Tech Specs - on the Sweetwater website - DO NOT COME WITH THIS UNIT.

Enough room after attaching the mic bar to add a 5/8" to 1/4" adapter (one for mic stand to camera). Plan to put this Mic Bar on a tripod mic stand with 2 SM57s on each end with a GoPro 10 in the center. Will attach both SM57s to a Zoom F6 Field recorder underneath the stand. Do a sharp hand clap at the start of the recording to create an audio spike signal on Camera and Zoom F6 audio. Later, line up audio spike with camera and Zoom F6 audio in post, mute camera audio. Result = great outdoor Live Studio Quality audio using K&M mic bar, Zoom F6, SM57 mics , and GoPro.

Mic Bar well made. Confusion as 3/8" and 5/8" adapters - mentioned in Tech Specs - on the Sweetwater website - DO NOT COME WITH THIS UNIT. Plan to put this Mic bar on a tripod mic stand with 2 SM57s on each end with a GoPro 10 in the center. Enough room after attaching the mic bar to add a 5/8" to 1/4" adapter (one for mic stand to camera). Will attach both SM57s to a Zoom F6 Field recorder underneath the stand. Do a hand clap at the start of the recording to create an audio spike signal on Camera and Zoom F6 audio. Later, line up audio spike with camera and Zoom F6 audio in post, mute camera audio - Resultis great outdoor Live Studio Quality audio this mic bar, Zoom F6, SM57 mics , and a GoPro!!

I ordered a couple of these to try in my home studio to hopefully cut back on my mic stand count. I have four speaker cabinets I like to keep semi permanently mic'd. I use three mics on two of the cabinets, two on the others. In a fairly tight space that many stands can really be an annoyance, not to mention trying to position multiple mics and stands just right.

The two that I ordered worked out perfectly with the added bonus that just enough of the threads from the mic stand is left protruding to screw on a mic clip. I like to run a Slate ML-2 with a U67 model in the software towards the center. As it is, how it fits on my stands places the third mic (the Slate) a little above center, which is about the same as having the mic slightly away from the dust cap of the speaker so this works perfectly for me. I've already been able to cut four stands (and boom arms) from my setup & it's really cleaned things up a lot. I've ordered two more to cover the other speakers in the room.

Feels strange to be this pleased by a piece of non-gear but I love it!!!!

I use this instead of a 3d printed clip when I mic cabs using the Fredman technique. The correct angle should be 55 degrees between SM57's and this mic bar makes it easy. It's more durable than a printed clip and it's threads won't get boogered up like some plastic ones either.

I also use it on some other guitar cabs with dual mics so I only have to use one stand. Saves space which is limited.

Those adjustable arms are sure handy. K&M quality at a great price. Universal mount. I'm using this with a pair of AKG P170's in XY and it is a perfect fit (it's like it was made for them, maybe it was!). Recommended.

I wasn't interested in stereo mic'ing at all. I've been a major voice box user since about 1978. I've gone through the changes with technology, starting with my first one (Some obscure thing called a 'Git'talker), to the Heil (Before Dunlop bought the patent) to the Banshee to my newest, the MXR M222 Talk Box. I also have the new Boss VO1 Vocoder. Just FYI, the Heil is still the best, the MXR a close second. For years, I used the Heil without an A/B switch which would kill my signal to the amp and all sound went to the tube and into the mic. I'm also the lead singer and throughout the night the tube would get in my way and over time, would move out of position when I needed the voice box. With this mic bar, I have my vocal mic in the left clip and a dedicated mic for the voice box in the right clip. The bar is very adjustable and you can position the mics just about any way.

I really love this microphone bar. I had the unpleasant experience of getting one from guitar center and it was the cheapest one they had. Boy did that show! Things were loose, would move, and I just didn't feel safe with my gear on it. Although the price is quite low on this stereo bar, the quality is most certainly there. You won't be disappointed with this purchase. Really works great for over heads and stereo pairing! I use mine with my sm81s and love it!

Well made and the neatest thing since sliced bread. Needed this for a long time. Found one at last.

Holly Rose

For voice-over work, I mount a fairly heavy large-diaphragm condenser mic on one end of this bar, and on the other end use an On-Stage Stands CM01 camera adapter (see my review) to hold my Zoom H4n recorder. It holds both easily - no wobbling, bending, vibration - and the two pivot joints are attached with Nylock nuts, so they hold firmly but pivot smoothly, allowing effortless positioning of mic and recorder. A great piece of equipment - inexpensive, yet indispensable.

heavy duty

Haven't seen a problem like others are describing with the metal. It works great and adjusts easily.

Something I didn't consider was the main threaded hole. The main piece is sturdy, but thin enough that when threaded all the way through, I still have enough room to screw another clip onto it.

So I can plug my paired mics in for an acoustic guitar recording, then pull them and plug in a vocal mike to the main clip without having to unscrew/screw and add/remove a pop filter. It's a nice feature where you're working small and short on time.

I use this sturdy and solid little mic bar to hold a small copy stand I modified to use when doing voice overs. It holds the stand and my Rode NT1-A perfectly. While it's true the metal collar will stick in your mic clip after tightening and you'll have to use pliers to get it out, this won't be a problem for me since I won"t be moving it. .Would recommend it to anyone looking for a high quality bar.

Good product

Add an O Ring or flat retaining ring to help retain the nut or they might get lost in transit. I have one of these bars it was great until I lost one of the nuts. The nut backs its self out during transit rendering the bar useless.

Easy to use with my pair of condensers

Does everything you'd like it to. My only complaint and reason not to give it 5 stars would be that when screwing in your mic clip, tightening it too far may leave you with a bit of a pain. When you then unscrew, I began to unscrew the knob instead of the mic clip. It remained pretty stuck, so have a pair of pliers on hand. When the stereo bar is set up, it's great. I'd still recommend.

This is a very simple item. No bells and whistles, but it is very sturdy and does the job well.

As one reviewer already stated the silver metal pieces screw off of the unit and get stuck in mic clips. Pilers are required to remove them. I think supergluing them may solve the issue. Still useable, but remember to bring pilers to your session!

This is a usable stereo bar if you like using the European-preferred 3/8 inch mic clips. If, like most North American users, you prefer using 5/8-27 mic clips it's a poor design. The bar includes (2) 3/8 to 5/8 adapters, but to use those properly, you must screw them into your mic clips securely and completely. They have a small knurled flange that is heard to grip and to properly seat them in mic clips you will likely need to use pliers. For typical ORTF or NOS stereo configurations setting up this bar and adjusting the mic angles using the adapters is a real PITA. Having 5/8-27 thread mic connections ONLY, as the older version of this bar used makes for a much easier to use, much more reliable, better solution.

If, like most studio engineers, you are constantly switching 5/8-27 mic clips from straight stands, booms and stereo bars, this is a poor solution because you will be constantly changing adapters. PLEASE somebody, bring back the "all 5/8 inch" stereo bar!

This is a good stereo bar ONLY if you are using mics with the European-standard 3/8-16 thread mic clips. If you're using mic clips with a "North American" 5/8-27 thread, this stereo bar and its included thread adapters are a poor choice. The included adapters only are usable if you first tightly install them in your mic clips. Only then can you lock the pair of mics solidly for a standard ORTF or NOS stereo pair arrangement. If you want to use this stereo bar with a number of different mics, you will constantly be attaching and removing the flanged 3/8 to 5/8 adapters. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find a simple "5/8-27 ONLY" mic bar. The adapters are not even slotted like the usual ones included with most mics. They require pliers to tighten and to remove.

I have a couple of these and have modified the K & M stereo bars by cutting the flange off the 3/8 to 5/8 adapters and then epoxying the adapters to the shafts. This results in what this stereo bar should have been in the first place: A simple all-5/8-27 mic bar that can tighten and lock standard North-American mic clips at the correct angle for stereo use.

As was stated in an earlier review, the mounts themselves are poorly designed. The piece that you physically turn to tighten each of the mounts is separate from the thread that screws into the microphone clip/shockmount. Because of this and the necessity to adjust the knob for mic positioning, it's very easy and quite likely to get the threading stuck in your mic clip. I managed to do this within minutes of opening it. The problem is that it's NECESSARY to do this in order to tighten the mic clip. Also as an earlier reviewer said, pliers are likely going to be required to remove the threaded portion from your mic clip.

I have no complaints about the actual operation of the unit apart from this. Just make sure you have pliers handy.

A stereo bar like this is not a complicated piece of gear. It really has only a single use that I can think of. It is supposed to hold 2 microphones in a set position.

While this K&M stereo bar can indeed fulfill that purpose, it is hard to conceive without someone explicitly saying it, that this thing is more headaches than its price tag commands(even if it's not that expensive).

The construction is indeed sturdy like others say. I also mentioned(or maybe implied) earlier that it is also very simple. The arms of the bar are easy to position and they hold that position quite well.

The problem here is with the mounts.

There is a knob which screws into the piece that you mount your mic clip. So when you have a microphone mounted and you want to rotate it, you must loosen this connection, and I do mean you MUST loosen it. There are no fine adjustments with this connection. It is either too tight to turn or it is too loose, so attempting to achieve any sort of precision when positioning your microphones becomes an infuriating game of too much/too little.

The second problem with these mounts and this ties into the first problem is that if you try to rotate the mic when the knob/mount are tightened you may end up tightening the connection to the mic clip. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem, but the threaded piece is very short, so if you wish to switch the mic clip/shock mount, there is a good chance you will need some pliers to get that piece out of your clip/shock mount.

This stereo bar could be massively improved by a mere addition of a plastic or rubber washer where the knob meets the threaded mount. The arms of the bar have this and are very easily adjustable and stay put without much effort. The mounts...not so much.

I just wanted a stereo bar that was simple and worked. I guess I got something that fell in both of those categories, but I was still somehow disappointed.

Some small changes to this bar would go a long way, but as is, it's just a few headaches more than its worth.

Just make the leap and buy a better stereo bar. The knobs constantly come unscrewed and move the mics, hard to position the mics with this because the stand can only do so much.

Sweet waters great though as always. Fast service.

This is a ok budget option however it comes with problems. The silver adaptors you see on the ends come off and get stuck inside your mic's holder to the point you cannot get them out if your not careful. (which effectively turns your instrument mic holder into a smaller size permanently rendering other mic stands useless and not compatible with it unless your able to get it out... On top of that its hard to get the bar off of a mic stand after using it as well as the fact its not very stable for long recording sessions of even an hour or more. You can use it for XY stereo recordings with 2 sm57s and it will sound great until u get issues due to the mics slowly moving on their own over time. Other then that I have no issues but will defiantly be getting something better sooner rather then later. I hope this helps someone not mess up 2 of their mic holders.

So, I got this stereo bar to use two large diaphragm condensers with shock mounts to record percussion (Congas, bongos, shakers, etc) and it cannot hold correct angle unless you tighten it like crazy but to do so you would have to slightly damage the screws. This might be good for smaller microphones with more direct mounts but isn't good for my case. Also, the lack of angles on the piece makes it hard to zero in the correct stereo field.

moving mics around is sloppy and annoying. . i'm gonna just cut a piece of aluminum and drill some holes in either end. . solid and static

Bought this as a cheap solution for my Rode M5 mics. The screws constantly came loose. Do not buy this

Heavy duty, german construction. Worth the price.