CAD Audio D90 Handheld Dynamic Microphone Black

The CAD D90 is more like a Beta 58 than an SM58 (hypercardioid pattern, neodymium magnets), but it's half the price. Terrific live mic. Very hot signal, and it can handle a lot of gain before feedback starts. It has a healthy boost in the vocal clarity frequencies that help it cut through a dense mix or a muddy room. Even with that boost it doesn't get harsh or grating.If I were just mic-ing up a solo singer with a guitar or other light accompaniment I might reach for something more neutral and intimate sounding, like a Prodipe MC-1. But in a full band setup, or even just for karaoke, the D90 is unbeatable for the money.

I’ve used CAD mics before and have been satisfied. This D90 is fantastic! Great for my in ears and front of house.Absolutely happy.

The CAD D90 microphone is built for high-quality​ live performances. While I have not gotten the chance to use it for any live event yet, I have experimented with the microphone in recording sessions, and I believe the quality is very well. I had to purchase a wire to connect it to an audio recording device, as this product did not include one. Unfortunately, I have not much else to say, as I am lacking the full benefit of the live performance it was made for. However, I have full faith in this microphone and the splendid quality of audio it produces, and I will certainly be using it for now on in all of my recording sessions.

Used to record nature sounds, absolutely noise-free and very clear. Highly recommended.

Studios carry lots of different microphones because each one has its own personality, and goes especially well with certain types of voices. Sometime the best way to find that out is to try different ones. This is a vocal mic. My immediate impression when taking it out of the box was that it felt really good in your hands. The way it is sculpted makes for a very comfortable and down in your face holding position. Hard to describe but I really like it. Okay so it looks good and is very comfortable to hold, but what about the way it sounds?I am listening to this through a Mackie Mix12FX 12 channel compact mixer with effects which has become my pet mixer sitting on top of my Mackie CR-1604 that I bought a couple of decades ago. The headphones are a set of Sony MDR-7509HD’s. A really superb headset claimed by many a studio engineer as the only ones they could consider doing a mix through.Sound is part perception, and part performance. Just so I don’t let this slip through my hands and get an erroneous option I am doing an A-B with my Electro-Voice N/D 857. That one has so much bass that there is a roll off filter switch built right into the mic, it also is about 3 times the price of the D90.Okay so I went back and forth between the two and the D90 has more presence, and bite. So the articulation is more pronounced. I did not change any settings from where I last left them. Then I unplugged the cord from the D90 and plugged it into the EV N/D 857 and I noticed that the same level of presence wasn’t there, but to me there was a smoother sound. If you are playing lounge music it’s the way to go. If you are looking for snap in front of an audience the D90 has it.The EV has a frequency response up close of 25 to 22,000 Hz. The D90 has a frequency response from 50 to 16,000. Many people argue that above 16,000 is beyond the range of human hearing. The Shure Beta 58A that some tout as the best vocal mic ever has the same range as the CAD D90 which is 50Hz-16,000 Hz. You have to understand that we are talking about dynamic mics here, not phantom powered condenser mics which are great in the studio. Even a less expensive MXL V57M condenser mic is in a different league than most dynamics. The problem is that condenser mics are so sensitive to everything that feedback becomes a huge problem in live settings. Another problem is that they are so sensitive that if the central air conditioning kicks on, you can hear the air leaving the vent in the wall in the recording. They are suspended in a shock proof mount with rubber bands being the only thing that is touching them from the mic stand.So anyhow we have established that dynamic mics are the mic of choice of live situations because the PA system would create a terrible feedback problem with condensers. So how much sensitivity do you want? You want clear, clean sound yet when someone jumps in front of a PA speaker you want to avoid feedback.Okay so enough of the subjective description. How about hearing it in action. If you Google the YouTube channel and use the following words “Big Apple Music Mic Shootout: CADLive D90 vs Shure Beta 58 vs Audix OM7” or you can do as I did and simply type in “CAD D90 vs Shure Beta 58”. If you listen carefully you can hear the additional brightness in the CAD D90 that I am referring to. So someone with a deep voice would benefit from the additional high end presence. The demonstrator is totally sold on the D90.So in conclusion this CAD D90 appears to emphasize the mids and highs more leaving a small amount of the bottom out next to the EV N/D 857. The CAD D90 has that famous Shure microphone presence at a much better price. I don't own a Shure SM58 Beta, although I do have the Shure SM57 for micing up instruments. If you have a singer who has a tendency to not articulate the words clearly, as in the enunciation lacks sufficient definition the CAD D90 is exactly that they need for a live performance. Since you need different mics for different type of singers I would say this D90 would make a nice addition to your arsenal. For the sheer looks of it, and comfort-ability as a hand held this is a hard one to beat. It also comes with a very road worthy snap lock case that is completely foam surrounded, as well as a mount that fits a standard mic stand. Highly recommended.

I play live a good bit, and have been using the D90 for about 5 years.Someone else said that it has a lot of 'presence', and that's a good way of putting it. I wouldn't necessarily say that it has a 'bump' in the mids, I've never A/B'ed it to see for sure, but that would be a decent way of describing the effect (regardless of whether that is actually what is going on.)I wouldn't say that it's 'better' then any other stage-level dynamic mic, but I prefer it. I still use a 58 occasionally amount in situations where everything is already set up. Have zero problems with them, at all. I just know that, for me, my particular voice doesn't 'cut through' especially well, even if I'm especially loud as far as literal decibels go.So, the D90 is better for me in that regard. If I were doing a gig in which I was primarily just doing harmonies, I might actually prefer a 58, so as to help things blend better and *not* be as prominent. But the best majority of the time, the D90 is going to be my first choice.It's also proven to be solidly built. I've dropped it more than a few times over the years, and it's never appeared to show any audible wear. And, the price has gone down. I think it was standard at like $120 when it first came out.So yea, it's a really solid mic, and I would go for it if you want something of quality that's a little bit different, and a little cheaper, than a lot of the other comperable mics that you can get.

This mic is ok for karaoke or emergency back up mic. Fairly crisp with some clarity, but not as powerful as other professional mics I use. For the price it’s a great value! Maybe not the best choice if you’re singing professionally in a 5 piece band. Great for karaoke or speaking!

The high treble is just crazy on these things. But if you use a LPF at ~8kHz they're on par with a Beta58 in every regard including durability. However if your mixer doesn't have that capability you're hosed. I highly recommend these for music venues that have X32's, but don't recommend them for vocalists going from venue to venue because of how bad the high treble takes off without that LPF.

I know nothing about this kind of thing but, did a stack of research and am really pleased with the quality of the microphone, my daughter loves it and the build and quality of the item is very impressive.