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This past decade has witnessed an invasion of mics that have been tough on tradition. Chinese-manufactured, large-diaphragm studio condenser mics that copy both the circuitry and the external housing of their Western counterparts have found their way into many recording studios, as they're cheap in comparison to their erudite ancestors. However, in many cases the similarities end at "sharp looks," and with so many different brands flooding the market, one wonders which of these mics is wise to buy . . . if any.
Perhaps we should take some advice from Aristotle and Lao-Tzu, and embrace the middle ground - which is where the CharterOak E700 lies. This robust, dual-diaphragm FET condenser mic shares some characteristics with the import competition to keep costs reasonable. Sure, some of its basic components, including circuit cards, metal work, and the flight case, are manufactured at facilities that work with other rebranders of microphones, but that's where the cloning around stops and individual design and quality control steps in.
Starting with a piece shipped in from China in "rough assembled" form, the mic is then biopsied and reassembled by hand with Xicon, Mial, and WEMA polystyrene and polypropylene capacitors to optimize the audio path. Before shipping, each mic goes through a...