6 Best Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphones in 2024

Best Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphones

In the last article, I have already discussed the best Condenser Microphones for Vocals. In that article, I have reviewed some of the best and popular microphones that work great at recording vocals.

Now in this post, I have researched, reviewed, and found some of the best Large-Diaphragm microphones. I’ve seen there are so many people out there who are specifically looking for Large Diaphragm microphones. 

Large-Diaphragm mics have different aspects and features. They are best tune in microphones for beginners and ones who also records instrumentals.

Large Diaphragm Microphones are more often used for vocals, strings, and instrumentals. They are excellent performing at noise cancellation.

If you are thinking of a mic for your recording studio and don’t have much knowledge about mics, then you should purchase large diaphragm mics. As they are perfect mics with less configuration and technical stuff for studio recordings.

Before purchasing a Large-Diaphragm mic, you must know what precisely a Large Diaphragm microphone and how it works.

Image	Product	Feature	Price
Top Pick	Neumann U87 Ai	Best Pick for the Best Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone	Check On Amazon
Runner Up	Audio-Technica AT2035	Best Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone Recommended by experts	Check On Amazon
Popular Choice	Rode NT1-A	Most Popular Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone	Check On Amazon
Premium Choice	sE Electronics sE4400a	Best Premium Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone	Check On Amazon
Vintage Class	AKG C214	Best old-style Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone	Check On Amazon
People’s Choice	Blue Spark SL	People’s favorite Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone	Check On Amazon

What is Large-Diaphragm Microphone?

Most of the people can quickly figure out large-diaphragm mic by the look of the microphone itself. Almost every large diaphragm microphone is broad at the top due to its 1-inch diaphragm.

Large-Diaphragm Microphones are those that have a 1-inch diaphragm length. That is approximately 25.4 mm. Sometimes the length might vary based on how it is manufactured. 

Compared with Small-Diaphragm microphones, they have half inches of diaphragm length. Which is almost half than the large one!

Large-diaphragm microphones were invented in the 1930s and 40s. They were mainly introduced for noise cancellation using a tube used in it.

How Large-Diaphragm Microphone Works?

The condenser microphone and three main parts in it. That is. The diaphragm, Diaphragm Case, and Black plate. (We have already discussed this in detail in What is Condenser Microphone Article.)

Basically, in Large-Diaphragm microphones, the size and the weight of the diaphragm are a bit larger than the usual size. Though, it produces some pressure inside the mic.

Due to the heavyweight of the large diaphragm, the movement speed of the membrane back and forth is slower than that of small-diaphragm microphones. Thus, these microphones produce the sound, which is a little bit bigger than the actual voice. 

If you are just starting out and want to test out things, then you will not have any issues using these microphones at all. 

This is really perfect at a noise cancellation job, which is really cool for recording studios. 

The large membrane used in it provides more energetic and acoustic sounds. They usually generate higher signal voices. 

The self-noise of the Large-diaphragm is very less than other microphones. That is the core feature of why large-diaphragm microphones are used.

You will feel nice to hear your own voice recorded in large-diaphragm microphones. It will make you want to sing and record more and will keep you focused on your recording.

Large-diaphragm mics do an excellent job of making your sound louder, more engaging, more beautiful, and adorable. 

I hope you have got an idea about Large-Diaphragm Microphones. Now we will move to our list of best microphones for you. 

Best Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphones

I have already researched from various trusted sources and reviewed the following tools for you. If you still feel like, there should be some other microphone has to be on this list. Please do let me know in the comment section. I would love to know and update that so that it will be useful for others too.

Neumann U87 Ai

This is the microphone that actually topped our list of best condenser microphones for vocals. And also, I can say this as the Best Condenser 

Mic without having a second thought about this mic. 

Neumann U87 Ai is the most recommended microphone by artists, singers, and top recording experts in the industry.

Neumann is also an old company manufacturing premium and quality microphones. 

Neumann 87U Ai has got a stunning classical look. This is one of the iconic designs you can see. 

The output of this mic will give you natural, smooth, and almost no noise sound. This microphone has less than 7dB of self-noise, which is a really great deal. 

There are three polar patterns available in these microphones, which are switchable as Omni Polar, Cardioid, and Figure 8. 

You will also get and switchable low cut and pads in this microphone. This will help you balance the frequency response of the sound. This mic can handle high pressure sounds without any efforts.

If you are stuck with a budget mic then, this might not be the best choice for you as this is the premium range professional microphone. 

If you are not concerned about cost and all you want is quality, look, and best features, then you must think about Neumann U87 Ai. Else, I’ve got you covered with more microphones coming next.

Audio Technica AT2035

This microphone was also there in “Best Condenser Microphones For Vocals” List. This mic actually deserves this. Being one of the famous mics of creators and artists, AT2035 deserves the spot in every condenser microphone’s list. 

Audio Technica is also a great company that has already authorized its name in the microphone industry. 

Audio Technica AT2035 microphone is almost perfect in every aspect you can think of before purchasing the mic. This microphone passes practically every test. 

If you are a newbie who is thinking of putting the shoes into a recording studio and not worried about the budget, then this mic can do wonders for a long time. 

You can also check out the other variants of the Audio Technica, which has somehow similar features with different aspects. You can also check them out if you want. 

AT2035 is a durable microphone with a cardioid polar pattern. This mic will give you naturals, smooth, and minimized noise sound. 

This mic has an 80 Hz high-pass filter and 10dB pad to handle high sound pressure levels with ease.

AT 2035 is XLR Condenser Mic, which means it requires a full 48-volt phantom power to work. That means it will not work by only plugging it to your computer or USB cable. You will need to connect it to the power supply as well.

The build quality of this mic is pretty excellent. It has all-metal construction and lightweight around 1kg.

If you are looking for the best budget microphone, then this can be your go-to mic for picking up. 

If you are looking for the best mic with perfect sound quality and budget, then have a look at Audio Technica AT2035.

Rode NT1-A

The next microphone is from Rode, which is a very popular brand all over the world. They have made a good presence in the market.

Rode NT1-A is the large diaphragm microphone which will give you a good quality of sound at a really good amount.

You will get this microphone with shock mount and filter. That will help you control your microphone and provide you uninterrupted noise.

In this mic, when you speak closer to the mic, it gives a boost to your sound.

This microphone does have good mid-range sound and the low range is bit boosted around 90Hz to 100Hz. Thus, this gives you a bit sharpened sound.

This is an XLR Condenser Microphone, which means it requires phantom power 24 to 48 Volts.

The built quality is pretty amazing with all-metal construction.

This mic has a frequency response of 20Hz to 20KHz with a cardioid polar pattern. The sensitivity is about -32dB with the maximum sound pressure level of 137dB.

NT-1A also sounds amazing on acoustic and electric instruments. The sound quality is also perfect for this with natural sound and noise canceling.

This microphone is not that much recommended for the beginner as they can go for the cheaper options available for you.

If you want to upgrade your current setup, then Rode NT1-A can work well for you.

The overall quality of Rode NT1-A is pretty good which that pricing point also. If you are looking for overall quality at the good price range, then have look at Rode NT1-A

sE Electronics sE4400a

sE Electronics sE4400a is the award-winning microphone. This has made the paths to enter sE Electronics to one of the trusted brands for microphones.

sE Electronics focuses more on manufacturing high-quality condenser microphones for vocals, voiceovers, and instrumentals. You will varieties of mics in this brand.

I will suggest you check out sE Electronics sE2200a Microphone also if you are a bit tight on the budget but don’t want to compromise the quality.

If I have to describe this mic in one line then I can say, “This Mic Is Perfect All-Rounder”

The manufacturing of this microphone is built like a professional needs, but the pricing has been set within reach of the serious home studio owner.

There are two capsules in this microphone, that is why this is the upgraded version of sE2200a. Logically you can say, 2200 * 2 = 4400 😉

The look of this microphone is overall black as you can see in the above image. This is all metal-constructed mic and rubberized grip below. This gives you a premium feel in your hands. The weight of the mic is pretty low that is 280 grams.

There is a switchable option to control pads from -10dB to -20dB. Switchable high pass filter to control the roll-off.

One of the best things you will get in this sE4400a is four polar patterns. That is omnidirectional, cardioid, hyper-cardioid and figure 8.

sE4400a has a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz. The sensitivity of about -32dB. This mic has got a Maximum Sound Pressure of 122dB to 142dB. The self-noise is 16dB which does a pretty good job of Noise Cancellation.

This microphone is also an XLR Microphone which requires 48 Volts of Phantom Power (Which is a bit surprising for me).

With so many options to control your sound, you will get the perfect sound for your vocals, instrumentals or anything.

This microphone has versatility with two pad options as well as two high pass filter options. This is one of the best mics with all-rounder performance.

Ths only issue you might get with this is, sometimes this mic gives sibilant (High pitch and amplitude sound). That too happens rarely. Else, this one is perfect.

If you are looking for the all-rounder microphone then sE4400a is the one which you should pay attention to. Also, there is one competitor of sE4400a from AKG which is our next microphone on this list. Check out that one too 🙂

AKG C214

If because for some reason you don’t like the sE4400a then you must check out this one. This microphone is the competitor for sE4400a.

AKG is one of the old guys in the microphone world. You will see microphones of AKG at most of the recording studios you come across.

This microphone is also an XLR Condenser Microphone which requires 12 to 52 volts of phantom power supply.

This microphone has an all-metal body and also metal mesh grille at the top. This mic weights 290 grams. And this is not that but still good in the look.

You will also get a switchable option to control 0 to -20dB pad and high pass filter of 6dB.

This microphone has a cardioid polar pattern of frequency response 20Hz to 20kHz. Sensitivity around -34dB and maximum sound pressure level of 136dB to 156dB. This mic has self-noise of 13dBA which is better than sE4400a.

This microphone is good at vocals and voice vocals. You will get a really nice proximity effect on this microphone. It also sounds good on acoustics.

This microphone might give you issues in rejecting plosives in the noise. This one is a little bit boosted at the high end, that causes some sibilant sound issues.

This one is lower at the pricing that is why you are not getting some of the features which are in sE4400a. This microphone is better for you are just starting out.

If you are looking for a good microphone at low sounds then you can think about this one.

Blue Spark SL

Blue Spark SL is the world’s best-selling studio condenser microphone. This microphone is popular for its transparent sound. versatility and sound quality.

This microphone is manufactured by Blue Designs company which is established in the year 2018. Till then, they are constantly manufacturing high-quality microphones for studio owners.

Blue Spark SL produces stunning recordings for vocals, guitars, drums, pianos, and more. You must have taken a look at this beauty. This looks amazing, isn’t it?

This is an XLR Condenser Microphone which requires 48 volts of phantom power supply.

The built quality of this microphone is amazing. This microphone feels substantial. It’s all-metal constructed. The weight of this mic is a bit heavy than normal mics.

There is an option to switch the frequency response of the microphone. That will help you remove some of the lows in the sound.

This microphone has a cardioid polar pattern. The frequency response of this microphone is 20Hz to 20kHz which is pretty awesome. The maximum sound pressure level of 136dB. This mic has a self-noise of 13dBA.

This is perfect at noise cancellation.

The overall sound quality of this microphone is pretty amazing. It will pick up very minimal details in your sound. It sounded perfect on acoustics and electrical instrumentals.

There are two modes available in this microphone. That is the normal mode and focus mode. Sometimes focus mode gives clarity in the sound.

The only thing you will need to worry about this thing is the proper power supply. Provide a decent USB interface and proper power supply and it will rock your recordings.

This is one of the best microphones for those who are starting out a home studio, youtube videos or voiceovers. This sounds perfect in almost every situation.

Blue Spark SL is for those people who want some extra professionalism and higher quality of the sound. You should have a look at this microphone if you liked this one.

If you want to check out the in-depth review of Blue Spark SL where I have explained everything about this microphone in details check it out: In-Depth Blue Spark SL Condenser Microphone Review

Conclusion

We’ve just taken the 6 Best Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphones. This was the list you needed. I know, now you have got pretty good options to choose from. Choose the one which suits your best needs and fulfills all your requirements.

I have already given you a lot of options. In this list I have discusses a microphone with almost every aspect. All of the above-mentioned microphones are tested out and reviewed well. They are one of the popular microphones known by almost every studio expert. Picking up the best one for you is very necessary as somehow it is going to shape your career.

If you think I have missed something in this, then please do let me know! I would love to update it and help others who are searching for the best mic for their studio. You can also check: 5 Best Headset Microphones For Singing In 2024

If you still have something to ask about, then I would love to help you in the comment section below.

Till then, you can check out:

Top 5 Best Mic For Discord in 2024
Top 5 Best Wireless Headset Microphone For Church in 2024
 Ribbon Microphone Review
How To Stop Microphone From Picking Up Keyboard Noise