Superlux PRA 628 MKII

I bought this to augment my guitar amp mic collection. I've got heavy sounds covered with MB75s in a Fredman pair, but i was wanting something different for an edge mic.

This works well on its own for cleans just off-centre and i'd probably use it live for distorted guitar in that way too if i wanted a thicker sound than an MB75/SM57 provides. I would not hang it from the cable, it's just not prcise enough to keep the desired sound and this is very sensitve to positioning which makes it very good for creative use.

It's best used positioned near the edge of a speaker cone as a dark mic with a bright mic (SM57/MB75) right on the dustcap. It really brings out the 'roar' soound I associate with a cranked marshall.

The included mount works well to clamp to a mic stand set up to position another the same speaker allowing dual miking with one stand which is amazingly useful, although it is a bit flimsy feeling.

I would very much recommend one of these and something like an MB75 used together over a single e906 or SM57 for guitar in a home studio, and you can afford to do so. I've not had a chance to compare it to either as a single mic live, it's a bit more vintagey sounding and not as tight so I'd probably stick with the SM57 for live modern metal.

Used on spoken word it made me sound a little bit nasal, more apparent on full range speakers, and notably made my vocal fry really jump out, particularly on smaller speakers, giving a very authoritative newscaster sound to my voice, whereas a Unidyne type mic (yes, comparing this to my incredibly smooth 60s Unidyne model B and its descendents the SM57/SM58 and broadcast oriented SM7) is much smoother sounding. It's almost got the vintageyness I'd associate with an old ribbon mic, and I say associate because because it's very easy to listen with your eyes.

The Sennheiser e609 shape makes it uniquely useful in a situation where a stage needs to look clean or stands are in short supply. That was until I discovered the Superlux PRA628 MKII. Shaped like the 609 it can be hung over the front of the cab.

I first discovered it while touring with a band as a sound engineer. I had let the house engineer set up and patch the mics on stage. We did the gig and I went up to the stage afterwards and happened to notice what I thought were oddly shaped e609's on the guitar cabs. It was only when I asked the house engineer about the mic that I realised what they were. I'd thought they were 609's all along from the sound.

When I got home I looked up the 628 and was amazed at the price. I immediately bought two to go with an order of other things that were needed.

Since buying them they've been used most nights on guitars, horns and percussion and they've done very well. The clamps that are provided with them come in useful for attaching to the rims of drums etc.

My only issues with these mics are the fact that the body is quite think. It doesn't hand quite as tidily as an e609 but it works well enough. Also, the stem on one of them started to come slightly loose but tightening the two Philips scres int he body fixed this.

They sound great and for the price they're amazing.

I'm not a professional audio engineer and I'm not using it for professional recording, but for home and usage with a band or live, it seems great to me, for both, quality of audio and materials that looks good and seems rock solid.

The clip for holding it on the cab is really usefull and an appreciate bundle of this mic.

I can't say if its working range is the best, but from clean guitar tones, to really high gains, this mic seems to work perfectly.

It does not come with an XLR cable, and the only attention you need with this product is when you choose it (the cable I mean). This because the clip support that comes in the box, has a way to grab the mic, and a diameter not suitable with any cable. So as soon as you get your hand on the mic holder, you should measure that diameter, and then look for a right xlr cable, nothing weird, is still a standard diameter, but in my personal experience on 4 cables I already had at home, only one was right for this mic.

Last mention to the bag that comes in the box, that looks really of a good material and not a cheap one

Really suggested not only for entry level !

I bought 2 of these mics for small live gigs and after 3 gigs one is pretty much destroyed and the other is falling to pieces.

the shaft that holds the socket is in no way fixed to the rest of the body and will simply come apart. It's just stuck into the body with the hope that friction will keep it there... it doesn't.
even if kept in the pouch the mics will come apart if the pouch is shaken around during transport.
while trying to put the first broken mic back together the cables got jammed and tore apart.

sound is decent but i wouldnt recommend

This microphone is a real bargain for the price. Really nice, neutral sound with low feedback point and high SPL level. For me personally, it's a lot easier to dial a good guitar sound in a live situation, comparing to standards like SM57 or Beta57. The only negative side is the original holder which is made out of the stiff plastic and can be difficult to put on microphone.

UPDATE: after couple of years usage, I'll remove one star for the sound. It does a great job on a clean sound, but distorted guitar cuts better with 57/i5. Also, I had couple of weird feedback cases in a low volume situations, but normally, no problems with that. Still, for this price, it's a bargain.

Bought 2x Superlux PRA 628 MkII to mic up a Vox AC30 and a Fender The Twin, I also bought a Sennheiser E609 and the idea was to test the PRA628s against the E609, there was so little difference in the sound picked up from the amps regardless of which mic was used. The E609 did capture a little more midrange but other than that there was little difference and certainly not a big enough difference to justify paying almost 3x as much for the E609.

There may well be a difference in the longevity of the mics and I cannot testify to that at this stage, but I would rather have two PRA628 MkIIs than one E609.