Audio Technica 897

J

jedgar

New member
Is the AT 897 a good alternative for the price? Coming in around $279 helps the budget, but will I regret not spending the $$ for the better mics in the $500-$800 range. Most of the shooting is documentary style - capture the scene, maybe a few man-on-street interview.

Thoughts on the best mic for the price?

jamie
 
Jamie-

If you do a SEARCH, you will see that the AT 897 is a very popular mic. Some say it's even better than the considerably more expensive ME-66. Which, to me, isn't really saying anything. Many reputible people here use the 897with seemingly no complaints.

I almost bought it but decided to go for the 4037a instead. You wanna talk GREAT mic...but, I don't want to add confusion to the mix.

Rick
 
i have one, i love it. you wont be dissaponted. i bought it from B&H, where we listened to like 5 dıfferent mics. sennheıser, AT`s, etc.

the 897 sounded best out of all of them. the sound is warm, not tinny, and sharp, but not too sharp like the sennheiser. the senn was almost unplesant to listen to.

its good for dialogue, not tooo great for music. but an ok Foley mic as well.

i dont have ears sensitive enough to hear the subtleties of a 900$ mic. i actually dont know what to look for. but from what i heard the 897 sounded like what you hear with your ears. the rest sounded like a playback from a recording. correct, but not neccesarily natural.
 
We're using AT897 as an on-camera and boom mic alongside the Sanken CS1. I'm a big proponent of the 897's warm, full sound - it just has a natural feel to it.

The AT897 is not the most sensitive shotgun mic around, but when placed closer to the talent it really shines. It exhibits very competitive side and rear cancelling without that hollow sound I detect in the infinitely more expensive MKH416.

e
 
I also use the 897 with agreeable results. Obviously if I had time and the MONEY I could find something better but for less than 3hundred... the 897 it rocks.
 
My best friend booms features. I had him look at the specs and sounds of bothe the 897 and the 66, he thought the 897 had better specs and a warmer sound. I love it, and those extra few hundres were a great few minutes at the blacljack table. :laugh:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top