A hundred-dollar condenser that has been the default first microphone for fifteen years. It also picks up every hard surface in your room, which is the thing beginners do not expect.
This entry is written from the 4 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
On the evidence gathered here, yes. 77% of owners say they would buy it again, and satisfaction is still 7.7 out of 10 two years in. Owner reviews stretch back more than a decade on the same units.
Most owners have either treated their room or bought a dynamic microphone. The AT2020 usually stays regardless, which tells you it was not the problem.
Owners eventually move to a dynamic microphone for untreated rooms. Capsule sensitivity to humidity is reported in some climates. Included pouch and mount are the weak parts.
Owner reviews stretch back more than a decade on the same units. Sentiment across the ownership period stays close to flat, which is rare: it reads 8.2 out of 10 in the first week and 7.7 two years later.
Worth it for: A first condenser microphone; Treated or quiet rooms; Acoustic instruments and singing. Think twice if: Noisy or echoey rooms; Podcasting without treatment; You need pattern or pad switching.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 7.9 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 8.2 / 10 |
| One month | 7.9 / 10 |
| Six months | 7.8 / 10 |
| One year | 7.7 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 7.7 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Professional studio review of the microphone.
Comparative listening test for spoken word.
Owner reviews spanning many years of use.
User reviews from musicians and engineers.