Blue Microphone recently made its first foray into the handheld mic market with the enCore series—the enCore 100, enCore 200, and enCore 300. The middle transducer in the series—the enCore 200 ($149.99 MSRP)—is unique in that it is an active dynamic mic, requiring a 48V phantom-power source. The active electronics are designed to give you a consistent sound and better signal-to-noise ratio compared to a traditional dynamic-mic design, particularly over long cable runs where the output impedance of a mic matters most. In addition, the active electronics allowed Blue to put a transformered output into the mic, which the company says adds 4 dB of output level.

The enCore 200 features a custom dynamic-capsule design, which is meant to give the company’s stage mics the timbre and frequency response of its studio condensers, such as the Bluebird. The mic’s cardioid polar pattern gives it the useful side- and rear-rejection you want on mic. The published frequency range is 50 Hz to 16 kHz (±5 dB), and the manual says the enCore 200 can handle SPLs up to 147 dB.

The mic’s body is dark gray, with a bronze-colored grille and a reinforcement ring around the middle. The small, orange LED glows when the mic receives phantom power.

The enCore 200 comes with a “soft-grip” mic clip and a plush-lined carrying pouch. The rubbery clip might take getting used to because it requires a bit of force to get the mic in. Although it grips the mic tightly, it will be tough on singers who like to quickly move the mic in and out of the clip. Luckily, the enCore 200 works with inexpensive third-party clips.

Although it weighs less than a pound, the enCore 200 is hefty in your hand, making me feel that it could withstand the rigors of touring. The mic’s body is textured with grooves so that it’s easier to hold when your hands get sweaty. Unfortunately, the texturing is also a noise source if you’re not careful while handling the mic.

As a stage vocal mic, the enCore 200 has a warm, round sound. It has plenty of output, but the off-axis rejection kept unwanted sounds out of the mic and feedback at bay.

Studio Vocals
Blue says the mics in the enCore-series are studio-grade, and to test this, I took a pair of the enCore 200s for a spin in my studio, New, Improved Recording, in Oakland, CA. The comparisons were done without dynamics processing or equalization, using a multi-channel mic preamp, so that each channel was run through similar electronics, as well as an Aurora Lynx analog-to-digital converter.

First, the enCore 200 went up against a Shure SM58, the de facto standard for handheld dynamic vocal mics. On both male and female vocals, I preferred the sound of the enCore 200, which had a more robust low-end character (though it exacerbated “P”-popping, and therefore required an additional pop-screen). It also had a smoother, more developed top-end.

Additionally, both mics required a little de-essing, but the processing sounded more natural on the enCore 200, whereas the de-essed SM58 still sounded “hissy” by comparison. There was also an upper-midrange graininess to the SM58 that the enCore 200 didn’t possess. Although the tracks I cut with these mics were intended to be scratch vocals, when I used the enCore 200 through my favorite preamps and compressors, the parts often sounded good enough to keep.

Amped UP
Next, I wanted to hear how the enCore 200 compared to the dynamic mics often employed on guitar amps, particularly the Shure SM57 and Beta 58. For each of these tests, I set up the enCore 200 and the reference mic as close together as possible on a single amplifier speaker, with special attention paid to getting each mic the same distance from the center of the cone.

I began by comparing the enCore 200 to that studio stalwart, the Shure SM57, recording a Fender Telecaster through a Fender combo amp, with a bit of distortion dialed in. The mics were placed at an equal distance from the speaker cone. Here, the SM57 had a little more bite in the upper midrange, which upon first listen impressed the client. As we listened longer, though, he began favoring the enCore 200, which had a broader, thicker sound that fit the part better. A touch of additive EQ around 4 kHz helped the guitar track recorded with the Blue mic sit back in the mix, yet still assert itself strongly.

On a chimey Fender Stratocaster going through a smaller Fender combo amp, the enCore 200 had a slightly meatier low-mid character when compared to the Shure Beta 58. However, the two mics were quite similar, tonally, in this application.

For a live-in-the-studio session for our Webcast concert series, I used the enCore 200 on Thao Nguyen’s guitar, next to a Blue Baby Bottle, a large-diaphragm condenser microphone that is voiced on the dark side. The two mics blended and complemented each other well. The enCore 200 provided definition and sparkle, while the Baby Bottle gave the low-mids fullness. I could easily have used the enCore 200 by itself, but having both mics allowed me to blend them to taste for tonal variation on each song.

During the review, I also used the enCore 200 on toms, saxophones, and trumpets. These tests showed that this mic is adept at handling the normal chores that dynamic mics are given, both live and in the studio.

What Price, Active?
One question you might have is whether it’s worth paying an extra $50 for the phantom-powered enCore 200 over Blue’s non-active enCore 100 dynamic mic. The slightly extended frequency response of the enCore 200 is definitely a plus in some scenarios (the enCore 100 offers 50 Hz to 15 kHz, ±5 dB), and the ability to utilize longer cable runs would certainly come in handy. But I also found it interesting that the enCore 100 only needed around 3 dB more gain than the enCore 200, even though the latter has active electronics.

One thing I don’t like about phantom-powered dynamic mics is that they output a small amount of signal even when +48V is not applied. That can be confusing to someone unfamiliar with the mic. As a studio owner who often gets calls from freelance engineers when something isn’t working the way they expect it to, I foresee answering questions about why the signal of the enCore 200 is low and distorted. (The answer, of course is “It needs phantom power!”)

This could also be an issue if you’re doing gigs and the sound person doesn’t realize that this is an active dynamic mic. Perhaps Blue could add a small label on the body of the enCore 200 to remind people that it requires phantom power (even though the orange LED should make it obvious). Of course, if you’re the only one who will use the mic, neither of these scenarios will be a problem.

Bravo, enCore, yet again!
It’s clear that the enCore 200 is tough enough for stage use and flexible enough to handle the studio chores at which dynamic mics excel. Although it’s only a few dollars more than the enCore 100, the higher price brings you better performance over long cable lengths (perfect for live work) and slightly higher frequency response (great for the studio). And best of all, the mic’s dynamic capsule gives you the sound quality of a Blue mic at a very reasonable price.

PROS: Sturdy construction. Sounds great onstage and in the studio.
CONS: Rubber mic clip is inconveniently tight.

Eli Crews co-owns and operates New, Improved Recording in Oakland, CA. He has recorded or mixed records by Deerhoof, WHY? and Kyp Malone (of TV on the Radio). He is currently on tour as the bassist for Miles Kurosky (of Beulah)."