NOTE: On May 21st following this story, Kel canceled the release of this microphone. Read the gearwire story covering the cancellation here.)

Buying direct from the manufacturer is a good way to save money. Recently we have seen a lot of microphone makes selling very affordable models online. Companies like Shiny Box, Cascade, and Karma Audio often offer great deals on microphones that sound as good as ones twice their price or more. KEL audio seems to be another one of these companies based on the reviews they receive.

The KEL Audio HM-2 is interesting because of its design. Instead of trying to re-explain it we'll just go ahead and quote the site:

Our brand new mic is the HM-2 -- a unique instrument microphone that combines the best features of a fast "pencil-style" instrument mic like our P-1 with the big present sound of a center-terminated 1-inch large diaphragm capsule commonly found in "vocal" mics.

The HM-2 utilizes a transformerless, symmetrical, balanced amp circuit for fast transient response and accurate bottom end. The 1-inch diameter, 3-micron, capsule delivers big present instrument recordings and offers better noise performance than most small diaphragm instrument mics because of its relatively higher output.

Also the pickup pattern is rather unique. It is somewhere in between cardioid and super cardioid with a rejection node at 140˚. All this and the mic is available for about $100 for an introductory period.