Audio-Technica ATR-25 Stereo Microphone

Very good value.

Strengths: Well made. Good stereo separation. Low self noise. Good tonal balance.

Weaknesses: Weak on bass.

Summary: The ATR25 comes with everything you need for recording with most camcorders. It's very well made. It has plenty of output, good stereo separation and little self noise. Compared to my AT822, it's bass is a little weak, but most mics in this price range are. For music, it's tonal balance is better than my ATR55 (mono, shotgun). This mic typically sells for under $40 which makes it a very good value, but don't expect it to sound like the $250 AT822. I based my rating on it's value. I think there are a lot of people looking for a stereo mic in this price range and this one shouldn't be forgotten.

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Good low cost mic

Strengths: Low cost, decent sound quality, includes everything you need to start using it

Weaknesses: No light indicating if the mic is on or off

Summary: The ATR-25 is an external microphone which offers a low price point and decent audio quality. It should give better results than most built-in camcorder mics.

Comparing to the ATR-55 (because I own both) the ATR-25 is stereo while the ATR-55 is mono. The ATR-25 lacks the tele mode offered by the ATR-55 but I think most users won't need that feature. The ATR-25 is less expensive while offering similar sound quality. I find myself using the ATR-25 most of the time mainly because of the stereo recording.

Included with the ATR-25 are a camera mount, recording cable, adapters and a battery. That's everything most people will need to get started using it.

Overall I'm very pleased with the performance of the ATR-25 especially considering the low price point. Sound quality is good but not great as should be expected for a mic in this price range. The one complaint I have is the ease of accidentally turning the mic switch on and off, wasting battery or possibly missing your recording. There is no light to indicate if the mic is on or off.

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The kit is very complete with cables, cable adapto ...

Strengths: Complete kit with connectors and holders, good quality build at low price. Low self-noise.

Weaknesses: Not adequate for minidisc or direct recording; weak signal. No documentation.

Summary: The kit is very complete with cables, cable adaptors, stand adaptors, and windscreen, which I found surprising for such a low-cost name brand product. The build for all components did not seem cheap. I used a brand new Duracell battery instead of the included generic cell in order not to second guess the mic's performance.

I used the ATR-25 to record directly into my Sony MR-MZ90 minidisc, and also directly into my Akai DPS16 digital recorder. In both cases I found the mic to be free of self-noise with good stereo separation and clarity. Inexplicably, I found that the signal strength was very weak. I had to boost the preamps on the DPS16 until there was significant noise present, and the minidisc recordings were poor with the auto-gain engaged.

I've used its "big brother" the AT-822, and there is no question that the difference in cost does buy you better performance.

In all fairness, this mic may be made specifically for usage with a video camera, and thus was not a good match for my application, but regardless I would have expected better signal strength. It may also be that the mic I received was defective, but I requested a refund instead of a replacement.

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You definitely get what you pay for...

Strengths: Includes everything you need to use it. Provides stereo sound.

Weaknesses: Construction, sound quality, handling noise.

Summary: I purchased this microphone because the majority of reviews I found for it gave it good ratings. I make low-no budget short films and was looking for a shotgun mic that would get the job done, the cheaper the better. I decided to give the ATR-25 a try but was instantly very disappointed.

It arrived in packaging that screams "made in china". The box says it's made out of metal but that's only the bottom battery cover half. The cables have screw threads on them that screw into the mic itself. This means that if the included cables go bad, you can't just substitute your own.

I plugged it into my Canon mini-DV camera and put on a pair of headphones. The very first thing I noticed was the handling noise...it's awful! The microphones are attached directly to the mic body and the mic directly to the camera via the hotshoe mount...no type of suspension whatsoever. Any twitch of your finger, any press of a button, or zooming gets picked up very very loudly. However, I figured I could always rig some type of shock mount for it so I decided to go ahead and try it out.

I walked around and had some family members talk to the camera...again, I was very disappointed. The stereo sound which is supposed to be the major selling point is actually the biggest turn off. It warps the sound and distorts it. If you talk into one side of the mic the sound is decent. However, if you talk directly at it, (what you are supposed to do with a shotgun mic) the sound warbles and sounds like some type of 80's sound effect.

Also, the gain on the mic is very very very low. Don't even think of using it for anything other than on a camera - you won't hear a thing. Don't expect this mic to pick up a person talking more than 10 feet from you because it won't.

One last little thing about this mic is the power switch. It's very cheap, very loose, and if you're not careful will slide between "On" and "Off" by itself.

Stay away from this mic...yeah, it's really cheap, but you won't be able to use it for anything. Save up a little and get something better, it'll be worth it.

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• The atr25 is not a shotgun microphone. It is a stereo mic made t...