Sterling Audio ST66 Review – Tube Powered Multi-Tool

Design:
Features:
Performance:
Value:

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Sterling Audio is a brand that offers some of the most refined microphones you will find on the market. Their Sterling Audio ST66 is not only one of the most capable condenser microphones you can get under $500, but it also proves that analog can be pretty versatile as well.

Design

If there is one way to describe Sterling Audio's designs, it would be stylish simplicity. You could say that they know how to make more with less. ST66 shares the chassis with the rest of its series. That being said, the finish is completely different and features a soothing champagne color. If we were to look into things more than we should, we would say it matches its analog nature quite perfectly.

One interesting thing about this microphone's chassis is that the entire thing is made of brass where most other brands go with more standard materials. This is just a hint of what Sterling Audio has in shop for us with ST66. The closer you look at it, more interesting solutions begin to reveal themselves. At the end of the day, if there is anything that you should know about ST66's design, it's that it is user friendly.

Features

Underneath that attractive body hides a very unique set of hardware. For starters, this is a large diaphragm condenser that runs on tubes. Sterling Audio went with a GT6205M-USA tube, which is known for its low noise performance. On top of that, we have the custom wound output transformers that feature a nickle core. The feature that spikes most interest is the Disk Resonator Technology. It is an elegant hardware solution that takes care of the high frequency roll off known to plague most large diaphragm designs.

Along with a -10dB pad and and switchable high pas filter, it has proven to be quite a competitive design for an analog mic. In terms of raw specs, you are looking at 20Hz to 20kHz frequency response range paired with max SPL of 140dB when the attenuation pad is used. Without it, max SPL values drop to 130dB.

Performance

All of this sounds great on paper, but what are the implications when it comes to raw performance? Well, there is a rather specific sound to tube condensers and ST66 brings you that experience in its best form. Vocals sound amazingly warm in all the right places, with everything flowing smoothly. You can hear a very tangible difference between an ST66 and an average digital counterpart. This type of performance can be seen when recording instruments as well.

Being so sensitive, ST66 is an amazing choice to use when you need to capture even the smallest subtleties of an instrument. In general, it is a very flexible platform which can't be said for many analog condensers. When you add the reliability and consistency with which it operates on a daily basis, it isn't hard to see what makes ST66 so popular these days.

Conclusion

While ST66 definitely isn't the first nor the only tube condenser out there, it is one of the most refined models you can get for this type of money. The kind of performance it offers really shows the dedication and engineering flexibility of Sterling Audio. It is a stylish workhorse.

For more info about the Sterling Audio ST66, click here.
For more Condenser Microphone Under $500 you might like, click here.