Earthworks ETHOS Streaming and Broadcasting Microphone — Silver

Product Information

One glance at the SR314 won't be enough for most people, in fact, because this is a stunningly good-looking microphone. The industrial design recalls the old Sennheiser MD416, with the solid part of the shell splitting into metal 'fingers' that enclose the grille, but without that mic's ball-shaped windshield. The polished steel finish is very classy indeed, and there's a sense of balance and proportion to the whole thing that just works. I'd go so far as to say that this is the best-looking stage mic I have ever used, and it never failed to attract positive comments from musicians. It can sometimes be a struggle to persuade singers to try a new stage mic, but they were queueing up to have a go on the SR314! Hear Clear For that kind of sound, the Icon Pro works extremely well. Intelligibility is excellent, the sound is detailed without being harsh, and the fact that it works well at a slightly greater distance than typical radio mics arguably makes it more useful for video work. The fact that it looks gorgeous also doesn’t hurt! If this microphone were pitched solely toward professional broadcasters, this wouldn't feel as much of an issue since many studios usually have an abundance of spare XLR cords. Right now, the marketing focus is almost evenly split with streamers, an audience that often prefers an out-of-the-box functionality. I expected the ETHOS to sound un-naturally bright, given that extended frequency response. In truth, the mic is extremely natural in its reproduction, with a very pleasant weight and detail to the sound when used close-miced on voice. Anyone who’s tried it will know that small‑diaphragm mics are perfectly capable of capturing the human voice. With some voices, in fact, they even have advantages over their large‑diaphragm brethren. Our tendency to put up a U87 or even an SM7B ahead of a KM84 when a singer walks into the live room is probably driven as much by habit as by genuine sonic preference — or perhaps by the unconscious expectation that a large and imposing mic will deliver a large and imposing vocal sound. Capacitor stage mics have been accepted in part because they outwardly resemble the moving‑coil models we know and love, but a typical pencil mic just doesn’t look the part for vocal recording. Small Is Beautiful

The key comparisons here, however, are made with the broadcast mics I began this article discussing. While those microphones undoubtedly sound great (they’re classics for a reason), the ETHOS stands apart in that it uses a condenser capsule instead of a dynamic capsule. Dynamic microphones often lend a similar presence boost, but the frequency responses tend to be compressed, leading to a crunched vocal sound. Condenser microphones, on the other hand, capture a much wider frequency band and sound more natural and true to life. From a practical standpoint, the Ethos loses a tiny amount of favor by not including an XLR cable. As mentioned earlier, Earthworks Audio doesn't manufacture any, but the partnership with Triad-Orbit for its mount implies there could be options for official recommendations. If that sounds like you, this is a tremendous option and is, hands down, the best spoken word condenser microphone I’ve heard. Earthworks are masters of their craft and the ETHOS proves it.

Indeed, it’s very easy to listen to the ETHOS for long periods of time; a testament to the mic’s transparency and low distortion. As a mic aimed predominantly at the broadcast and voice-over audience, this is a massive selling point and a huge boon in its favour. Should you buy one?

For streamers looking to graduate from USB microphones to something more professional, XLR condenser variants are top-shelf for broadcast-quality audio. You have a little more versatility than a dynamic model, and the higher sensitivity found on the Ethos means you don't need it placed right in front of your face at all times. It’s basically the best of both worlds: you get the more natural and effortless tone of a condenser while enjoying the noise rejection of a dynamic. I never thought I’d be considering a condenser for my untreated office, as it’s one of the primary reasons that I went with the Shure SM7B in the first place, but the Ethos closely matches it. Great sound made easier The ETHOS's supercardioid small-diaphragm capsule offers a flat frequency response between 20 Hz to 30 kHz with a 145 dB SPL rating, according to manufacturer specs. When comparing these stats to those of the SM7 and RE20, one would assume that it has uses beyond broadcast applications – I was certainly intrigued. To be fair, the ETHOS employs a condenser capsule while my compared models are dynamic microphones and do see use beyond broadcast. The ETHOS' capsule was specifically designed to capture the first transient clearly with a high-speed rise time of 11.6 microseconds – accommodated by the capsule's low mass and a highly charged built-in preamp. This microphone is legendary. However, even legends have (minor) weaknesses, which I'll discuss below. Plays well with all voices, and offers the flavor of broadcast with the clarity of Earthworks AudioEarthworks has built a reputation for delivering impact through authentic presence and clarity — and while those attributes alone might make for a compelling broadcast mic — the Earthworks ETHOS XLR Broadcast Microphone pushes further with intimacy and warmth that manages to feel as though it is responding to the charisma of each voice while simultaneously anticipating the needs of engineers.

So, is the ETHOS any good? And should it join your shortlist of broadcast mics? Read on to find out. Sexy Styling – Stunning Specs! Transients are essential to articulation. We need them to understand the shape of a sound and our ears interpret sounds differently depending on how the transient is formed. You can think of most transients in an “above average” or “below average” mentality. Voice-over quality XLR condenser broadcast microphone with supercardioid polar pattern featuring a natural, smooth sibilance, with a generous sweet spot and gentle proximity effect When I first took Earthworks’ new Icon Pro microphone out of its box, I was immediately impressed. Its stainless‑steel body and drilled metal grille are classy, and with a hefty weight of 700g it feels like a mic that’s built to last. Frankly, it looks stunning, and with video being an ever more important part of home‑produced content, aesthetics matter. The ‘energy drink’ look of some budget gaming and streaming equipment has become something of a cliché, and while it might hold appeal to younger Twitch viewers, content creators with a more mature audience will probably want to be seen using serious‑looking kit. They certainly won’t be disappointed with the Icon Pro. The Ethos is much more like the RE-20 than the SM7B: not a ton of proximity effect, lows are present but not huge, open high end. the OC16 had slightly more lows and highs, in the way you'd expect for an LDC vs an SDC.

One person’s “accurate transient capture” is another person’s “extended high‑frequency response”, so it’s no surprise that Earthworks claim a frequency response of 20Hz to 30kHz for the ETHOS. As this mic is intended for close‑up use, it’s voiced to give a flat response with the foam filter in place, and within the distance where proximity effect is apparent, not at 1m. The graph shows less than 1dB deviation from flat below 3kHz, with a gentle dip centred at around 4.5kHz and slight double peaks at 7 and 10 kHz. Even at 30kHz, the response is only 2 or 3 dB down. If you were to move from something like an SM7B to the ETHOS, I think you’d notice the difference as one of refinement and openness at the top end, rather than a night and day contrast in character. The ETHOS is the successor to the ICON Pro XLR I reviewed last summer. It shares much of the same DNA, sharing the gorgeous stainless steel finish. It’s also designed around the same guiding principle of speed . They’re designed to capture the transients with the utmost clarity, allowing the mic to sound more true to life and realistic to the source. The team at Earthworks reached out to me over the Christmas holidays and offered to send me their latest flagship broadcast mic, the ETHOS. Since then I’ve put it to work as a streaming mic for Twitch sessions, voice-overs in video editing, and in use for video calls. Overall, I’m deeply impressed with the ETHOS. Indeed, it’s now part of my daily “tool kit” and I’d feel somewhat lost without it. But should you buy one with your own, cool, hard-earned cash?

As if that wasn’t enough, Earthworks quotes a “peak acoustic input” of 145db SPL! In the real world, that should all translate to a mic that sounds detailed, lively, and almost impossible to overload. But do the specs translate to real-world performance? First Impressions of Earthworks ETHOS as a Broadcast Microphone If they were the same price, I wouldn’t hesitate in pointing everyone toward the Ethos over the Shure SM7B. Earthworks Ethos Review: Is it worth buying? Earthworks make several different sizes of small‑diaphragm electret capsule, and the ETHOS uses their 14mm design, configured here to deliver a supercardioid polar pattern. It can operate on phantom power from 24 to 48 Volts and, like other Earthworks mics, draws the maximum permitted 10mA from the supply. Sensitivity is a comfortable 20mV/Pa, self‑noise is specified at 16dBA, and the ETHOS is said to be able to cope with sound pressure levels up to 145dB, though the level of distortion this represents isn’t stated. The balanced, transformerless output has a nominal impedance of 65Ω. For me, the flexibility of the Ethos and being able to place it in a wider range of spaces without suffering too much quality loss, combined with the overall more natural tone that is particularly receptive to EQ and compression, makes it a winner over my Shure SM7B. Both mics can be great, but it’s tougher to make the SM7B shine and, if you’re not fully concentrating on your vocal performance, it’s easy for the quality to drop off.

Before moving on, I also want to single out for special mention the supplied standmount. A third‑party component called the M2‑R, made by Triad‑Orbit, this emerges halfway along the mic body, and uses a ball joint to combine a wide range of movement in all three axes with instant, secure clamping. I’ve only ever encountered a similar mount on one other mic, an obscure Pearl model from the ’70s, and it’s a genius idea that deserves to be much more widely used. Flat Earthworks The ETHOS is its latest microphone and is designed to take on the heavy hitters in the broadcast world. If you’ve watched a clip from a podcast or radio talk show, you’ve surely seen its biggest competitors, the Shure SM7B and Electro-Voice RE-20. The ETHOS is designed to target the exact same space but in a unique way, playing to the brand's strengths, earning the loyalty of professional broadcasters and recording artists. That also means it should be a perfect fit for podcasters, content creators, voice-over artists, and more — assuming you’re at a level where such a prestigious mic makes sense.