Electro-Voice D-857B
A high-output neodymium dynamic that a reviewer called the best current vocal mic he'd tried, with a caveat about the low end.
Overview
The N/D 857B belongs to Electro-Voice's N/DYM series of dynamic microphones. The line is built around neodymium, a rare-earth magnet material the company used to raise electroacoustical sensitivity. Electro-Voice's own position, as reported in Audio (December 1994, p.90), was that the 857B had the highest sensitivity in the N/DYM line and was the best mike for live concert vocal work. The lowest handling noise and a more effective pop filter were among the selling points. That's the manufacturer talking, so read it as such. But the numbers behind the claim are concrete enough to take seriously.
The rated sensitivity is -49 dB. Here is what that does to the noise floor of a whole recording chain. Take a typical dynamic microphone rated around -57 dB and pair it with a hypothetical high-quality preamp whose equivalent input noise sits at -130 dB. The noise floor comes out at about 21 dB SPL. The 857B's extra output drops that floor to roughly 13 dB - an 8-dB improvement, credited to the neodymium magnet. The microphone's own rated output noise is 14 dB, which is close to the thermal noise of the resistive part of its impedance. So the mic's noise starts to approach the preamp's, rather than the other way around.
That low noise floor combines with a rated dynamic range of 144 dB to give a maximum input SPL of 158 dB. Audio (December 1994, p.90) noted that this performance equals or exceeds that of many condenser microphones. That's a big claim for a moving-coil dynamic. The 857B isn't a studio condenser with a fat output transformer. It's a rugged stage dynamic that happens to be quiet enough and sensitive enough to hold its own in demanding applications.
Design and the Low-End Tradeoff
The high end is a big part of how the 857B sounds. In listening tests, Audio (December 1994, p.96) described a rising high-frequency response that added brilliance to a piano-violin-cello trio recorded direct into a portable TEAC DAT recorder. The reviewer found the sound outstanding, with a clean and extended top end. On a barbershop quartet tracked against the reviewer's usual pair of ribbon mics, the EVs rendered each voice separated in space and timbre while still blending well.
The bass is the caveat. The 857B's low-frequency response is rolled off, and the same reviewer was surprised at how little it mattered on the chamber trio - there was adequate bass for the instruments and the music. But the roll-off is real, and it limits what the mic is good for. Audio (December 1994, p.96) recommended the 857B for all vocal and choral work, especially handheld and roughly handled situations, and for most instruments except those with low bass. It is explicitly not suited to recording a symphony orchestra, though it could serve as an accent mic in orchestral work. Treat that as a design boundary, not a defect.
Handling noise and breath pops got specific attention in the design. The reviewer noted very low noise from hum, handling, and breath pops, which matters for a mic meant to be gripped and moved around on a loud stage. The diaphragm assembly has a stored-air release mechanism, described in the Audio profile. It's there to prevent an audible thump when the mic is stopped by hitting an object mid-move.
Reception and Use
The strongest contemporary verdict came from Audio's reviewer. He called the N/D 857B the best vocal mike of the contemporary mikes discussed in that test and stated plainly that it was easily the best current mike he had tried in vocal applications. In direct comparisons, an Audix model was judged to have poorer directional characteristics and much more background-noise pickup, and to sound more raspy, while the EV came across as natural, smooth, and clean. A Shure SM58 sounded similar to the EV but picked up more background noise. Those are one reviewer's impressions in one session.
A reader's letter in Audio (August 1995, p.21) singled out the N/D 857B review as part of the magazine's welcome turn toward professional equipment. Collectors looking for one today should expect the usual used-dynamic condition problems - grille dents, missing clips, worn finishes - and should verify that the capsule and output are healthy, since the high sensitivity that defines the model is only useful if the element is intact. No production-year range is documented here, and pricing is not established in the available sources, so buyers should treat any seller claims about dates or values with caution.
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