I’ve owned mics and speakers that were objectively poor performers: Lots of distortion, terrible frequency response, power handling in the double digits, no wind-noise rejection, the ability to transmit every tiny vibration of the chassis…you get the idea. I’ve also owned various bits of gear that I’ve loved, and other people just couldn’t find a way to like. They worked for me, but not for someone else.

When it comes down to it, that’s the rub with the perennial question of, “What’s the best [audioGearObject]?” There isn’t a best. Your desires and applications will line up with some products, and miss others by light years. For example, listening to the Sweetwater Kick Drum Mic Shootout, I preferred the Sennheiser E602 to the Shure Beta 52. Is the 602 the best, then? No – not if I have to worry about filling tech riders, which will probably specify Audix D6s or Beta 52s. It’s not the best if you want the Beta 52 “mountain peak” at 4 kHz. It’s not the best if you want a Telefunken M82, which is a $400 kick mic that I really do NOT like the sound of very much.

Similarly, I’ve had occasion to mix on a system which had an output side built of JBL Vertec modules. It sure did sound good when tuned, and it sure was capable of effortless volume. Such a setup wouldn’t be “the best” for most of the shows I work on, though, because the rigging requirements would blast most of my time restraints out of the water. Also, the transportation needs aren’t realistic for me. The story is similar for consoles. An Avid SC48 is a much more expensive, expandable, and high-level accepted console than my X32s, yet its high mass, bulky frame, and lack of real remote control make it completely unattractive in my context.

The question “What’s the best…” really should be “What’s the best for this specific application?” If we narrow the scope of the query, an answer can be meaningful. If we don’t carefully define the domain of the question, then we end up with a pile of opinions and caveats that have to be picked through and examined for hours upon hours. Of course, if we want to have a free-for-all, we can still ask, “What’s your favorite…?” That prompt will still generate a gargantuan haystack of responses, but at least the output expectation is opinions and not something we’ll try to factualize.