You can say one thing for certain about Blue mics – the company offers some of the most interesting-looking ideas in microphones out there. With the en·CORE 300, Blue also seems bent on offering up a competitive road-worthy live performance mic that delivers not only on sound but durability.
Described as a line of "studio-grade handheld microphones," the en·CORE series is mostly designed for live applications, though Blue implies that the series is as comfortable in any studio. Right out of the box, you can tell that Blue has taken the durability factor very seriously. The en·CORE 300 is built like a tank. The solid barrel rests slightly heavier in the hand than most stage mics, and the grill and surrounding barrel ring seem virtually indestructible. The ring also ingeniously offers an additional line of support against side drops to the grill, and the smaller capsule enclosure seems a lot more likely to resist those annoying grill flattening falls that so often occur at rehearsals and onstage when a mic stand goes down.
I have no trouble believing Blue's claim that the 300 can handle anything you throw at it in live performance and still perform. There's quality construction in every detail. Add to that some simple, but effective, grooved engraving to the barrel for a more solid grip when the sweat starts pouring, and Blue has pretty much addressed all of the weaknesses out there in your standard live application microphones.
Power and Balance
The en·CORE 300's natural strength is that it's a condenser and phantom powered, so it definitely provides more clean quiet gain than most stage mics you'd come in contact with out there. The barrel and capsule are well isolated, so there is reduced handling noise, and the electronics are certainly quiet, making its claims of crossing studio and stage boundaries totally possible.
Blue says the 300 is voiced for "open, detailed, and present sound" and I found just that – all the power and gain of a good studio condenser, but definitely tuned to enhance the 1 to 2kHz range necessary to punch through ambient rooms and the highly reflective nature of most live situations, without sounding tinny or thin. This tuning is also where Blue's claim that the en·CORE 300 is particularly well suited for powerful vocalists comes in. Strong vocalists with a fuller rounder projection will definitely benefit from the pure transparent detail that the 300 offers. Whisper thin singers will likely find effortless power without the feedback they typically have to endure.
I found the 300 to have a fairly tight sweet spot in its cardioid pattern – something of a drawback in the studio, but definitely well designed for live situations as stage volumes rise and monitor feedback starts to make the engineer's life hell.
Engineers will likely find its overall sound to be a bit bright for studio use on vocals, unless they are looking for a mid-range lift in backing vocal parts, but I did find one area where the 300 excelled in my studio: replacing a 57 as a guitar cabinet mic. The 300's tuning for clarity was a perfect match for transparent recording of both a small Vox amp and a mid-size Marshall combo.
The Bottom Line
For the price, the en·CORE line certainly offers up a family of mics that many gigging musicians will appreciate. From the durability side alone, the 300 is worth its weight. If there is one thing I am totally sick of as a gigging musician, it's purchasing the well-known industry standard only to have it take a dive into the floor a month later and leave me with a monumentally dented mic and a question about whether the capsule has remained unscathed.
FOH engineers will appreciate the 300's clarity/gain to feedback ratio, and the more basic benefit of its smaller, grip enhanced barrel design that just might keep it in a singer's butterfingers for longer than the first set.
Overall, Blue delivers on all its promises with the en·CORE 300 – power, clarity, versatility, and durability.
What It Is: Handheld Vocal Mic
Pros: Excellent sound, tight pattern, heavy duty construction
Cons: Not as well-suited for the studio as it is for the stage.
How Much: $199
