the t.bone BC 500

I have worked in radio with a few Neumann microphones (U87Ai, BCM-104, TLM-103) and Shure SM7A and B-microphones and on stage with many dynamic microphones (Shure SM57 and 58, and 58 Beta, Sennheiser MD421 and 441s for instruments), and quite a few condenser microphones.

Nowadays I make a lot of voice overs in a booth for instructional videos with my sE Electronics sE2200a (usuallay and Z5600a II, Gemini II occasionally), but for a podcast project I needed something else, more "broadcast-y", and useable outside of the booth.

I tried my complement of regular handheld dynamics (Shure SM57, SM58, SM48, AKG D770, D880, and some clones) but none of them sounded the way I wanted it to sound.
Either that, or I was nostalgic and wanted the sound of the SM7, or something good enough to replace it.

I could have bought an SM7 for the project, but I have really good experiences with some other t.Bone microphones (SCT-2000, SC-1100, SC-450, MB85Beta, ...), usually bought second hand.

So I bought both the MB7 Beta and the BC-500. The first was a disappointment to be honest, even though it was more expensive than this one.
The BC-500 on the other hand, was a revelation. I activated both the high pass filter and the presence boost for that "radio" feeling, and recorded a few sessions with a cheap Klark Teknik CT1 preamp going in a simple Behringer mixer and then into a portable recorder (or my laptop depending on the location) . I think this qualifies as a cheap environment, but still the recordings with the BC-500 sound FANTASTIC.

Now my recordings are just me talking (due to Covid), but soon I hoop I'll need a second one for guests and more on location (untreated room) recordings.

The weight and quality are really good, a lot better than its price might make you think. So gave this microphone 5 stars for everything, except for the features.
Not unlike the SM7 the default windshield is a very thin foam, and every so often some plosives get through. So a better windshield (like the thick foam one that is available for the SM7 as well) would have been better, and should be default.

My conclusion still is that this is a great microphone, worth every cent, twice!

If you are looking for a podcast microphone to work in the frame, for a video podcast, the t.bone BC 500 will be a good choice with a limited budget.
Its appearance and quality of execution do not raise questions - everything is cool.
The microphone capsule is used both in Universal Audio SD-1 and Music Villa MV3, as well as the equalizer switches on the back panel.
However, the UAD tuned their microphone a little better in sound, while Music Villa MV3 most likely lives inside the t.bone BC 500. It is known that the company t.bone makes microphones in Chinese factories.
This is a good chance, with proper quality, not to overpay for the brand!
By sound, this is a normal dynamic podcast microphone! I didn't regret buying it!