Best Affordable Condenser Mic Under $100

I have owned 3 of the most popular and affordable condenser microphones on the market right now. Of these 3 condenser microphones, I wanted to provide a quick review of each.

AKG Perception 120

Rating: 9/10

My experience with the AKG Perception 120: 

• Reliable - I owned the perception 100 for about 6 years. It only broke recently after I dropped it.
• Affordable - Cost is between $80-$100 depending on where you purchase it.
• Great sound - I feel this mic captures the vocals and instruments very well. Audio is warm and rich with virtually no white noise.

MXL 990

Rating: 6/10

My experience with the MXL 990

• Quality of sound was not consistent for me. This mic captures high and soft frequencies very well, and I consider it a decent mic for recording vocals as well as softer instruments such as acoustic guitar and ukulele. However, I felt that this mic did not capture lower and louder frequencies very well for me, as they seemed muffled. 

Samson Gtrack with built in interface

Rating: 7.5/10

My experience with the Samson G Track: 

• Very Affordable - This mic includes a built in interface, so it's a great value if you don't already have an interface. If you do have an interface already, you will want to look at a different model by Samson.
• Reliable - I owned the Samson G Track for about a year with no problems.
• Pretty good sound - I have had some great luck recording with this mic. Vocals and instruments sound rich and warm through this mic. However, my main complaint with this mic is that it has a very small amount of white noise, even in quiet rooms. The white noise is very minute, yet it is still noticeable. Granted, I don't have a fully sound-proof room, but most people looking for a budget condenser mic don't have soundproof rooms either. That being said, this is still a quality mic for the money, and some of my best recordings have come out of this mic. 

Disk Faktory Review

Overall Grade  =  F

I've used Disk Faktory (www.diskfaktory.com) now for about 8 years and have pressed several CD's with them. When I first started using this company, I found their services very professional, their quality high and their shipping to be fast. However, I've had 2 recent transactions with them which make me think that they have sadly lost ALL credibility as a trustworthy company. My most recent transaction with them involved me paying them for 100 CD's. The CD's showed up with the correct artwork and the wrong audio. I've since sent them 2 copies of my master CD, both of which they have lost. For a while I was emailing the company CEO, who responded only after lawsuit threats. To this day, I have yet to receive either the correct CD's or a refund. My first bad transaction occurred with them a few years ago when I ordered 100 CD's for a friend. To make a long story short, the CD's took about 3-4 months to arrive, and only after tons of haggling and long phone conversations (basically I had to stalk them for me to get my CD's). Unfortunately, I highly recommend you to avoid this company at all costs!