Large diaphragm microphones like Lewitt LCT 440 Pure Vs Rode NT2A are ideal for you who want to achieve a vintage and warm sound. The microphones are some of the favorites for speech and vocals, but you may have different preferences. If you wonder which of these mics will be the better choice, let’s look at what they are capable of here.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- How to Make Recording Setup
- What are Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A
- How are the Build Quality of Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A
- How is the Setup of Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A
- How are the Sound Characters of Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A
- How are the Performance of Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A
- Lewitt LCT 440 Pure Vs Rode NT2A
Recording Setup
There are so many factors that can affect your sound, but it is wise to consider every element you can change for a better mix. Sound is vibration in the air, and the first thing that affects your sound is the room itself. The ideal room for recording is a dead room with as less reverb, room resonance, and reflection as possible. Reverb will pull the vocals back in the mix, making it difficult to hear. We want the vocals to be the most noticeable in the mix.
Microphone placement is also a tricky decision because the room and setup vary. The main rule for microphone positioning is not to put it in the middle of the room due to the building of standing waves. We also need it to stand as far away from walls or possible reflective surfaces in the room. For recording purposes, we will need to treat the room. Acoustic panels are helpful to create a vocal booth around the vocal recording space, or you can use a mattress, duvets, and heavy curtains.
The choice will also affect your recording because the sound is captured using a microphone. This process is time-consuming because we need to match the microphone with the vocalist. The standard option for recording vocals is large diaphragms microphones such as Avantone CV-12 Vs Aston Spirit. A cardioid is usually perfect for an untreated room to prevent the microphone from picking up the sound you don’t want. Alternatively, you can try omnidirectional if using a well-treated room. You can try a dynamic microphone for aggressive singing too.
| Lewitt LCT 440 Pure | Rode NT2A | |
|---|---|---|
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| Product Dimensions | 2.04 x 1.42 x 5.43 inches | 2.17 x 2.17 x 8.23 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 1.7 pounds | 1.9 pounds |
| Shop now at Amazon | click here | click here |
About Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A
There are plenty of options to choose from based on what seems to fit you the most, and when it comes to the microphone, our choice may vary. If your primary purpose is to record vocals, the large diaphragms will be an ideal option. Large diaphragms are good to make your voice livelier and vibrant. But, they are also versatile for recording instruments like acoustic guitar and for speech if you will be using them for streaming and making podcasts.
We recommend the microphone or options from well-known names because the overall product quality will affect the performance of your equipment. The Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A are ideal options to consider for those who prefer a large diaphragm microphone. These microphones are very popular and some of the quietest in the market. The NT2A is probably more popular because it is similar to the NT1 and NT1A, other legendary microphones from the family that is known to be very versatile.
The LCT 440 is also a good microphone, but we are not familiar with the brand yet. Many say that it carries the signature sound of Lewitt and is a very detailed microphone for vocals. It does sound different than Rode NT2A, and in a good way. Both have a pleasing sound that we are sure most people will like to hear. None of them are muddy, and for the sound character probably, they are more on the modern side and surprisingly very similar.
One of our complaints will be the plosives if you speak extra close to the grille, but we guess no one will do it in real life, and they have a popup filter to reduce this effect and make the microphones sound cleaner. Overall we love them for various recording purposes. They are clean and detailed on vocals, great for guitar amp and acoustic, and enjoyable for spoken words. However, side by side, we will recommend Lewitt because it is much cheaper but not falling behind both in performance and build quality.
Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A Build Quality
Before talking about what the Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A can offer, let’s look at the unit first. For a microphone, we want them to be as sturdy as possible, and both are made with full metal housing, including the grille. Lewitt comes in a cardboard box with a microphone pouch inside. There is no padding for the microphone, but the pouch is helpful to keep it free from dust. Additionally, we get a shockmount with a mic stand adapter, a popup filter, and a foam windscreen.
The Rode NT2A comes in a perfect kit if you don’t plan on buying the accessories later. The microphone also comes in cardboard with a small pouch to keep your microphone from collecting dust. It includes a shockmount with a built-in popup filter and mic stand adapter. This kit also provides an XLR cable that LCT 440 Pure does not include. As for the overall build quality, both are good and have a decent weight.
Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A Setup
Both Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A are condenser microphones famous for recording vocals. The microphones will need phantom power to work, and since they don’t have a power supply, we will need to hook them with other equipment to provide the 48V. If you are recording to a computer, we can use an audio interface with phantom power, such as the Scarlet 2i2. Some compact recorders may look good, but they won’t work optimally unless they provide an adequate supply.
Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A Sound Characters
For the main part, let’s see what the Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A can offer, starting from the sound first. They are good microphones in general because your voice is clean and crisp. We find it hard to differentiate the sound from LCT 440 Pure and NT2A because they are very similar. They capture a full sound with a good body and a bright, airy top end. The low frequency is not muddy, and while the mid is pronounced, they don’t overpower.
The best part of these microphones is probably their high end because they are very detailed and airy. This character is great for giving liveliness to your voice and instrument, especially guitar amp and acoustic guitar. The guitar recording sounds full without being muddy, and the top end is great to present a natural and charming sound. We find that these microphones are almost identical to how they pick up the sound.
However, for the strictly vocal mic, depending on your voice, many other microphones can make your voice stand out. These two are versatile, so the sound character is more balanced with some tweaks.
Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A Features
Next, for the features, we don’t find many features in both Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A, but there are some, especially for the NT2A. These features make this microphone more expensive, even though it sounds just as good as the LCT 440 Pure. There are three switches at the mic’s body, and one of them is a 3-way polar pattern selection. The preset mode is cardioid like Lewitt’s pattern, and you can also choose between figure-8 or omnidirectional.
The switch below the polar pattern is a high-pass filter in the 3-way system. It has a neutral position when off, or you can choose the 40Hz and 8Hz. Lastly, there is a 3-way pad selector with off, -5dB, and -10dB. When speaking to the mic, these switches will be in front of you, making it easy to see and adjust on the fly.
Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A Performance
Lastly, we want to talk about the experience with Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A. The NT2A has several polar patterns, and we see how they affect the sound, which is surprisingly not much, especially for the cardioid and figure-8. The omnidirectional is the most different as it picks up from all directions and somehow makes your voice sound flatter. The off-axis rejection is good, but they are not completely silent from the side or back.
The NT2A has a higher SPL at 157dB while the KCT 440 Pure is 140dB, so you may be able to put these mics closer to a sound source without overdriving it. As a condenser microphone, our main issue with the two, especially NT2A, is the ability to reject background noise because it seems these mics can pick up everything in the room.
Lewitt LCT 440 Pure Vs Rode NT2A
Both Lewitt LCT 440 Pure and Rode NT2A are good microphones for almost everyone. They are versatile and good sounding for vocals, speech, and instruments. The main difference is that NT2A offers more in the unit because it gives you a complete setup minus the power supply and built-in features. The selectable polar pattern is nice to match the mic to the room or purpose. The filter and pad are also helpful in improving versatility, which all missed from LCT 440 Pure.
Conclusion
You can choose any of these mics because they are both excellent options. But, we recommend LCT 440 Pure if you will not need other features because this variant is currently cheaper. It sounds just as good and versatile for various applications.