Just a thought...

A lot of people visiting this site, are busy building and improving microphones. So am I...
But is it still worth while? Aren't we trying to re-invent the wheel?
I know, it is really fun to create something special, hoping to build a better microphone than a U87 or an ELA M251.
But the quality of 'cheap' microphones is getting better and better!
Recently I needed a simple body for a DIY microphone.
Instead of making one, I found a commercially made microphone for only 39 Euro,
The body suited my needs, so I ordered one.

Before removing the simple electret(!) capsule and the probably crappy electronics, I connected the microphone and listened, just for fun...
First surprise: no excessive noise, in fact the noise was very low!
Second surprise: no sound like I was speaking into the microphone with a bucket over my head, but a very reasonable quality.
In fact this discouraged me a bit to dismantle the microphone and put my own capsule and design inside.
I thought:"why am I doing this, because the stock quality is already so good?".
Of course you are right, it IS no U87 or M251. But how good should good be?
Anyway, for all those microphone builders: this microphone may at least give you an affordable body.
But maybe after listening to it, you will decide that you won't even change it...

very interesting thought, i think you are right!
quality of cheaper mics has increased rapidly and i can tell, sometimes it is not easy to hear big differences

What was the mic (picture doesn't show, but could be BM400), where did you find it for 39 euro? Indeed, it's not hard to make (clone) a decent microphone, it amazes me more that so many were done wrong for so long... But then some of us just love taking stuff apart.

So far I've always been able to built something significantly better into the mic bodies I've gutted. But it is true, you should always listen to the mic in stock condition, carefully, in order to have a reference. Especially when you intend to keep the capsule.

However, my impression is that this forum is not so much about building new circuits or improving existing ones anymore. It's become pretty much a kit building site. Which isn't all that interesting to me. Not because kits are a bad thing, but because completing a prefabricated kit doesn't improve your knowledge significantly. I bet most people who order and built these kits don't really know how these circuits work.

"how good should good be?" The same cheapo condenser mic may sound great for a beginner or horrible for the discerning engineer. Which may be the same person, years later. In other words, sound is not just a personal preference. Nor is it arbitrary: There is good taste and bad taste. Good sound reflects knowledge and experience.

I bought 4 of the same about $100 on sale condenser microphones to use for the bodies.
Funny thing when I tried them I liked them.  They are a N channel to PNP but the stages have good bias and the capsule looks like one in an more expensive microphone.
I have left them stock for now

Worked out that these are not the (isk) BM400s I'm looking for.  If I'm right it's also a Fame CM 2 which is currently available in a set for  39 euros with pop filter, cable and mic stand at musicstore.de which must drag the mic down to $25 territory again. I liked mine and the capsule will probably look familiar to many a visitor here.

The Question is: Once your excitement about the low price wears off, do you still like your 39 Dollar mic?

Yes, there are some 99 EUR/Dollar mics that sound okay. But I've not come across one that I truly like. What is the least expensive mic you feel comfortable using them on a potentially precious recording?

The cheapest LD condenser that I felt comfortable using on a real recording was the Oktava MK-101. It's not terribly versatile but is a pretty nice vocal mic.

The least expensive LD condensers in my collection that get regular use, these days, are the Sennheiser MK4 and MK8, which retail for about EUR 300 and EUR 700 respectively. The MK8 in particular is a very fine sounding mic that I truly like. I own more expensive mics, but sometimes I prefer the MK8 over anything else.

Do I still like it? Well kinda, I liked it as a demonstration of not getting it all wrong at 39 euro for the 2 minutes I used it - the unknown contender who's done the training the sub $99 headliners can't be bothered to do. I always root for the underdog. But I like it way more as parts in the two separate mics it donated to.  As an alternative to the kit culture I'd put it on my list of stuff for an introduction to frankenmiking. In summary I'd say it was worse than the sum of it's parts, in a good way ;-) ... or... let Fame do the group buy for you... Something around there encapsulates how I feel about it.