AT-2020 usually outperforms NT1-A for about half the price.

I have owned this mic for about two years, bought used on ebay for approx. $100. This is not a professional mic, but for the money it is a very good buy and, in my opinion, outperforms some other more expensive (and higher rated) condenser mics that I own or have used. I have done home recording for several years, and I find this mic is worth having. I bought it as an alternative to my Rode NT1-A, a higher rated mic that generally costs about twice as much as the AT-2020. The Rode gives a hotter signal and is better for certain things; however, it routinely disappointed me when used for vocals (WHAT IT WAS DESIGNED FOR!) for its "too hot and clean" sterile signal that would also capture everything in the room that you don't want captured unless you turn it down too much to get a true signal. So, in comes the 2020 that I didn't expect much from, and WOW! It is not a U-87 (duh!), but I find myself going to it much more often for vocals than I do the NT1-A. It has a warmer quality than the NT1-A (although not quite tube or ribbon warm) while still giving you a pretty true and transparent signal. And it is nowhere near as tempermental as the Rode can be. Yes, I know you can mod the NT1-A's to get rid of its infamous issues, but we are talking bang for the buck here. Plus, the 2020 is built like a tank for durability. If I am recording acoustic guitar or piano for a clean signal with the highs emphasized or a lot of arpeggios in the playing that I want to isolate, I will probably go to the NT1-A before the 2020 (but not necessarily). But if I want warmer/fuller vocals, a warmer lower-profile rhythm guitar track (acoustic or miked amp), or a warmer room sound for piano or harmony vocals or the like, 9 out of 10 times I will probably go to the 2020 before the NT1-A (if I don't just use both, but we're talking A/B comparison here). I give it a 4/5 because it is not a perfect mic. If you want perfect, save up for the $2.5k-$10k range. But this mic far exceeds its price range, in my opinion.Read full review