Gear of the Year: Top 10 best-selling products

2016 is soon coming to an end. So let’s take a look which products won the hearts of our customers this year. As musicians, you the customers are well informed, critical and vocal, and we noticed that the most popular items are often distinguished by their optimum price-performance ratios and reliability. Here are the 10 best selling products of the year.

1. Shure SM58

The Shure SM58 is a legend among microphones and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. And it’s still as hot as ever. Its success is driven by five essential factors: power, voice clarity, versatility, robustness and reliability. Thanks to the sensitivity of the capsule and feedback attenuation, it’s the perfect microphone for those often on stage. In 2016, it was introduced into the Hall of Fame of most popular products of all time.

2. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2nd Gen

This Audio Interface 2i2 from the Scarlett series by Focusrite has superior sound quality, is simple to use and comes at a low price. This year, the audio interface was updated and introduced as its 2nd generation, bringing several improvements to what was already a winning and effective design. Latency has been greatly improved, offering a fantastic audio performance up to 24 bits and 192 kHz and protection circuits in case of incorrect wiring. And the included software package makes the Scarlett a multi-compatible device for the best sound output in your setup. 

3. Rode NT1-A Complete Vocal Recording

The Rode NT1-A is unmatched in its price range. Perfect for home recording or other studio applications, with its impressive differentiated, rich sounds and low noise. The sound is transferred linearly in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. It has a metal body, cardioid characteristics, and allows a sound pressure level of up to 137 dB (SPL). Besides the large diaphragm microphone itself, this budget-friendly set includes, a deluxe spider, an XLR cable, dust cover bag and a “Studio Secrets” instructional DVD.

4. Stairville LED Bar 240/8 RGB

The Stairville LED Bar 240/8 RGB 30° provides you with eight separately controllable segments and excellent RGB color mixing. Perfectly optimized for live bands, DJs, LJs, clubs and more, it is characterized by its almost unlimited possibilities and ease of use. Because of its excellent quality/price ratio, this LED Bar was one of 2016’s best-selling products.

5. Shure SM57 LC

This dynamic microphone has become a standard for micing instruments and vocals, establishing itself as one of the most popular microphones in the world. With its solid construction, the SM57 is prepared for rough and demanding stage conditions. The special cardioid characteristics ensures an excellent performance, capturing the desired sound without interference and external sounds. It is also equipped with an air-cushioned shock absorber to minimize any handling noises.

6. Stairville Outdoor Stage Par 12x3W Tri

The Outdoor Stage Par 12x3W Tri from Stairville proves that outdoor lighting is feasible for all budgets. The brightness with which you can effectively illuminate the stage is remarkable, making this the perfect accessory in illuminating individual musicians or specific areas at all types of events. Its adjustability makes it easy to direct the light with precision and it can simply be placed on the ground, a tripod or cross-beam.

7. Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 250 Ohm

The Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 250 Ohm has become a reference among headphones for studio musicians, FOH mixers, sound engineers and producers. With its ergonomic design and interchangeable velvet pads it is equipped for long hours in the studio, while its integrated diffuse-field equalization and well balanced stereo imaging offers a truly realistic sound. These headphones will please studio musicians as well as audiophiles.

8. Shure SE215-CL

The Shure SE215-CL are sound-isolating in-ear earphones with excellent sound and made of high quality materials and screens more than 90 percent of ambient noise. The built-in MicroDriver delivers warm sound with dynamic bass – in a frequency range of 22 – 17,500 Hz, which also reliably covers the deep bass. In addition, to its striking aesthetics it is suitable both for on stage or on your smartphone.

9. the t.bone SC 440 USB

The SC 440 USB is a modern and innovative studio condenser microphone at an unbeatable price-performance ratio and is perfect for home recording. Thanks to the USB port you can directly connect it to your computer without external interfaces, therefore reducing latency. Its frequency range is from 20 – 18,000 Hz and its supercardioid characteristics suppresses unwanted noise, and easily clamps on to the included spider.

10. Steinberg UR22 MK2

As one of the most popular products this year, this 2-channel USB 2.0 audio interface from Steinberg truly delivers. The UR22 MK2 is equipped with all the necessary connection options needed for professional recordings – whether in the studio, in the rehearsal room or at home. It features uncolored, latency-free DAW monitoring for instrumental and vocal recordings, with full support for Windows 7, Mac OS X and iPad, and even includes a free version of Cubase AI.

Lawrence started playing the electric guitar because of his passion for rock music. Back in the day he played in a metal band, but now plays more for himself.

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