Samson Q8x Supercardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone with Neodymium Element
The Q8x is the flagship of Samson's dynamic vocal microphone line, built for handheld work where gain before feedback and handling noise are the two things that decide whether a microphone is usable on a loud stage.
- Supercardioid pattern: excellent off-axis rejection, which is what provides maximum gain before feedback in front of a wedge or a loud backline.
- Neodymium dynamic element: a high output, low impedance design with a linear response that is flat with a slight boost around 8 kHz, so vocals sit in a live mix with minimal EQ adjustment.
- 50 Hz to 16 kHz response: smooth and flat across the range that matters for voice.
- 150 dB maximum SPL: enough headroom for close miking a piercing snare drum or a screaming guitar cabinet, not just vocals.
- Pneumatic capsule shock mount: an improved shock mount and an advanced body design work together to minimise handling noise.
- Built to be knocked about: a rugged die-cast body and a hardened steel grille, supplied with a mic clip and a zipper pouch.
Impedance is 300 ohms balanced through a 3-pin XLR connector, sensitivity is -54 dBV/Pa, and a high saturation level audio transformer rejects hum and noise. The microphone measures 180 mm x 54 mm and weighs 0.44 kg.
The Q8x is Samson's flagship professional dynamic vocal microphone, aimed at vocal and instrument performances both live and in the studio. It is a high-output design that faithfully captures a wide dynamic range with exceptional midrange clarity, and the supercardioid pickup pattern is the reason it holds up in front of loud stage monitors.
The response is the point
The Q8x uses a dynamic neodymium element with a linear frequency response. It runs 50 Hz to 16 kHz, flat with a slight boost around 8 kHz. That lift is a deliberate choice rather than a colouration, because it sits where consonants and air live, so a voice cuts through a live mix without a channel strip full of corrective EQ. A high saturation level audio transformer further reduces hum and noise. Sensitivity is -54 dBV/Pa and impedance is 300 ohms balanced, an easy load for any mixer preamp.
Supercardioid, and what it buys you
The supercardioid pattern has excellent off-axis rejection, so the microphone hears the singer and much less of the room, the wedge and the drummer. In practical terms that is what gives maximum gain before feedback on a loud stage. It also means placement discipline matters, because a supercardioid pattern is narrower than a standard cardioid and a singer who drifts off-axis will lose level rather than just tone.
Not only for vocals
Able to withstand sound pressure levels up to 150 dB SPL, the Q8x is comfortable in front of sources that would overload plenty of microphones. Samson points specifically at close miking piercing snare drums and screaming guitar cabinets. That headroom makes it a genuine studio option rather than a live-only tool, and it is why one of these often ends up in the drum case as well as the vocal case.
Construction
A rugged die-cast body and a hardened steel grille cover the physical side, and an improved pneumatic capsule shock mount deals with the part that actually ruins takes, which is handling noise. The advanced body design and the shock mount work together to keep grip noise and cable movement out of the signal path. The microphone measures 180 mm x 54 mm, weighs 0.44 kg and connects through a 3-pin XLR. A mic clip and a zipper pouch are included.