Audix i5 Review: A Good Microphone I Don’t Really Need

For a while, you couldn’t turn around without seeing an advertisement for the Audix i5, or somebody using one. Audix was clearly making a serious effort to establish it as an alternative to the Shure SM57.

And, of course, as we’ve already established in our definitive review, The Shure SM57 is a microphone.

Well, so is the Audix i5.

And it’s a good one.

The i5 is a nicely made, American-built dynamic microphone intended for many of the same applications as the SM57. Snare drums, guitar cabinets, and the usual assortment of things you might put a 57 in front of.

I particularly like the construction. The i5 has a more substantial grille arrangement, and it’s less likely to come apart when a drummer accidentally whacks it with a stick. Anyone who’s watched the grille fly off an SM57 will appreciate that.

It’s also made in the United States. The last SM57 I saw was made in Mexico, although I’m not certain where current production takes place. Not that there’s anything wrong with Mexican manufacturing, but I appreciate that Audix continues to make its microphones here.

Sonically, the i5 is perfectly good. In fact, it may be a better microphone than the SM57 in certain respects.

But here’s my problem with it.

If I want that kind of sound, I’m going to use a 57.

I’ve been using SM57s for decades. I know exactly what they do, I know what to expect, and there’s something reassuring about that familiarity. The i5 doesn’t offer me anything compelling enough to change my habits.

That’s not a criticism of the microphone. It’s simply a reflection of how I work.

If somebody handed me an i5, I’d happily use it. I certainly wouldn’t throw it away, and I wouldn’t hesitate to put it in front of a snare drum or guitar cabinet.

But given the choice, I’m still going to reach for the SM57.

The Audix i5 is well built, reasonably priced, and entirely capable of doing its job. It’s probably a very sensible purchase, particularly if you’re starting a microphone collection.

For me, though, it’s a solution to a problem I don’t have.

A good microphone. I just don’t need one.