Condenser mics generally have a much larger diaphragm than dynamic mics. Closer to 1 inch in diameter.
They generally have a much greater sensitivity and can capture a lot more detail especially in the upper frequencies.
Another contributing factor is that there is more electronics housed in the microphone body and they require 48 volt power supply to operate. This voltage is often fed from the mixing console via the same cable that the audio from the mic is carried on. Often referred to as phantom power.
There are also versions that use vacuum tubes in that circuitry within the mic and you might even find dedicated power supplies. These preamp tubes can be an inch in diameter and roughly 3 inches tall, this also increases the physical size of the microphone.
And then you get to the point of marketing. Make something that resembles what professional studios use and the masses will buy it because it merely looks professional.
In pro audio it’s often said you can get 90 percent of the result for 10 percent of the cost. That last 10 percent will cost 90 percent.
In a bedroom podcast setup there enough issues with just the room usually to negate the 10 percent it takes to get to a pro level. In a studio purpose built hundreds of thousands have gone into making the rooms themselves optimal and that last 10 percent starts to matter a great deal more especially in terms of multi track recording with dozens of sources being miced and recorded to separate tracks. The noise of inferior equipment multiplied by those dozens of sources begins to add up into an audible problem.
Condenser mics generally have a much larger diaphragm than dynamic mics. Closer to 1 inch in diameter.
They generally have a much greater sensitivity and can capture a lot more detail especially in the upper frequencies.
Another contributing factor is that there is more electronics housed in the microphone body and they require 48 volt power supply to operate. This voltage is often fed from the mixing console via the same cable that the audio from the mic is carried on. Often referred to as phantom power.
There are also versions that use vacuum tubes in that circuitry within the mic and you might even find dedicated power supplies. These preamp tubes can be an inch in diameter and roughly 3 inches tall, this also increases the physical size of the microphone.
And then you get to the point of marketing. Make something that resembles what professional studios use and the masses will buy it because it merely looks professional.
In pro audio it’s often said you can get 90 percent of the result for 10 percent of the cost. That last 10 percent will cost 90 percent.
In a bedroom podcast setup there enough issues with just the room usually to negate the 10 percent it takes to get to a pro level. In a studio purpose built hundreds of thousands have gone into making the rooms themselves optimal and that last 10 percent starts to matter a great deal more especially in terms of multi track recording with dozens of sources being miced and recorded to separate tracks. The noise of inferior equipment multiplied by those dozens of sources begins to add up into an audible problem.