It does come with a foam windscreen, which implies that the MXL 960 can be used outdoors in a sound reinforcement scenario; however, I don’t recommend it. The sensitivity and polar pattern of this microphone is a recipe for unmanageable feedback. In my opinion, the MXL 960 is best left in the studio. It is simply not suited for on-stage sound reinforcement use.
The instructions that come with the MXL 960 recommend that it be mounted and used upside down to keep tube heat away from the capsule. This is generally good advice for any tube microphone that generates any heat to speak of. With this being said, I have used it in an upright position for short periods with no problem. Even after extended periods of time, the microphone casing just barely gets warm to the touch.
In contrast to the Stellar CM-3 reviewed below, the MXL 960 has less “edge” to the sound, most likely due to the MXL 960’s larger capsule. It also has a much more pronounced proximity effect which, for some vocalists, can be a desirable characteristic that can be exploited to advantage.
This microphone has a very robust bottom end and sounds great on trombone, particularly bass trombone. It follows that the MXL 960 would sound just as good on euphonium and tuba.
Although the literature (as well as MXL's website) state that the MXL 960 uses a 12AT7 tube, the stock tube is marked "MXL" with no other markings. This has led to speculation on some audio and recording forums that the stock tube is, in fact, a garden-variety Chinese 12AX7. I have not taken any steps to prove or disprove this claim as the MXL 960 sounds excellent with the stock tube. With that being said, the tube is very accessible and easily changed which allows for experimentation with NOS (new old stock) tubes of different manufacturers (Mullard, GE, RCA, etc.). These tube substitutions can yield different sonic qualities which, in some cases, are an improvement over the stock tube.
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