I can't say, Paul. My only experience is with the RE20, which I have and really like. It's my favorite go-to for kick, but it's also great on a bass amp, guitar amp (I love using an RE20 and a Ribbon mic combo on guitar amps), brass, and a multitude of other applications as well.

I've been told from an engineer friend - who has both - that there are obvious differences between the two, most notably, the 320 has a "brighter" top end, with a bump of sorts around 8-10k, but I can't attest to that personally, I'm just letting you know what I've been told.

Might this be helpful?

Don't quibble - just buy the RE20. Mine is almost 20 years old, and gets a lot of use. The funny thing is, until I got one I didn't realise that I had an exactly RE20-shaped hole in my mic locker.

I agree with Bos... The RE20 is tried and true... but there is a substantial price difference between them - LOL... according to what your own definition of "substantial" is, of course...

The RE20 -new - retails for $449, U.S.

The RE320 - new -retails for $299, U.S.

Both of the above prices were found on Sweetwater, although I'm seeing prices as low as $150 on ebay for the 320... now, whether or not you trust purchasing either of these mics in used condition from an ebay seller is an entirely different topic. ;)

I'm not aware of any counterfeit knock-offs - as can be more commonly found with 58's and 57's - but that doesn't mean there aren't any out there. ;)

Thanks guys. As a newcomer to all Ev mics, except the omni interview mic I had years ago, the sound did remind me of when I've heard US radio programmes - I assumed the sound of the presenters and adverts was down to compression in the chain to the transmitters, but the RE20 did sound kind of familiar? That said, the RE320 sounded brighter - perhaps more 'european'?? The switch to notch out a bit of 400Hz made sense, but you all like the RE20 on kick anyway. Do you still have to knock out a little down the bottom to make it 'thump'? I suppose that's what the new one is aiming at. The Vmic man videos are pretty useful - I just wasn't sure how 'spun' they were. The other comparison videos I found on youtube had dreadful audio. what's the point in a youtube video review that has terrible sound quality? I can pick up a 320 for a sensible amount, and an 20 for not too much more. Difficult decision, because I rarely buy a mic without hearing it - but the variable -D system is pretty neat.

I agree with Boswell get the RE-20.

the 320 is voiced and has a filter to accomodate modern kick drum sounds. RE20 is a different animal with a nice roll off feature and is primarily intended as a v/o mic although it shines in other applications as well.

I took my RE-20 to the local GC a while back to compare the 2 mics. They are not the same at all, and I was concerned that my RE-20 was not right (it was OK). There was a "scoop" to the 320's sound (in the vocal mode) that I was not onboard with.
Recording Hacks has some "shoot-outs" that address the differences in the 2 mics for both kick and vocals...you may find them interesting.

Well - the result is in. I gave my supplier a call, and they said they'd send me both, and I could send back the one I didn't want. They arrived and it took me about 5 minutes to decide that the 320 would be staying and the 20 was going back. The RE320 definitely does both jobs for me. The voice sounds crisper (which is perhaps just a European thing - many of our favourite mics that aren't shared commonly, like Shures, seem to have this slightly brighter tone to them), the RE20 was a bit mellow sounding. A 'big' sound, and not unpleasant, but just a bit older sounding - if that makes sense? I like the sound of the AKG112 on kick drum, which I'm aware may don't - some hating it - and I wondered if the 320 would sound similar, but it's much deeper on the kick position than I imagined, and a good alternative to the 112. The 20 was a deeper sounding tone - which would have been even more contrasty, but I really don't record much music of that type, and my live stuff really doesn't need that bottom end thud.

So that was it, the 20 went back and the 320 is in the mic box - well, actually it's not, because it doesn't fit!

Thanks for the update Paul.

There's really only one criteria when choosing any piece of equipment... and that is simply, does it do what you want it to do?

It sounds as if you based your choice on that, and, that's enough. ;)

I know, this is an old thread , but I found both the EV sisters very useful in recording some trombones: