Which mic to choose: Avant ck-7 vs at4040

lexll

New member
Hi!

I have a hard time choosing the mic for male vocal (baritone) + acoustic guitar. My goal is a LDC mic. Right now I'm choosing between AudioTechnika AT4040 and Avantone ck-7. I've read a lot of review about AT4040 and there is almost no reviews on CK-7. I've listened to some demos on Thomann and I like Avant CK-7 a lot.I think it got more warmer sound, richer mids on vocal which is really good for male vocal. The thing about AT4040 is that it's not really LDC, cause it has only 20.4 mm diaphragm, and the sound is.. like.. thin. So right now I'm about to get an Avant. PS: i'd better choose Avant CV12 but it's really out of my budget.

My question is there anyone who worked (or still working) with Avant CK-7 (vocal + acoustics)? I really need your help. What can you say about it?
 
My best advice is expensive mic doesn't mean good mic, and visa versa. Some of my favorite vocal takes are on an EV RE-11. I have a mic 5x the price that brings out the worst in my voice. LDCs are great if you have a pure voice where you want the nuances but otherwise not so great.

Any reason you're hooked on the LDC idea and that specific mic?
 
My best advice is expensive mic doesn't mean good mic, and visa versa. Some of my favorite vocal takes are on an EV RE-11. I have a mic 5x the price that brings out the worst in my voice. LDCs are great if you have a pure voice where you want the nuances but otherwise not so great.

Any reason you're hooked on the LDC idea and that specific mic?

Well. Actually I own behringer c1 XLR for about 2 year already and I'm really tired of it. I want something more pro but still budget. Let's say under $400-450. Idon't really like the sound of Rode, because for my ears it's kind of bright mics? like I hear too much frequencies above 3-4 kHz for my ear. Like more shrill at the high end.

For me nothing specific about Avnt CK-7. For me it's affordable. The sound it captures kind of warmth (maybe coz of transformer coupled output as arcaxis mentioned). I listened to some sample on Thomann and I like it more than AT4040. But I don't really know much about Avantone, it's really new to me and there are almost no reviews on CK-7 on the Web.

I've read some reviews on sE 2200 II cardiod listened to some demos and I like it too. It's not really bright, it's not harsh, also has kind of warmth sound and costs cheaper that Avant CK-7. I don't really need omni and other patterns. Cardioid is enough for me. So sE 2200 II also looks good for me.

I guess that sE and Avant are both chinese? Are there any issues with that?
 
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Yeah I agree I don't like Rode or any of the cheap, Chinese LDCs. Too bright. BUT, you can have them modded or mod them yourself into fantastic, well-balanced mics. Some fantastic used modded mics sell for very cheap on reverb/ebay.
 
I did some research and I've found Russian Oktava mk-105. Also listened to some samples on the web and it seems to me that it's a very decent mic. The sound of 105 is more pleasant than se 2200a ii c for me. Also it says that it made in Russia, not China.
 
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I have an AT4040. I do not like it. I have used it on vocals and I currently use it as a drum overhead. It's OK for that. It does sound thin on vocals IMO. I do not know why it sells. There are better mics out there.

I also have an EV RE20. That thing is incredible. I love it on vocals (female and male) and guitar amps.
 
I have an AT4040. I do not like it. I have used it on vocals and I currently use it as a drum overhead. It's OK for that. It does sound thin on vocals IMO. I do not know why it sells. There are better mics out there.

I also have an EV RE20. That thing is incredible. I love it on vocals (female and male) and guitar amps.

Agree on the AT4040, and also the RE20. I have an Re-11, but have heard the others. Every one I've seen has been great for vocals (better than SM58, for example, which is a good vocal mic but not as nice as the EV stuff imo). RE20 is great for voice work, in general, like podcasts or audiobooks, too. I personally love dynamic mics for vocals. IMO LDCs should only be reserved for people with fantastic tone. Like upper 1% of pro singers. Most amateurs are going to sound better on a dynamics because it won't bring out all the flaws in their voices.
 
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