Sorry Harvey, I disagree.
Harvey Gerst said:
It's along the same lines as the problem I had with the ProRec review of the C1.
First, the guy says that it sounds exactly like a Neumann U87 - not just close or similar - exactly the same sound, identical, no difference whatsoever, even in the slightest possible way.
OK, maybe so. I'll suspend belief for the time I'm reading the article and believe 100% that this pro with really great ears says these two mics are identical.
A few paragraphs later, he says, it doesn't sound like a U87; it sounds better. That made me go ballistic.
I would gladly believe either assertion was true, but not both, in the same article. If he says it's identical and his review is to be trusted, it should sound identical to anybody making the same test, not similar, but identical.
But if it's "better", then it should also be readly apparent that it's "better" and NOT identical.
I haven't finished my testing of the RNP or the VTB-1, but there are definite differences: The Shure SM-57 sounded far better on the RNP, as did the RCA 44BX.
The RCA 77DX was outstanding on the VTB-1 and did poorer on the RNP. But those are some of the points to be covered in a later review of both units.
I would buy the VTB-1 if only because of how good the 77DX sounded thru it. On the other hand, the RNP lifts a blanket off the top end like no other preamp I've ever heard. But I haven't tried it on a lot of mics in my collection yet.
I haven't tried the VBT-1 on a lot of other stuff either, but I'm fairly confident, it will perform well on most things, given the testing I've already done on a fair representation of several different types of microphones.
I wouldn't say that if I had just tried it on a couple of microphones - all of similar design.
I think you left out some details.
When Ted Perlman said the C1 sounded exactly like a U87,
he was auditioning the mic at a trade show, where he and some friends actually bought a few.
Then, after getting it home to his studio and using it for a while, he thought it sounded better than a U87.
Even better through a Joemeek VC1Q!
It is very believable to me that a mic can sound good, and then sound even better, when compared in 2 different environments.
No reason to go ballistic.
This review, your posted opinions, and Dot's made me go out and get a VC1Q and a C1, two purchases I have never regreted.
Writing styles aside, I'm not sure any one has proven why Dot's opinions on the C1 or the VTB-1 are more or less valid than any one elses.
Will everyone that assumes Dot works for Alan please prove it?
I doubt it.
IMHO, listen to all opinions, try the product for yourself if your interested, buy from a place with a liberal return policy, and decide from there.
As I've said before, thanx to Dot, Harvey, Alan and everyone else for their opinions on these forums.
I learn from everyone of them.
I will paste the section of the C1 review for others to judge for themselves.
Peace.
Carmen
http://prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/articles/2CAB4F71AF9E2A1C86256A650081ECF9
Last January I got a frantic call from Pete Leoni, "You've got to get over here to NAMM and hear this mic! It's only $299.00 and it's exactly like a U87".
I was intrigued, so I made plans to meet Pete at NAMM here in Los Angeles. Just to make sure the mic was all Pete said, I brought along my wife Peggi Blu, an internationally known "diva" singer with a few major label albums to her credit. Peggi can truly "sang". When we got there Pete dragged us to PMI Audio's booth, where we met the owner of PMI, Alan Hyatt.
"Where's this amazing mic?" I asked, eager to finally hear the thing. There it was, next to a Neumann U87. Peggi, Pete, Alan, and myself put on the headphones and Peggi started singing into the 87. Awesome, that classic Neumann sound that is heard on probably 90% of the records ever made. She then moved over to the C1 and sang into that. EXACTLY the same, no difference. We were all amazed. Peggi looked up at me, smiled, and said "you've got to get this mic". I bought one on the spot, as did Pete, Randy Hammon (a great musician & singer), and everybody else who happened to be standing around and heard the impromptu demonstration. On the way home Peggi asked me why I didn't buy 2 of the mics. "Well, maybe it won't sound good in the mix", I answered. Hah, was I in for a big surprise.
I tried the mic the very next day. The vocalist was an 18 year old Christina Aguilera-type, big voice, wide range, and many dynamic subtleties to her vocal performances. She didn't get through a verse and chorus before she stopped singing and asked me "what kind of mic is this - I sound awesome on this". She did. I immediately called Alan Hyatt and played a little of the just finished recording into his answering machine. "This mic is unbelievable!" I screamed and hung up.
Over the next week I tried the mic on male singers, female singers, young singers, old singers, singers who could really sing, singers who couldn't sing very good – everybody. We did country, pop, rock, rap, hip-hop, R&B, everything. The mic just killed! It didn't sound like a U87 – it actually sounded better! You didn't have to eq it in the mix. The vocal performances sat in the mixes as if they had been compressed and limited and mastered already. How could a $299.00 mic sound this good? I had to tell the world. I started writing rave ups of the C1 on beta forums I participated in, on newsgroups, everywhere. I probably sounded like I was on PMI Audio's payroll, but nothing could be further from the truth. I would have paid $1,000.00 for this mic. My clients were all thrilled. Even friends of singers would lean over in the control room while we were recording vocals and ask me "what kind of mic is that, it sounds awesome!". And we were not even using a big deal mic pre-amp. For the first month I had the C1, we used a Presonus MP20 mic pre. The MP20 is a great sounding preamp, but definitely not "top of the line" by any means. It is just a good, clean, mid-priced unit that colours the sound very minimally. The next month I got a Joe Meek VC1Q, which sent the sound of the C1 "over the hill". This was about as close to orgasmic as the recording process gets.
Does the C1 "change the world"? Actually, I think the answer is a resounding "yes". For the first time, home studio recordists can afford to have a microphone that will give them world class sound. Obviously, the quality of the vocal performances will determine what the recordings really sound like, but they now have the same level of tools as the 'big boys'. The advent of fast PC's changed the way recordings were done, and I feel this mic is the next step in the process.
PMI also makes 2 other mic models – the C3, a multi pattern version of the C1, and the T3, an 8 pattern tube mic that sounds as close to
an AKG C12 as the C1 sounds to the U87. They are all spectacular. I have used the T3 on every background session I've recorded since it came into my studio. Alan Hyatt must have filled his answering machine up with my nightime calls raving about his mics.
Last year I got into a bit of trouble with my friends at Neumann for writing at the Cakewalk Newsgroup that I preferred a Rode NT2 over their mics in some cases. They had been kind enough to let me borrow a few of their high end mics for a few weeks, and felt "betrayed" by my endorsing the Rode. I didn't mean any disrespect to Neumann, who everybody knows are one of the best mic manufacturers ever. I again hope my writings here about the C1 don't offend them again. However, for too long, these Neumanns have been out of reach except for the wealthy and the big studio owners. Well, the C1 is here and hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, the potential purchaser will have a choice when they go into a store to purchase a new mic – the Studio Projects line, the Neumann line, or the AKG, Groove Tubes, or other mic brands. And that customer will not have to give up their entire monthly mortgage or 1/2 year's worth of car payments to get it, either. They will have the option of getting a mic with a brand name that their clients will recognize immediately, or a mic that simply sounds great. And that will be a great day for all of us.
- Ted Perlman
Although I am intrigued by the variable impedence feature.