What do you guys think of the RODE NT1 Lge Capsule condenser Mic?

[GuruAK]

My mate recently brought a RODE NT1 Lge Capsule Condenser Mic to my house. I was looking at the price tag it's pretty hefty with a RRP of $653.40

What are your views on this mic? Have you had past experiences with it? What did you use it for? Did you have good reviews of it?

[tdukex]

Use the "Search" function above and you'll find a lot of comments.

[Outlaws]

My friend has one. I like it. It shouldn't cost more than $200 USD.

[GuruAK]

Originally posted by tdukex
Use the "Search" function above and you'll find a lot of comments.

Now that's mighty strange, I did that before making this thread but nothing showed up then. Hmm must've been a glitch.

Oh I forgot to mention previously Outlaw, the price was in Australian dollars, so that might be why it appears more expensive + extra retail charges >_<

[raindogred]

I bought a rode NT1 when they were being replaced by the newer Nt1a, for Au $199.00 from www.musiccitysydney.com

also try www.musiclab.net.au in melbourne who do good prices on rodes - NT1a is listed as $329.00 au
cheers

[raindogred]

www.musiccitysydney.com.au

that should have been

[c7sus]

The search function here is a little dodgy. Be sure and type in "Rode NT-1" and you should get at least some hits. For some reason the search doean't recognize anything under 4 letters.

I'd get an NT-2 instead, BTW.

If you can find a decently-priced NTV over there I'd snap it up. The Jenson transformer in the NTV power supply costs more than the capsule in an NTK! Great sounding mic, a bit darker than an NT-2.

[billisa]

I imagine you're aware the new NT1a is a substantial revision of the original NT1. The NT1a is one of the quietest mic available -- at ANY price. I don't own one, but it's tempting.

[Flatpicker]

My $0.02 FWIW...
I used to have a NT-1 and it was harsh sounding to me. The NT-1a may be quieter, but from the samples I've heard, the harshness is still there. Of course, some people like the way mics like this “cut through a dense mix”, so as Fletcher says “YMMV”.

[GuruAK]

What do you mean when you say a mic is harsh?

[Flatpicker]

Originally posted by GuruAK
What do you mean when you say a mic is harsh?

To me it’s sort of an overly bright (not a pretty kind of bright) peak in the upper midrange (4Khz to 6KHz) and seems to rear it’s ugly head most on acoustic guitars. Go to thelisteningsessions.com, listen to session 5 and compare the NT1a to the AKG 414 and you’ll see what I mean. The thing about this sound is that at first it sounds “clear and detailed”, but the longer you listen to it, fatigue sets in and it becomes un-pleasant due to it’s harshness.

[kid klash]

I don't know if this is true, but I read somewhere that RODE changed some components in the NT-1, half way through the production life of the mic. Supposedly, the latter ones sound harsh, unlike the smoother-sounding earlier units. I bought mine right after I first saw one at a NAMM show, and I've got to tell you that it's very smooth-sounding, not harsh at all. It's also less "fizzy" sounding (less hyped in the high frequencies) than the NT-2's I've used. FWIW.

[Flatpicker]

Originally posted by kid klash
I don't know if this is true, but I read somewhere that RODE changed some components in the NT-1, half way through the production life of the mic. Supposedly, the latter ones sound harsh, unlike the smoother-sounding earlier units...

I wish I’d got one of those. They build a great mic and after all the raving reviews, they change components and don’t tell anyone. Pretty low, if you ask me... Of course, I was one of the many that got suckered. FWIW, the NT1A example on Session 5 of TLS sounds just as harsh as my NT1 did.