Opinions? Senn 521 and AT 3525...

[catano]

Hi,

i'm looking at buying a couple mics and i thought i'd get some opinions on them before i bankrupted myself (again)...

the local guitar emporium in my city has a sennheiser 521 for $250CDN (about $165US) mixed in amongst a pile of other mics on their 'blowout' table. i'm familiar with the 421, and i was wondering if anyone had used its plastic-bodied cousin. are there any noticible performance or sound differences between the two? as far as i know (and i could be *totally* wrong on this...) it's the exact same microphone, with the 521 being made out of plastic. is $250 canuck a good price? i'd most likely want to use it for micing kick drums and bass cabinets.

likewise, i can get a pair of AT 3525 condensors new for about $500CDN (about $333US). i've been looking for a nice pair of large diaphragm condensors to use as distance/room mics or overheads for drum recording, and these seem like they might do the job at a reasonable price. to put it into perspective, i can get these mics for the same price as a marshall 2001. any opinions on these? again, is $500 canadian pesos a good deal for a pair of them?

what are the prices like on the AT 4033s? i've heard nothing but good things about these, but i have the feeling they're out of my price range. i was planning on saving up for a nice ribbon mic (like a used beyer from ebay...), but a 521 and pair of decent ldc's seem a lot more practical...


thanks,
michael

[Cave Dweller]

Just to let you know that I bought used 421 for $175 cdn each about 14 months ago. Mind you, they were about 6 years old and one of them had a dent from a drum stick in the wind screen, but other than that they work great.However I am not familiar with the 521.

[Prism]

The AT3525 does not have a large capsule, although I think it does have a rather nice sound. I haven't been able to sample many mid/high-end mics, but the AT3525 is the best mic that I own right now. I wish I had two, but I think I'm going to save up and get a 4033 some day. Or maybe find a U87 for $50 at a yard sale. (Ha ha ha)
I got a steal on my Tascam 688, though... $350 shipped and it works beautifully.

Isaiah

[DHN]

I have the AT3525. It's a pretty nice mic for the money but I wish I would have spent a little more to get the AKG 3000B. I think buying a microphone is a little like buying a house. It's okay to spend a little more than you initially set out to spend--you probably won't regret it.

The reason I mention the AKG 3000B is that it is a large diaphragm mic, unlike the AT3525. From what I've read in the recent issues of Electronic Musician and Recording Magazine, for $100 more than the AT3525 you can get a pretty nice condensor mic. Although I "saved" $100 by buying the AT3525, I am definately going buy the AKG3000B. I suspect when I buy it, my AT3525 will sit in my mic drawer unused. So how much did I really save?

[Stan Williams]

I think its ok to have more than a couple mics because of the difference in tones. I've got a sm57, nt1, and the at-3525, and i will try to add more mics later on. If one mic did everything, studios would only have one mic type. I want better mics later on, but i'm glad i have the mics i have so i can spend time recording, rather than waiting on the money to buy just one good mic.