Akg c2000b???
- Thread starter jesse89
- Start date
darrin_h2000
Banned
I think it is the only one of that series that Ive ever heard anything good about.
witzendoz
Senior Member
Hi, I have a C4000B, it sounds great on some peoples vocals, on others it does not. For example I always use it for my vocal, but for my wife it just does not work. It sounds fantastic on acoustic guitars. However the mic models within the C series are very different designs. The C4000B is a dual-diaphragm electret capsule with switchable patterns, The C2000B is a back-electret capacitor with a fixed-cardioid pattern. I think that the C series is very well made, sound good, but you have to buy the mic to suit your needs.
I have heard good things about the C2000B, At the right price it would be worth getting, I think it would be a better mic then some of the hyped up budget brands we hear about.
Cheers
Alan.
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
Well, the old timers here know I'll show up, because I am one of the leading advocates of this mic. BTW, if at all possible, try to find a deal which includes the H100 or H85 shock mount, which are among the highest quality, most versatile shock mounts made anywhere, and they are too damned expensive to buy by themselves. First, you will hear the C2000B variously referred to as a small diaphragm mic, and a mid sized diaphragm mic. For reference, large diaphragms are usually about 1" or a little larger, small diaphragms are about 1/2" or smaller, and the rare mid-sized diaphragm mics, such as Audio-Technica AT4033, are about 3/4". The C2000B is a 1/2" diaphragm, but is mounted to a larger retainer. I consider it a small diaphragm mic, but because of the way the diaphragm is mounted, it performs more like a mid sized diaphragm mic.
First, some history, second, a little tech, and lastly, the real world result, IMHO. The C-series contains lots of mics. It is just a designation for an externally polarized condenser mic. The C414, for example, in many incarnations, has been a studio standard for years, mostly for instruments, and occasionally for vocals. When AKG entered the budget mic market, their offerings included C2000B, C3000B, C4000B, and C1000S. None of these mics *truly* suck, but there are better mics out there for the money, in virtually every case, excepting the 2000. The C1000S, in particular, I really dislike, and I'm not a big fan of C3000B, either. The C4000 is a pretty good mic, but then you're into enough money that there are many mics in that range I'd rather own. Everybody figured that if a C3000B kind of sucked for $300, a C2000B must suck *more* for $200, so the mic didn't sell very well, and almost nobody ever listened to it, in spite of the fact that unlike its siblings, it got universally positive reviews. Meanwhile, it caught on a little bit in Europe, and found uses in orchestral recording and on live sound stages. It was originally designed as a live instrument mic, and then re-directed at the home recording market. The worm has begun to turn a bit, as folks are starting to get tired of the hyped high end sizzle of the standard crop of cheap Chinese mics, and have started to realize that the little mic *doesn't* suck at all. It doesn't sound like a Chinese mic because it *isn't* one.
Tech-wise, the thing has a ruler flat response from 100Hz to 6kHz, and a mild bump that maxes out at +2db at 10kHz. That is a definition of a flat mic.The max SPL handling is 140db, or 150db with the pad engaged, and they aren't kidding. The little bugger is hard to clip, and it doesn't feed back much in a live setting. Signal to noise ratio re 1 Pa (A-weighted) is 74db, which makes it not the quietist mic on Earth by a long shot, but compares well to other small diaphragm condensers. The high pass filter cuts 6db/octave below 500Hz, and is actually the only thing I don't like about the mic. The bass cut is radical, and I virtually never use the thing. I can see how it would be useful for something live, like a flute with a drum kit 10 feet away, but in the studio, I don't use it.
Now, in the real world, what is it good for? First, it doesn't suck on *anything*. It is pretty good on vocals, male or female. It has a user-friendly gradual proximity field, and is not prone to popping or sensitive to sibilants. It is very good on acoustic guitar, mandolin, piano, sax, woodwinds, and strings. It is excellent as a pair for drum overheads, toms, conga, djembe, and as a stereo pair for ensemble recording. It is simply the best mic I have ever used for cabs, which surprised the hell out of me. So, what do I use them for? One, as a stereo pair, for remote recording. They are cheap enough to take them where I don't want to risk a pair of Neumanns. Secondly, one of them is used anytime I'm mic'ing a cab, usually in conjunction with a dynamic. Often, the dynamic isn't used in the final mix. It's just there to make the client think I know what I'm doing. He wants to see a dynamic? I'll give him one.
Thirdly, it is used wherever the mic I want to use isn't available. If I just need one more mic for anything I can think of, I'll put one up. I've never used it on kick, or bass cabs, but a couple of reviewers did, and it worked, which doesn't surprise me. Overall, I would call the C2000B the most versatile entry-level condenser on the planet. Just don't buy a C3000B because you figure for more money, it must be better.-Richie
First, some history, second, a little tech, and lastly, the real world result, IMHO. The C-series contains lots of mics. It is just a designation for an externally polarized condenser mic. The C414, for example, in many incarnations, has been a studio standard for years, mostly for instruments, and occasionally for vocals. When AKG entered the budget mic market, their offerings included C2000B, C3000B, C4000B, and C1000S. None of these mics *truly* suck, but there are better mics out there for the money, in virtually every case, excepting the 2000. The C1000S, in particular, I really dislike, and I'm not a big fan of C3000B, either. The C4000 is a pretty good mic, but then you're into enough money that there are many mics in that range I'd rather own. Everybody figured that if a C3000B kind of sucked for $300, a C2000B must suck *more* for $200, so the mic didn't sell very well, and almost nobody ever listened to it, in spite of the fact that unlike its siblings, it got universally positive reviews. Meanwhile, it caught on a little bit in Europe, and found uses in orchestral recording and on live sound stages. It was originally designed as a live instrument mic, and then re-directed at the home recording market. The worm has begun to turn a bit, as folks are starting to get tired of the hyped high end sizzle of the standard crop of cheap Chinese mics, and have started to realize that the little mic *doesn't* suck at all. It doesn't sound like a Chinese mic because it *isn't* one.
Tech-wise, the thing has a ruler flat response from 100Hz to 6kHz, and a mild bump that maxes out at +2db at 10kHz. That is a definition of a flat mic.The max SPL handling is 140db, or 150db with the pad engaged, and they aren't kidding. The little bugger is hard to clip, and it doesn't feed back much in a live setting. Signal to noise ratio re 1 Pa (A-weighted) is 74db, which makes it not the quietist mic on Earth by a long shot, but compares well to other small diaphragm condensers. The high pass filter cuts 6db/octave below 500Hz, and is actually the only thing I don't like about the mic. The bass cut is radical, and I virtually never use the thing. I can see how it would be useful for something live, like a flute with a drum kit 10 feet away, but in the studio, I don't use it.
Now, in the real world, what is it good for? First, it doesn't suck on *anything*. It is pretty good on vocals, male or female. It has a user-friendly gradual proximity field, and is not prone to popping or sensitive to sibilants. It is very good on acoustic guitar, mandolin, piano, sax, woodwinds, and strings. It is excellent as a pair for drum overheads, toms, conga, djembe, and as a stereo pair for ensemble recording. It is simply the best mic I have ever used for cabs, which surprised the hell out of me. So, what do I use them for? One, as a stereo pair, for remote recording. They are cheap enough to take them where I don't want to risk a pair of Neumanns. Secondly, one of them is used anytime I'm mic'ing a cab, usually in conjunction with a dynamic. Often, the dynamic isn't used in the final mix. It's just there to make the client think I know what I'm doing. He wants to see a dynamic? I'll give him one.
Thirdly, it is used wherever the mic I want to use isn't available. If I just need one more mic for anything I can think of, I'll put one up. I've never used it on kick, or bass cabs, but a couple of reviewers did, and it worked, which doesn't surprise me. Overall, I would call the C2000B the most versatile entry-level condenser on the planet. Just don't buy a C3000B because you figure for more money, it must be better.-Richie
witzendoz
Senior Member
Great reply Richard,
I only bought my C4000B because it was offered to me at a price I could not refuse, so no regrets there. However if I was paying the retail price at the time I would have spent a bit more and got a C414.
Cheers
Alan.
P.S I will also be on the lookout for a C2000B
Wow! Now that is a review if i have ever heard one! The funny thing is.. I saw a review of yours on another site for the same mic! You definitely are a fan. I am going to buy this mic for sure now. I was thinking of getting a MXL V67G for vocals and other odd recoding bits, but you have convinced me on this! Thanks Richard.
Jesse
Jesse
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
Yeah, I am a legitimate fan. I am not a spambot, don't work for AKG, and have no ulterior motive. Regarding the V67G, you will note that I have referred to it is the best $100 vocal condenser on the market. This is because, not unlike the C2000B, it doesn't have that hyped high-end sizzle I have come to associate with mics with Chinese capsules. In the beginning, there is a tendency to *like* it, because you think it is clarity that you are hearing. Over time I have learned that it isn't real, and doesn't create good mixes. I think the C2000B is a more versatile mic than the V67G, but it also isn't a $100 mic. If you do get one, post up your experiences with it, because everybody can hear things differently. Not everybody who has used the 2000 thinks it's a *great* mic, but I still haven't met one person who actually hates it. That says a lot about it. Sooner or later, I'll find that guy, and I'll be just as interested in what he thinks as you are in what I think. It is also a good platform for mods, and I don't doubt that the mic modders can buff it up a bit.
It's interesting that I bought my second one from a mic modder, who said he hadn't modded this one because there's nothing wrong with it. That doesn't mean it couldn't be made better. No, it's not a Brauner or whatever. It's simply a matter of what your money gets you. The V67G gives you a lot for $100. The C2000B gives you a lot for $250. In the case of both mics, there are a lot of them out there, and you don't have to pay full price if you spook around. I paid $99 and $85 for my two C2000B's. Given that they are mics I use every day in a project studio with $6000 or so invested in mics, they were a hell of a deal.-Richie
It's interesting that I bought my second one from a mic modder, who said he hadn't modded this one because there's nothing wrong with it. That doesn't mean it couldn't be made better. No, it's not a Brauner or whatever. It's simply a matter of what your money gets you. The V67G gives you a lot for $100. The C2000B gives you a lot for $250. In the case of both mics, there are a lot of them out there, and you don't have to pay full price if you spook around. I paid $99 and $85 for my two C2000B's. Given that they are mics I use every day in a project studio with $6000 or so invested in mics, they were a hell of a deal.-Richie
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
The fact that C2000B is a pretty good vocal mic is a surprise, given that it was designed as an instrument mic. I think what it does best is cabs, acoustic guitars, and percussion. Aside from my main cab mic and my main remote stereo mic, it's just- the replacement- for everything. They replace the KM184's for overheads or piano, when I'm using them for something else.
It replaces the C414 for acoustic guitar or djembe. It replaces the B.L.U.E. Kiwi as a main vocal mic, or the SM7b. Except for cabs, it isn't the first mic I put up for anything. It's the *second* mic I put up for *everything*.-Richie
It replaces the C414 for acoustic guitar or djembe. It replaces the B.L.U.E. Kiwi as a main vocal mic, or the SM7b. Except for cabs, it isn't the first mic I put up for anything. It's the *second* mic I put up for *everything*.-Richie
darrin_h2000
Banned
IDK...I did notice the lack of spelling errors...and no mistakes in grammer...Hmmmm....makes you think....dont it
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
I are working on that Darin. the C200bb is better than a vinteg Newman u67, and is yoosed by gramy wining producers!
How am I doing?-Spambot Richy
How am I doing?-Spambot Richy
darrin_h2000
Banned
AKG is trying to stay one step ahead of us...crafty those Austrailians are.
So was I, but it did a very good job for me for several years!