Help on MXL 603 and MXL 990

H

hotwatertim72

New member
My first condensors I purchased were MXL 990s because of the price and some good reviews. Being a newb, the sound I get as drum OH's is great, but I was thinking about upgrading to something better. I was originally going to go for the MXL 603s, but someone on the forum mentioned that the 990 is just the 603's diaphragm in a bigger case. Now if I bought the 603s, would I get the same drum sound in them or would it be different at all?

Thanks for the help in advance.
 
The 603 and 990 supposedly share the same capsule, but that is only a part of a microphone's sound. The grill/housing, positioning of the diaphragm, wiring, capacitors, transformers, etc. will all impact the final sound.

I own both mics and there is a difference between them. Probably not enough to call a transition from one to the other a significant upgrade (especially since you seem happy with the sound you're getting now), but, there is a difference.

My advice would be to use what you have now until you can save up for a significant upgrade (SDC's in the $300-500/mic price bracket - Shure SM81 or similar). If you really feel you must buy new overheads, but don't have much money, you might check out the new MXL 604, the Studio Projects C4, or Rode NT-5.
 
Thanks for the advice. I was looking into getting the 603s because i thought they would have a lot better quality by the way everyone talked about them. I also wanted to free up the 990s so I could record guitar, bass, and drums at the same time, instead of tracking things seperately.
I looked into the 604s and have heard good things about them, but, I will probably end up saving up for a more expensive mic. Thanks.
 
Don't get me wrong, I have a pair of the 603s and use them as overheads with good results. I just don't think of them as a huge upgrade over the 990's. They are easier to use as overheads, because they're smaller, though. ;)
 
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