We've Got A New "King Of The Low End" LDC...

[mshilarious]

You can always trade it in for a KIA.

Nah, I am done with foreign cars, they are too expensive to repair. All cars break (the MINI has probably been the worst as far as that goes), but a compressor for an American brand doesn't usually cost $1,300

My MINI is a woody and I live at the beach, so chicks dig it

 

[kidvybes]

I've driven Hundai and KIA rentals and I would never want to own either one. The parts, handling, quality and performance don't even compare to a luxurious BMW, Benz or a Lexus. In short, you can't turn a Kia into a Benz anymore than you can turn a MXL into M149. That's why the standard among REs and studios is to purchase high end mics, instead of chasing budget sound turds and trying to mod them.

I recommend Audio Technica mics because they have consistently produced mics that sound warm without the harsh upper mids that's common to most budget mics. The next level up is Beyerdynamic. Both the MCE 83 and MC 930 are exceptional lessons in warmth, sweet midrange and smooth highs. You don't need to mod a great sounding mic.

...I'm old enough to remember when people made the same smallminded statements about the Japanese cars being inferior...meanwhile Lexus/Toyota & Infiniti/Nissan have been kicking ass on the German carmakers for years...it's Audi/Volkswagon stepping up for the Euro manufacturers...
...currently Hyundai/Kia (same company) is growing at a rate that dwarfs Honda and Toyota's histories, and the Genesis is only a forebearer of what's to follow...quality in microphones, like cars, is all about R&D...that's where the bulk of cost is...once the book is written, cost factors diminish rapidly...if you want to know why Ford builds better cars today, you only have to look back a few years to their ownership in Mazda and Volvo...

...I'm sure I.M.H.O. has room in his cave for another "forward thinker" like yourself...

 

[thebigcheese]

Nah, I am done with foreign cars, they are too expensive to repair. All cars break (the MINI has probably been the worst as far as that goes), but a compressor for an American brand doesn't usually cost $1,300

My MINI is a woody and I live at the beach, so chicks dig it

Man, where do you shop? Honda parts are always suuuuper cheap. Well, except if you have an old-as-dirt Honda and have to special order everything. But you can always go to the regular ol' Auto Parts store and get the third-party parts for half the price.

 

[mshilarious]

Man, where do you shop? Honda parts are always suuuuper cheap. Well, except if you have an old-as-dirt Honda and have to special order everything. But you can always go to the regular ol' Auto Parts store and get the third-party parts for half the price.

The reman part was $1,000. There are a few more Civics than Coopers on the road, if you haven't noticed . . .

 

[mshilarious]

...I'm old enough to remember when people made the same smallminded statements about the Japanese cars being inferior...meanwhile Lexus/Toyota & Infiniti/Nissan have been kicking ass on the German carmakers for years...it's Audi/Volkswagon stepping up for the Euro manufacturers...

I don't agree . . . my 'rents and wifey's have had Lexi, Avalons, etc., as well as BMWs. The BMWs, as I noted, are way too expensive to repair, but they are nicer cars. The Japanese still have their love affair with geegaws and gadgets, like the TV remote control with 60 buttons. Germans have a better idea of what should be in front of the driver.

I'm done with all of that though, there is no foreign car dealer on the island anyway . . . my Dodge Caravan has cost much less in repairs than the MINI, and it has 50% more miles on it. It's not too good for picking up chicks though

 

[kidvybes]

Germans have a better idea of what should be in front of the driver.

...you're talking to a longtime vintage Porsche (fourbanger rear air-cooled engine) owner...my '58 Speedster was a exercise in minimalism...so I don't disagree...but gadgetry is the future, and esthetics aside, Lexus has been beating BMW in performance numbers for years...only recently Audi has stepped up and reclaimed the German title...

...in the meantime, when Hyundai integrates an iPod or iPad into their dashboard, trust me, buy the stock...

...now, can we talk about microphones "Mr. Moderator"?...

 

[thebigcheese]

The reman part was $1,000. There are a few more Civics than Coopers on the road, if you haven't noticed . . .

Well, that was kind of my point. German cars are expensive to repair, but Japanese cars usually aren't. American cars are starting to have all kinds of buttons, too, so I don't know how well you'll be able to escape that in the coming years.

 

[mshilarious]

...in the meantime, when Hyundai integrates an iPod or iPad into their dashboard, trust me, buy the stock...

...now, can we talk about microphones "Mr. Moderator"?...

Sure. The future of recording is iPods and iPads (probably while driving ), so all of these microphones are dinosaurs, including the new ones The LDC of the future will run on P12 and <1mA (backwards compatible with P48), or even PC-style power of 5V, and it won't be hardly any larger than the capsule itself . . . a true lollipop mic attached to a 20mm diameter x 50mm length stick . . .

 

[drBill]

Another control idea is to do a couple of takes and swap the mic positions (five takes if you're really crazy, but the listeners would probably go insane).

I would go insane before completing it. And there would be complainers for days because of all the work it would be to listen and analyze.

No, we live in the era of fast and easy.

I'll be more interested when a modder does a custom mic and says that it's flat-out better than any U47 ever was

That's like asking who's the best singer ever? What's the best car ever made? etc. There is no answer. It's personal choce.

Which brings us back to mics.

Since you're interested in the U47 vs modders question. On this vocalist. On this day. Which mic do you like best? Go ahead, give it a listen. There is no shame.

I can tell you that a substantial portion of listeners chose the MJ 1050. A pretty much equal number chose the U48. Previous listening "experiments" pretty much showed personal choice as a toss up between the two.

So....which one gets closest to giving you the feeling that your 3060 does - and why???



PHIL - I'm also interested in which one you prefer - and most especially why.

 

[drBill]

Thank you for posting this, it gives us commoners a chance to actually get some perspective on gear we wouldn't have access to. Also, sure its not going to be a perfect test but, its a lot better than nothing. Also, I'm definitely not claiming to be an expert on mics. I am just a home recorder making basic demos, far from an expert.

Hey AP, you bet. As soon as some more weigh in, I'll post what's what. Like you say, there is no perfect "on line" test. Even with a mic in your hands, it takes awhile to learn it's personalities, where it excells, and where you don't want to use it. But IMO, these shootouts are a great starting point to seeing the "basic" personality of a mic and whether or not you think it might be a good candidate for your applications - especially for guys like us that don't have dozens of vintage mics stacked up in our closet. bp

 

[MichaelJoly]

...As soon as some more weigh in, I'll post what's what...

Could be a bit of a wait - as usual, once audio is posted to illustrate an opinion the nay-sayers either disappear, disparage the test conditions or get sheepish and change the subject to cars or girls. Anything but actually take the time download into a DAW, listen critically and comment publicly on what is being presented. Spouting unsubstantiated opinion is so much easier and quicker than doing actual audio engineering work.

The audio Bill has presented is not some stuff a 16 year old recorded in his bedroom and tossed up on 'net as an MP3. This is audio recorded by paid, multi-Grammy winning, top tier performers and engineers working in a legendary Hollywood studio with a deep and broad mic locker of well-maintained mics.

 

[kidvybes]

...I already took the test on GS and was surprised by the results...thus, I've been trolling for a "carcass with mod potential"...

 

[drBill]

Could be a bit of a wait - as usual, once audio is posted to illustrate an opinion the nay-sayers either disappear, disparage the test conditions or get sheepish and change the subject to cars or girls.

I prefer MOTORCYCLES and girls. Is that OK?

...I already took the test on GS and was surprised by the results...thus, I've been trolling for a "carcass with mod potential"...

You may be trolling awhile. I don't see many of those around. But you can get them new for so little..... Why not just pop for a new one? $225. I'm convincing myself that I need two now.

 

[mshilarious]

I would go insane before completing it. And there would be complainers for days because of all the work it would be to listen and analyze.

No, we live in the era of fast and easy.

Yeah well I have to say a LOT of people who listen to such tests aren't very fastidious. And no, they are not easy to do, but guys like Joly have to do that sort of thing for themself, otherwise they would have no product. So I don't put a lot of stock in the average GSers' opinion, because their analysis methodology doesn't seem to be as rigorous as the test protocol.

That's like asking who's the best singer ever? What's the best car ever made? etc. There is no answer. It's personal choce.

Yeah, note the smilie I had there. But to the extent that this stuff is marketing, why not go for broke?

I can tell you that a substantial portion of listeners chose the MJ 1050. A pretty much equal number chose the U48. Previous listening "experiments" pretty much showed personal choice as a toss up between the two.

I really don't need to listen to accept that result; it is what I would have expected. Joly is a smart guy (even though he seems to think I am arguing against him here . . . ), so I presume he would not have arranged the test, nor would he have said his mod "kicked butt", if the mic were not up to the task.

So....which one gets closest to giving you the feeling that your 3060 does - and why???

I highly doubt any of them sounds like a 3060, because the 6418 inside doesn't behave like a normal tube. It's a very mercurial device that makes me surprised that a staid company like AT ever used it But I dig it, and they aren't expensive, so . . . I used it for a while too, until it made me insane

Now I have sworn to limit myself to devices that can actually amplify . . . but I keep the 3060 (and a handful of my own) to remember the good times we had together

So I'm working on my class G headphone amp today instead

 

[MichaelJoly]

I prefer MOTORCYCLES and girls. Is that OK?...

Sure is, motorcycles and girls will work just about as well to obfuscate the reader

 

[sound125]

All cars break (the MINI has probably been the worst as far as that goes), but a compressor for an American brand doesn't usually cost $1,300

I agree, but some cars break a lot faster than others. I have a Lexus ES300 with 200k miles on it and it has never been in the repair shop. I haven't even replaced the timing belt on it, which was supposed to be changed a long time ago. Since it is the non-destructive type, I'm not worried about it. It's the best car I've driven and it still kicks out cold AC.

 

[kidvybes]

You may be trolling awhile. I don't see many of those around. But you can get them new for so little..... Why not just pop for a new one? $225. I'm convincing myself that I need two now.

...actually I just nabbed one on eBay for just a bit more than half that price, so once the "patient" arrives, we'll decide when to schedule surgery...

Sure is, motorcycles and girls will work just about as well to obfuscate the reader

...well then let's bring this back on track...

...Michael, the 1050 I just scored is one of the older versions with the soldered in tube...I had a similar situation with an MXL V77 and I installed a simple ceramic tube socket to allow easy swapping of the tubes...I was wondering if you've worked on any 1050's of this vintage?...they were made by Shanghai ShuaiYin Electronics (or at least sold by the):
http://wy.hotsales.net/com/shuaiyin...=0&PHPSESSID=86635e9739117d844824f16c69a9d164

...here's some links to pics I found online of the circuits and tube mounting of a similar mic:
https://img390.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc02622rl5.jpg
https://img390.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc02623xk5.jpg
https://img390.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc02624ws2.jpg

...I'm told that the circuit is the same as this other vendors version:
https://img185.imageshack.us/img185/3442/stellarcm2iz7.jpg

...any experience working with this version of the 1050?...

 

[drBill]

COOL!!!! I don't know why that mic isn't in more abundance. It sounded decent to me right out of the box, although after MJ's magic dust, it's a LOT better. Can't wait to have one of my very own available 24/7. Good luck with your. That was a great score.

bp

 

[MichaelJoly]

...Michael, the 1050 I just scored is one of the older versions with the soldered in tube...I had a similar situation with an MXL V77 and I installed a simple ceramic tube socket to allow easy swapping of the tubes...I was wondering if you've worked on any 1050's of this vintage?...

I did work on a 1050 of this vintage, had trouble getting the tube unsoldered and put it aside until "later".

The problem is the tube is soldered into a double sided board with some traces on one side and other traces on the other. Its practically impossible to clear all the solder off of all pins by only working on the under side of the board. So at present it sits disabled because I can't clear enough solder from the pins to remove the tube. I think it make take radical surgery - breaking the tube off, damaging the traces, then installing a socket and doing point to point wiring to restore the ckt. I'm thinking this could be a 2-3 hour job to swap tubes in that version 1050 so I decline the opportunity to work on them.

 

[Gus]

I have two of the older TLM1050s. If you have skill and the correct tools you can unsolder the tube from the PCB and not lift the pads or break the tube. I removed the tubes with no problem, PCB pads are in good shape.