bongolation
New member
OK, so Guitar Center has a big sale on Oktava microphones.
MK219s are a mere $99 and MK319s are $199 or 2 @ $149 (I also
have a raincheck for the MK319 w/preamp for $199 from last
month).
OK, so it's been stated here that the Guitar Center Oktavas
are rejects.
1] Who states this and what is his interest in the question?
How does he know, and from what source? This really sounds
like unsubstantiated badmouthing from a competitor who's
being undersold.
While I would not doubt such monkeybusiness on principle,
the practical fact is that they couldn't produce that many
rejects, as GC buys THOUSANDS of these and is the largest
distributor of these Oktava models, ergo, Oktava's making
more bad than good 219/319 microphones just to supply GC.
This doesn't make sense. GC gets its prices because it
pays cash in advance for large lots all its purchases from
manufacturers and can therefore cut some sweet deals
on gear. The GC Oktavas I've seen do not come with the
fancy boxes, cables and accessories, so some corners have
been cut, but this isn't the same things as selling defective
product.
2] If indeed the QC is not first rate on these mikes then they
_should_ be "tested" by the buyer before acceptance as far
as that's possible. It sure sounds like good general advice,
but can anyone here give me some objective information on
how one would intelligently test these microphones in a
store demo-room setting prior to acceptance?
3] The MK219 and the MK2319 are alleged to have identical guts,
the difference being entirely in the housing, which somehow
is supposed to produce a more "open" sound. Looking at both
mikes, I just don't see it. Has anyone determined any true
difference in sound or does the MK319 just sound better
because it looks foxier?
At the price, these GC Oktavas represent a super deal if they
are reasonably true to type - but if they are junk, then, well...
Thanks for any help on getting some decent microphones cheap.
MK219s are a mere $99 and MK319s are $199 or 2 @ $149 (I also
have a raincheck for the MK319 w/preamp for $199 from last
month).
OK, so it's been stated here that the Guitar Center Oktavas
are rejects.
1] Who states this and what is his interest in the question?
How does he know, and from what source? This really sounds
like unsubstantiated badmouthing from a competitor who's
being undersold.
While I would not doubt such monkeybusiness on principle,
the practical fact is that they couldn't produce that many
rejects, as GC buys THOUSANDS of these and is the largest
distributor of these Oktava models, ergo, Oktava's making
more bad than good 219/319 microphones just to supply GC.
This doesn't make sense. GC gets its prices because it
pays cash in advance for large lots all its purchases from
manufacturers and can therefore cut some sweet deals
on gear. The GC Oktavas I've seen do not come with the
fancy boxes, cables and accessories, so some corners have
been cut, but this isn't the same things as selling defective
product.
2] If indeed the QC is not first rate on these mikes then they
_should_ be "tested" by the buyer before acceptance as far
as that's possible. It sure sounds like good general advice,
but can anyone here give me some objective information on
how one would intelligently test these microphones in a
store demo-room setting prior to acceptance?
3] The MK219 and the MK2319 are alleged to have identical guts,
the difference being entirely in the housing, which somehow
is supposed to produce a more "open" sound. Looking at both
mikes, I just don't see it. Has anyone determined any true
difference in sound or does the MK319 just sound better
because it looks foxier?
At the price, these GC Oktavas represent a super deal if they
are reasonably true to type - but if they are junk, then, well...
Thanks for any help on getting some decent microphones cheap.