omtayslick
New member
This evening I did something that I never thought I would get the opportunity to do. I have a Michael Joly modded Oktava 319. Tonight a friend called me and said he had a borrowed U47 in his possesion. So I cruised over to compare my Oktava to the U47. I've read all the testimonials on Oktavamod.com but I still was a little skeptical that it would stand up to a mic of this calibre.
Boy was I pleasantly surprised! I know that I love the sound of my 319, but I don't often get to play with the really expensive toys.
The preamp was a UA 6176. We did one acoustic guitar track with each mic, then one vocal track with each mic. Levels and mic positioning the same for each mic.
Here are the conclusions: The U47 and the Oktava were almost indistinguishable on some portions of the material. On acoustic the U47 had some sweeter highs in some sections, but the Oktava had a midrange presence that made the guitar push out of the speakers better. But all in all the differences were subtle on acoustic guitar.
Vocals, on the other hand were a different story. The Oktava was the hands-down winner. It was clearer, more present, and handled sibilance better than the U47.
All four people at this session unanimously picked the Oktava as the overall winner.
Two of those present wanted information on where they could get modded Oktavas. (The other 2 already knew)
I am still smiling!
Boy was I pleasantly surprised! I know that I love the sound of my 319, but I don't often get to play with the really expensive toys.
The preamp was a UA 6176. We did one acoustic guitar track with each mic, then one vocal track with each mic. Levels and mic positioning the same for each mic.
Here are the conclusions: The U47 and the Oktava were almost indistinguishable on some portions of the material. On acoustic the U47 had some sweeter highs in some sections, but the Oktava had a midrange presence that made the guitar push out of the speakers better. But all in all the differences were subtle on acoustic guitar.
Vocals, on the other hand were a different story. The Oktava was the hands-down winner. It was clearer, more present, and handled sibilance better than the U47.
All four people at this session unanimously picked the Oktava as the overall winner.
Two of those present wanted information on where they could get modded Oktavas. (The other 2 already knew)
I am still smiling!