ADK microphones

M

Magnum Pi

New member
My searches for an inexpensive LDC (under $300) have led me to find 2 mics that I have never heard of: The ADK Hamburg and the ADK Vienna. Can anyone give me any information and/or feedback concerning these two mics?

Thanks!
 
I've never used them, so I can't make a recommendation. What you want to watch out for is not to be mislead by the names. One might naturally think these mics have some sort of German or Austrian pedigree.

They don't. It would be kind of like if Hyundai came out with a car and called it the Modena (birthplace of Enzo Ferrari).

If you like the way they sound, by all means buy them. One should ALWAYS try a mic before buying - you should be able to arrange a loaner from any decent dealer that carries that line.

But don't get fooled by the packaging.
 
Alot of posters have given positive reviews of the Vienna and Hamburg. I have heard some tracks done with them and the results are quite acceptable.

I'm personally a tube mic fanatic, but have thought about buying one.
 
I just bought one but have'nt had the chance to try it out yet. May be sending it back because the grill is kind of lop sided on top (of course it's from ebay). If you are the seller, shame on you! This mic is OBVIOUSLY defective. How in the hell does a mic that looks like it's wearing a beret leave the factory? :eek:

I will say this. The build quality is just as cheap or cheaper than all the other chinese mics I've tried. I expected higher quality. I may shut my mouth after trying it out though.

I got it for acoustic guitar and to use on other singers. I'm pretty happy with an old EV 635a on my voice that I picked up for less than $60. This is the first mic I've found that works well on my voice. Cheap stuff always seems to work best for me. :D
 
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Ok, I got off my lazy ass and gave the hamburg a whirl. Just about 10-15 minutes singing and playing my acoustic thru it. I like it. It sounds big and beautiful.

My first condensor mic was an mxl 990. It sounded big, or so I thought when I first started using it. I quickly noticed how muddy the low end was, the super sibilant hi's and how it sounded boxy/restricted overall. The Hamburg reminds me of that big 990 sound without all the but's. I'm just saying, this thing sounds big, nice, clean, and has a nice mid color.

Philgood, I bought a couple of mics with intentions of modding. I don't know if you remember but I asked you some questions about the tube mod stuff. Anyway, I picked up a mxl 2001/603 pack quite a while back with intentions on modding the 2001. You recommended that I skip the 2001 and use a M-Audio Nova instead. I happened to come across one for cheap so I picked it up too. I still have'nt gotten around to modding either one yet. I'm only mentioning these mics because I know that you've tried them at some point.

I threw up each mic for about 10 minutes each, adjusting pre gain and mic position for the best sound that I could get while playing and singing. Of course the 2001 sounded crappy. Kind of thin, pretty muddy in the lows when I hit my low strings. The Nova was quite a bit better and actually had a decent mid range, which the 2001 is completely missing. The ADK sounded much more open, detailed, BIG, and just has a nice overall sound. When I say open, I mean that I can hear everything from the lows to the hi's very clearly. The ADK shat all over both of the other mics and flushed twice, well maybe only once for the Nova. I'm curious to see how the Hamburg will compare with the Nova after she gets her tube. I will get to this eventually! The Nova does'nt sound bad but it sure does compared to the Hamburg. Maybe I should skip the Nova and tube the Hamburg? Nah, it sounds very useful as is.

I might have to keep it, beret headed and all. Unless someone knows where to pick one up without the beret for $200.

I threw up my EV 635a too just to see........ The 635A makes my voice sound rock n roll. It's a little raspy, rolls off the hi's and lo's, and has a nice sound for rock n roll singing. This mic has kind of a raggedy sound that I love. I see using the 635a for rock / gutsy blues vocals only and the Hamburg for at least acoustic guitar and ballad vocals. It really sounds nice on my old yammy guitar. I thought I liked the mk012 / 603 mics on my guitar but I'm not so sure now. I'll have to spend more time with the Hamburg (or a new one) to get better aquainted.

Out of all the mics I've tried though, the EV has been my only keeper. I have to try more EV's.
 
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Actually, the circuit designer for ADK lives in Belgium so there is a European family tree thing to them. He does voice them to German and Austrian tones. The company is American ...Vancouver ,Washington. Some of the assembly is outsourced. If you need a new head screen I would contact them directly. You may be surprised at the level of service you could be provided even though you bought a used mic. Be sure and tell them how much you like it.


There are very few Chinese capsuled mics that sound anywhere near as good as these ADK's. You'll find this true throughout the entire line. The Hamburg and the Vienna are two of the best bang for the buck mics to come out in a long time.
 
Warhead said:
What do you mean beret? Sounds like somebody dropped that one!

War
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Nah, it has'nt been dropped. It's very clearly a defect. When looking at the top of the mic from the front, one side is 1/8" to 1/4" shorter than the other side. It's the grill piece on top. Looks like a beret. :p
 
Big Kenny said:
You're lucky, mine has a turban and smokes a hookah.
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My new my mic has a german sound, a french look, and a chinese build. :D I really don't know if it sounds german but it does sound nice. Does yours tell you that you're a buffet of manliness?
 
I haven't heard the Hamburg personally. All I know is after all the mics I've done, the 2001 with the Royer circuit, a 6205 tube and the capsule from an MXL 2003 (same capsule as the Nova) is still near the top of the list of best mics I have.
 
I've got a Hamburg and it is very nice, full tone with a little sparkle (now the next thread will be........ define sparkle)
 
PhilGood said:
I haven't heard the Hamburg personally. All I know is after all the mics I've done, the 2001 with the Royer circuit, a 6205 tube and the capsule from an MXL 2003 (same capsule as the Nova) is still near the top of the list of best mics I have.
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Man, that sounds like a lot of work! What did that cost you, and how much time would you have saved if you just went out and bought xxx?

I mean, if your into doing mods because your into doing mods, that's cool, but as an alternative to purchasing similar quality to begin with, how does that compare? Sorry, I don't mean to turn this into a mods thread, but wouldn't your time be better spent recording?

And BK, define sparkle... :D
 
I have both the Hamburg and the Vienna. The Hamburg is voiced closer to a U47 or U67 (slightly dark, rich sound), while the Vienna is voiced more like a C12 or 251 (brighter, more open top end). Both are very nice mics, but I prefer the Hamburg. But then, I never really liked the C12 or 251 all that much.
 
Ohhh noooooo!

You had to go and do that, Harvey. Now for the next two years we'll see everywhere: "Harvey Gerst says the ADK Hamburg and Vienna mics are comparable to a U47 and a eLAM 251.

Just when I thought it was safe to return to these forums... :(
 
littledog said:
Ohhh noooooo!

You had to go and do that, Harvey. Now for the next two years we'll see everywhere: "Harvey Gerst says the ADK Hamburg and Vienna mics are comparable to a U47 and a eLAM 251.

Just when I thought it was safe to return to these forums... :(
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Not exactly what I said. Here, lemme try it a different way:

"The Hamburg is a rich, darker sounding mic in the vein of the MXL V67 and V69, or the Joe Meeks JM47, while the Vienna is closer to the Studio Projects T3 in terms of top end sheen."

'Zat better?
 
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