AKG Solitube

[gilwe]

AKG Solidtube

How do you like it and how it is compared to the AKG414 ?

I know someone selling it for 400$

Thanks

 

[ozraves]

Re: AKG Solidtube

How do you like it and how it is compared to the AKG414 ?

I know someone selling it for 400$

Thanks

i kind of view this mic as worth the $400 if you are one of those people who really sound great through it. otherwise, time has kind of passed it by. it's kind of like the rode nt1 of tube mics.

--steve
www.piemusic.com

 

[Richard Monroe]

The Solidtube is unique in that it has gone from being an overated mic to an underated mic in about 5 years. It started as a $1000+ high end vocal option, and competition from the likes of Rode NTK and Studio Projects T-3 moved it onto the back burner. The conclusion was, it was a lousy $1000 mic. It is *not* a lousy $400 mic. It has a stupid internal pop filter which makes it sound distant, dark, and muddy. It can (and should, IMHO) be removed, and the difference is dramatic.
Solidtube is a very good mic for gritty, loud vocals, and maybe not so good for quiet, pretty stuff. I think they wanted to design the mic to withstand pretty high SPL's (loud stuff), and they did. In exchange, I think the mic needs you to yell at it a little bit to get it going. Excellent for the blues, or a screamer, or a belter, and probably for an opera singer, for the same reason. If you have a "delicate" voice, I'd pick another mic, but if you're ready to yell at it a little, Solidtube can produce remarkable tracks.
Removing the stupid pop filter changes this somewhat, and makes it sound a lot like a Rode NTK, but with better high end detail, a bass rolloff, and a pad. The multipin cable that comes with it is a little delicate, so if it's a main vocal mic for you, I'd keep an extra cable around, just in case. If it's in good shape, for $400? Shit, yeah.-Richie

 

[ozraves]

The Solidtube is unique in that it has gone from being an overated mic to an underated mic in about 5 years. It started as a $1000+ high end vocal option, and competition from the likes of Rode NTK and Studio Projects T-3 moved it onto the back burner. The conclusion was, it was a lousy $1000 mic. It is *not* a lousy $400 mic. It has a stupid internal pop filter which makes it sound distant, dark, and muddy. It can (and should, IMHO) be removed, and the difference is dramatic.
Solidtube is a very good mic for gritty, loud vocals, and maybe not so good for quiet, pretty stuff. I think they wanted to design the mic to withstand pretty high SPL's (loud stuff), and they did. In exchange, I think the mic needs you to yell at it a little bit to get it going. Excellent for the blues, or a screamer, or a belter, and probably for an opera singer, for the same reason. If you have a "delicate" voice, I'd pick another mic, but if you're ready to yell at it a little, Solidtube can produce remarkable tracks.
Removing the stupid pop filter changes this somewhat, and makes it sound a lot like a Rode NTK, but with better high end detail, a bass rolloff, and a pad. The multipin cable that comes with it is a little delicate, so if it's a main vocal mic for you, I'd keep an extra cable around, just in case. If it's in good shape, for $400? Shit, yeah.-Richie

Actually, you just about nailed it head on.

 

[Shailat]

I'm not going to praise or knock the mic.
I use it quite a lot in a pro enviourment and when it fits the vocals it is a killer mic for it's price. There is NO mic that fits all.
Just one word of caution. IF you remove the internal filter, always use the mic with a poofer.

I'm A/B the mic with different tubes I hope in the next week or so to hear the difference when I check it out.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Gee, I forgot to comment on the 414. The Solidtube, I used to use, and the C414B-ULS is one I use now. They are quite different. The C414 TL-II I have never used. It is reputed to have the same capsule as a C 12 VR, which ain't chicken feed. That one I don't doubt is a better all around mic than Solidtibe, and it's quite a bit more expensive.
My read on it is this.- Solidtube is a flattering vocal mic for anybody that's loud, and it's a pretty damn good cab mic. I wouldn't use it for a room mic unless I was doing the sound track for the next Adam's Family movie.
The C414B-ULS is an industry standard for instruments and overheads, with multipolar options and two stage bass rolloff and pads. Solidtube will sound GREAT on certain singers, and for others, it's just a mic. The 414 is less flattering, more accurate, and more versatile. Very few singers will sound good through it, and they'd better be good. Basically, the C414B-ULS is a large diaphragm mic that acts like a small diaphragm mic, a very good one. I'd only buy a Solidtube if I sounded good through it. The 414 is a workhorse that every studio can use a pair of, but I wouldn't usually put it up as a vocal mic. Hope this helps.-Richie