Any very low end tube mics any good?

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dickiefunk

dickiefunk

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Hi. Are any of the very low budget tube mics any good? I'm talking about:-

T.Bone SCT-700
MXL 9000
ADK GT-2
Nady TCM 1150 / Apex 460 / T.Bone SCT-2000
T.Bone Retro III / Cascade Elroy

I've heard good things about the MXL 960 but I can't get it in the UK. I can get the MXL 9000 but don't know how this compares to the 960.

Are there any other budget tube mics in this category that I've missed out?

How do they respond to tube upgrades?

Are there any better options?
 
hey.

send me the money and ill get you the 960. they cost 200 usd. or you can get an mxl 990 which i have and it works just as well and it only costs 69 usd. but here at my local guitar center there is a deal going on where you can get an mxl 990 and an mxl 991 (small diaphragm pencil) with a dual input preamp for 99 usd. which is a fucking great deal. u should get back to me if your interested. ill hook you up. and i get a pretty good deal so i could just use your change for shipping and handling and send you the rest of the chang back if there is enough left over. what other kind of stuff cant you get in the uk????
 
...Karma Audio makes an excellent tube mic (K58) that goes for $299 US (excellent bass response without the "crispy" top end so common with the cheaper tube mics)...I'm pretty sure they will ship to the UK as well...if you decide to purchase from them, just ask that they test the mic before shipping to avoid any possible issues prior to shipment.....you can hear audio samples here:
http://karmaaudio.com/products.html

...avoid the ADK G-2 (been there, sold that)...the 9000 shares some components with the 960, but is not the same mic...the Apex 460 is OK if you are capable of doing some component upgrades, otherwise just so-so (IMHO)...
 
After the next group buy shipment comes in and settles into place (next couple of months), there may be some surplus to watch for:
ACM-6802T (which I think are good),
ACM-1200 (we don't have any yet, but they look promising).
ACM-310 (small diaphragm - I like mine)
ACM-900 (tube ribbon -- only Chance has one so far, but we've heard good clips)

(but I won't be selling mine :D)

Like kidvybes says, if you're willing to make some changes (like swapping the tube, for starters (except for the 310)) you can generally get better results with the lower end mics.
 
The CAD M9 is, IMHO, a nice mic. It's a hybrid tube/op amp design that uses the tube for the capsule buffer and a dual op amp as a line driver. It's $260 and B&H with free shipping in the U.S. No idea what their shipping cost to the U.K. is, but that looks to be just a little over half what it would cost from the first UK dealer I found....
 
Superlux CMH8D...I have one and believe it or not, they're not half bad.

Frank
 
not 100% tube - but the gt-44's are awesome on acoustic instruments.

Mike
 
If you could spend $500, Get a SP TB-1 and have it modded with a telefunken xformer. From talking with my mod guy. It goes head to head with an elam 251
 
I have not tried this mic...but I have a friend who loves the Nady 1050....the older ones....apparently they used different tubes or something...


EDIT: I feel that I need to ad that he has several high end Neuman mics and still chooses the Nady...
 
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