Apex 460 tube condenser

[theflyingfoal]

guys

has anyone actually tried this out - some geezer is trying to blag me that it's as good as a Neumann

might be a decent tube for the money though

 

[scrubs]

I own one:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=159082&highlight=apex+460

Not bad. Bright & overly sibilant at times. Good for a shiny pop vocal.

 

[PhilGood]

guys

has anyone actually tried this out - some geezer is trying to blag me that it's as good as a Neumann

might be a decent tube for the money though

It is NOT as good as a Neumann. Its not a bad mic, in fact its quite good on some things/certain vocals. As a percussion mic its great. Overheads, bongos, tamborine sound very clear through it. It has a nice warm sound. If you replace the tube with a 12AT7 or 12AY7, the transformer won't get saturated and the overall sound will improve. It takes out a bit of the sizzle in the high end. There are other things that can improve the sound. I took out the inner 2 layers of screen in the grill and the sound opened up.

The real downfall of this mic is that the circuit is a cathode follower and the capsule is a pretty generic OEM shanghai capsule. I'm probably gonna replace mine with a 34mm Peluso. I'm also about ready to remove the cathode follower side of the circuit and upgrade the transformer. Heck, by then it'll basically be an entirely different mic.

I love DIY!