Apex 460 vs Neumann U87ai hear for yourself

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mustardeer

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I'm officially a moron. Just bought a Newmann U87ai thinking it was a tube mic. Got home and realized it wasn't.

About to record and upload with a $180 tube Apex 460 and a $3000 Neumann U87. Can you tell which one is which ?!

Really hoping those with 25+ yrs of experience and 3000+ posts will put their reputation on the line :) Also would love to hear from those using crappy speakers.

I'll record and upload in a min. I promise one of them is indeed 100% all stock Apex 460 and one of them is the Newmann U87ai. No eq, no tricks. This will be interesting.

MIC B
http://sucsuc.bandcamp.com/track/apexvsnewmann-b

MIC A
http://sucsuc.bandcamp.com/track/apexvsnewmann-a

- - - - - -
RESULTS:
3 out of 5 people guessed it right:
B=Neumann U87ai
A=Apex 460
 
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mustardeer said:
I'm officially a moron. Just bought a Newmann U87ai thinking it was a tube mic. Got home and realized it wasn't.

About to record and upload with a $180 tube Apex 460 and a $3000 Neumann U87. Can you tell which one is which ?!

Really hoping those with 25+ yrs of experience and 3000+ posts will put their reputation on the line :) Also would love to hear from those using crappy speakers.

I'll record and upload in a min. I promise one of them is indeed 100% all stock Apex 460 and one of them is the Newmann U87ai. No eq, no tricks. This will be interesting.
Click to expand...


I have a hard time believing that you would spend 3k on mic and not know what in the hell it was. One would think you'd at least glance at the specs.


My guess: Troll
 
could be super could be :mad:..... but I've got a MXL V77 that was modded in Canada with a new tube and boy now that is a great microphone!

In fact Harvey states over in the mic forum that the V77 is a good copy of the U87 at a fraction of the cost....granted it still doesn't have quite the Neumann characteristic sounds but close enough.



:cool:
 
well actually i got it for $2100 on craigslist he was asking 2300 but i know it retails for over 3k. The Apex I got for $187 a week ago on ebay, free shipping and am now selling for $150 on craigslist. I did my research and heard that the neumann was an amazing mic and an industry standard from many friends, just always assumed it was a tube mic and turned out it wasn't.

Both recorded via Apogee Ensemble into Mac Pro using Ableton Live. The room is not treated. Both on the same mic stand. Both first takes, I tried to keep the performance as similar as possible. No post at all, both tracks are dry.

Just finished recording. Very excited. Once I get 5 guessed I'll post which one is which.
 
Link fail.

In any case, the "mic showdown" has been done many times before, and invariably gets lost in expansive talk about converters and mp3s and monitoring and other sundry reasons people give for failing to identify the expensive kit.

I hope you can return the "Newman" you paid 3k for and that the Apex works out for you.
 
Okay B sounds better than A. But there's no proof what kind of mic you're using. Could be Radio Shack...:)
 
Just pm'd you back.

Ok, Ido's vote:
B is Neumann U87ai
A is Apex 460.

who else?
If you think I used Radio Shack's mics you shouldn't be allowed to record.
If you really insist I'll take pictures, but this is silly. We're all adults and artists.
 
mustardeer said:
I'm officially a moron. Just bought a Newmann U87ai thinking it was a tube mic. Got home and realized it wasn't.
Click to expand...

A mic does not have to be a tube mic to sound good, don't be too quick to judge. Sometimes you need to use a piece of equipment for a while to really appreciate it's quality. How many times do you buy something that is raved about, plug it in and think, "Where is the wow factor?" then you use it for a while and realise that "well yes it is a great piece of gear" when the inner hype dies down.

I would love to own a U87.

Cheers
Alan.
 
Alan,

you're right. But I don't regret owning the U87. On studio monitors I can clearly hear the difference but on laptop speakers it's very very close.

I think once I learn more about mixing and mastering it will make even less of a difference but for now owning the right gear will make my mixes sound less amateur. It's easier to get lucky with the Neumann U87.

I wish it sounded smoother and didn't hurt my ears as much when the volume is up. It's probably a matter of tracking eq more than anything. If anyone feels like trying to tweak the U87 track feel free. Once you know which one it is.
 
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... so that top picture must be all about this inverting polarity thing I hear so much about...? :laughings:

Can't dowload the files here at work but the "Newmann" has a nicer pop filter... or at least I'm assuming that's the purpose of the grey beanie you've got the other one sitting on... :eek:
 
I'm not knowledgeable enough about audio recording to understand that kind of humor. But I'm sure everyone else is laughing hysterically.
 
it's actually surround sound headphones ..

but seriously noone wants to play my lame game?
i need at least two more guesses until i reveal which is which.
 
witzendoz said:
A mic does not have to be a tube mic to sound good, don't be too quick to judge. Sometimes you need to use a piece of equipment for a while to really appreciate it's quality. How many times do you buy something that is raved about, plug it in and think, "Where is the wow factor?" then you use it for a while and realise that "well yes it is a great piece of gear" when the inner hype dies down.
Click to expand...
Ain't no doubt, "tube" does NOT equal "better" -- No matter the application. Personally, I avoid them like the plague unless the circuitry isn't possible without them (such as a variable-mu compressor).

One thing is for sure - If I bought a good mic (that I thought had a tube) and found out that it DIDN'T have a tube, I'd be doing back-flips out of happiness.

I would love to own a U87.
Click to expand...
Barely ever used 'em. Honest. Don't get me wrong - They're wonderful mics for picking up exactly what's in front of them.

But seriously - How often do you actually want to pick up exactly what's in front of them...?
 
ha, massive, what do you prefer?
actually don't tell me cause i might end up picking that up as well.
I think my next step is a preamp with some character with a tube in it.
But Apogee Ensemble is so clean and is good enough for now i think.
 
I listened to both and to me neither sound good which proves that you can get shit results with tools regardless of their costs.
 
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