As Good As A Neumann. But Cheaper

[Mark7]

And, let me make it perfectly clear that I have no professional, familial or other relationship with either Messrs Josephson, Lawson, Bock or a large East Coast Gentleman with a prediliction for Harleys.

 

[acorec]

Re: Re: Re: As Good As A Neumann. But Cheaper

Not by a long shot... [while we're here... may I suggest you skip the Kool-Aid?]

Sorry, I meant Neumann is the best there are.

 

[mgraffeo]

I was wondering which mics in the $100 to $2000 (yeah, it's wider than normal) come closest in terms of build quality, longevity, sound and jeunesse ce quoi to Herr Georg's babies.

FYI, the popular expression is "Je ne sais quoi", not "Jeunesse ce quoi". For those who don't speak french, it means "I don't know what".

-mg

 

[Mark7]

Jeunesse means youth, or something like that, doesn't it.

Damned phoenetic spelling.

Nice to see my sensible non spam version of this thread back

 

[Mark7]

Which would make what I wrote something like:

What, this youth?

 

[mgraffeo]

or "youth, this what?"

it's been a long time since I logged in and started derailing threads. I'd nearly forgotten how much fun it is ;-)

-mg

 

[Mark7]

And yet you still haven't mastered the Emoticon

 

[littledog]

seems like this whole thread is based on a questionable premise: that Neumanns are the standard by which all other mics are judged. Obviously a couple of people here still think so (or one in particular), but that is not the consensus of the professional recording community, unless you are talking about vintage Neumanns.

so while there may have been a time when the premise was true, the problem is that the current crop of neumanns do not meet the standard set by the u47, u67, etc.

As has been stated, there are many mics that equal or outperform the current crop of neumanns - some of them less money, some of them more.

Leaving aside ribbons and dynamics, one still has the Korby Convertible, BLUE Bottle, and various Soundelux, Lawson, Josephson, DPA, Schoeps, Earthworks, etc.

no question that the "N" word still has the biggest cachet amongst the semi-informed, and they still do make some decent mics. But they are also living largely off of the reputation they made 50 years ago... and it is questionable how much longer that will hold up.

 

[Han]

How can a dynamic mic sound closest to a large diaphragm condenser Neumann mic? I am puzzled.

Many people won't hear the difference in sound between a M88 and a Neumann M149.

Some dynamics sound wonderful, like the M88 and the MD441 for example.

 

[Richard Monroe]

So I guess what Littledog is saying is that if you want your slightly modded Chinese patent infringement to sound like a Neumann, just wait. Improvement in Chinese mic capsules and the slow dumbing down of old German hand craftsmanship are headed in that direction already. That's the other way to make a Chinese mic sound like a Neumann.
When I went looking for a higher end LD condenser, I A-B'd B.L.U.E. Kiwi against U87ai, and it was no contest. I bought the B.L.U.E. mic.-Richie

 

[David Artis]

The C1 most definitely does not sound like a U87 (no disrespect to either mic). I've used the U87 extensively and own a C1. I'm not sure what crack that reviewer was on.

Have to agree since I own both.

Funny thing though is the C1 gets picked as the final track more often than a U87 by a fairly wide margin.

 

[Fletcher]

no question that the "N" word still has the biggest cachet amongst the semi-informed

A rather valid statement.