AT4041s v AT4051as

R

RastaSean

New member
So these are condenser mics made by audio-technica and I wanted to know if anyone though they were too much different from one another and if one was better than another.

B&H has a 4041 for $280 whereas the 4051b (a is discontinued) for $480. Does the higher price dictate a better microphone or do you believe it is just more expensive for the fact you can buy different caps and essentially have three different microphones.


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/136536-REG/Audio_Technica_AT4041_AT4041_Microphone.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...1B_AT4051b_Cardioid_Condenser_Microphone.html

If you already had the 4041s, would you buy a pair of the 4051a's for $450-500 or save your money for something else where there may be more of a difference?

Thanks,
Sean
 
Well the 4051 with the changeable caps would be the one I would go for, but I'm sure that a good recording can be had through the 4041.



:cool:
 
The 4051 is a better mic. It is not just the ability to swap caps, although that is an added bonus. The 4051 is an excellent mic, but there are other comparable competitive mics you could consider, like the Beyer M930 or the Josephson C42. Each, while an excellent mic, has a slightly different sound. Or you could move further up the line to Schoeps, Gefell, Mecenary and high end Sennheiser, but they are more $$. I have pairs of the 4051a, 4053a and 4049a mics. I also have a pair of the Josephson C42s.

Check out Mike Jasper's recent shoot out article:

http://www.mikejasper.com/proaudiobay/SDShootout/intro1.html

IMHO, if you want an accurate, relatively flat SD mic, that was reasonably priced, I'd sell the 4041 and buy the 4051s or the Beyer M930s. The Josephson mics are nice, but I prefer the 4051s for close micing. I think the Josephson mics sound better at a distance than close.
 
thanks for the opinion! It's what I've been looking for on here!

I'm not even considering the more expensive mics you mentioned but I'm surprised AKG was not on your short list. I have heard the mc930s and find them nice but not quite neutral.

Its not too surprising that Mike didn't place the 4051's in his top 15 since he had a wide variety of microphones to choose from.

I don't envy Mike and hist listeners for what they had to do, a very tedious task.
 
I'm generally not too enamored of AKG mics (with a few limited exceptions). I think the C451s are a bit too hyped for my tastes. I like the C460 better (I have a pair) but still prefer the ATs given a choice.

I was one of the "testers" for Mike's article and it was very difficult to sort through all those mics. Brutal actually. There were certainly some surprises when all was said and done. I was sure I would pick out the Neumann KM84i as I also have one and like it a lot (perhaps my favorite SD mic) -- of course I didn't.

Here is an article which you may find helpful:

http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_smokin_condensers/

While not recent, these mics are still around in the same or reissued versions.
 
pohaku said:
Check out Mike Jasper's recent shoot out article:

http://www.mikejasper.com/proaudiobay/SDShootout/intro1.html
Click to expand...

Interesting article. Nice to note that the earthworks didn't make the cut. Granted that it's a very use specific shootout. But it should help me narrow my search. EW QTC50mp was a front runner. I liked it's detail and extended low end. And it addresses a few issues specific for my application. But if it's going to lose to < $500 mics. I wasn't particularly fond of the noise floor spec anyway.

-----

What usage are you planning on?

AT4041 - 145dB SPL - 70dB S/N
AT4051b - 155dB SPL - 78dB S/N

The 4051 can handle louder noises and has less noise. But not really much of a difference. Plenty of range for most applications. The 4041 draws less power if battery life is a concern. 3.2mA vs. 4.8mA. The 4051b seems to have a bit of a bass boost if that's your thing. Relative to the 4041 and according to the frequency response chart.
 
You may also want to take a look at the AT4021. They have recently come down in price just a bit and I picked up a pair. So far, I'm happy with the results I'm getting but, I'm still experimenting. IMHO, Audio Technica makes a quality mic for the price.
 
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