On the weekend I borrowed a C3 and TB-1 since I am looking to upgrade from my 2 NT1's. In terms of value these mics are hard to beat and without a doubt the C3 TB-1 and NTK all give a "warmer" chestier sound than my NT1's which by comparison sound pritty thin and silibant.
I was most interested to hear the comparison between the TB-1 and NTK since the TB-1 is now the cheapest new valve mic available that I know of. Alas I found myself heavily favouring the NTK. The TB-1 sounded flat somehow and considering the great sound I got from the C3 I fail to see why you would pay the extra.
I had heard a lot of hype about the C1 so I was expecting a lot from the C3. Indeed I wasn't disappointed, it's a fine sounding mic with a pleasing kind of scooped phasy sound.. silibance was controlled and fairly sweet much like the NTK ... however in a close contest I found the NTK was just that bit smoother with a more open top end .... a classy more sophisticated sound in my opinion.
I've always had problems with silibance with my NT1's. I use a Focusrite Voicemaster with a de-esser to try and tame it but by the time the silibance is truly tamed the sound is dramatically altered. With these other mics it's not so much a problem because they are less silibant and the higher frequencies have a sweeter, less harsh sound anyway.
Interestingly when I tried the de-esser on the NTK I only needed a touch to completely tame my esses - sweet.
Off to buy an NTK
My 2 cents
I was most interested to hear the comparison between the TB-1 and NTK since the TB-1 is now the cheapest new valve mic available that I know of. Alas I found myself heavily favouring the NTK. The TB-1 sounded flat somehow and considering the great sound I got from the C3 I fail to see why you would pay the extra.
I had heard a lot of hype about the C1 so I was expecting a lot from the C3. Indeed I wasn't disappointed, it's a fine sounding mic with a pleasing kind of scooped phasy sound.. silibance was controlled and fairly sweet much like the NTK ... however in a close contest I found the NTK was just that bit smoother with a more open top end .... a classy more sophisticated sound in my opinion.
I've always had problems with silibance with my NT1's. I use a Focusrite Voicemaster with a de-esser to try and tame it but by the time the silibance is truly tamed the sound is dramatically altered. With these other mics it's not so much a problem because they are less silibant and the higher frequencies have a sweeter, less harsh sound anyway.
Interestingly when I tried the de-esser on the NTK I only needed a touch to completely tame my esses - sweet.
Off to buy an NTK
My 2 cents