Cheaper LD Tube mics LIST.

[Mr Funk]

With so many low price LD FET and Tube mics out there, I thought it would be a good idea to try to compile a comprehensive list of all the sub £600 ($850) Tube's.

If you folks out there copy and paste the list from the previous post each time, replacing the rating and/or comment next to the mic's, and also adding any new models at the same time. Also, try to put a guide price. At the end we should have one long list (of practically all sub £600 Tubes) and a whole load of votes and comments for people to use for research! You can add mic's that you haven't used, only don't vote for them, only comment on or rate the mics you have used.

I will start the list. I have put the prices in £, but as mic's cost different amounts in different countries, feel free to also add/replace the price in your country. I know there are many more mainly Chinese made mic's to add, so come on peeps!!!

I'm not sure this will work, or that anyone will be interested in doing it but we will see...

Oktava MKL 2500 (£230)
Oktava MKL 5000 (£500)
ADK A51TC (£380)
ADK A48 (£550)
ADK GT2 (£250)
Studio Projects T3 (£370) - VG on my voice. Prefered over U87.
Studio Projects TB1 (£195)
Red5 Audio RV15 (£220)
AKG Solidtube (£335)
CAD M9 (£500)
MXL V77 (£250 - £500)
Rode NTK (£330)
Se Electronics SE5600 (£400)
Groove Tube GT66 (£250)
Groove Tube GT77 (£400)
Audio Technica AT3060 (£400)

 

[Mr Funk]

Oktava MKL 2500 (£230)
Oktava MKL 5000 (£500)
ADK A51TC (£380)
ADK A48 (£550)
ADK GT2 (£250)
Studio Projects T3 (£370) - VG on my voice. Prefered over U87.
Studio Projects TB1 (£195)
Red5 Audio RV15 (£220)
AKG Solidtube (£335)
CAD M9 (£500)
MXL V77 (£250 - £500)
Rode NTK (£330)
Se Electronics SE5600 (£400)
**Se Electronics SE5500 (£300)
Groove Tube GT66 (£250)
Groove Tube GT77 (£400)
Audio Technica AT3060 (£400)

JUST ADDED NEW Se Electornics mic. Marked with ** which next person can take off!

 

[Mr Funk]

Oktava MKL 2500 (£230)
Oktava MKL 5000 (£500)
ADK A51TC (£380)
ADK A48 (£550)
ADK GT2 (£250)
Studio Projects T3 (£370) - VG on my voice. Prefered over U87.
Studio Projects TB1 (£195)
Red5 Audio RV15 (£220)
AKG Solidtube (£335)
CAD M9 (£500)
MXL V77 (£250 - £500)
Rode NTK (£330)
Se Electronics SE5600 (£400)
Se Electronics SE5500 (£300)
Groove Tube GT66 (£250)
Groove Tube GT77 (£400)
Audio Technica AT3060 (£400)
**SoundKing SKEA001B/W (??? < £600)
**SoundKing SKEA002B/W (??? < £600)
**SoundKing SKEA006B/W (??? < £600)

Just added 3 more... get it? Unfortunately, I haven't used any of them!

 

[DanielJohn]

I have a Marshall V77, it's great, love it. I'm going to be trying a Rode NTK this friday, so I'll let you know how it goes.
-DAN

 

[Dot]

The SE Electronics mics are the Z 5600 and the SE 5500.

Also...

MXL V69 Mogami Edition

Nady TCM 1050
Nady TCM 1100

Dan Richards
Digital Pro Sound
The Listening Sessions

 

[ausrock]

Pacific Pro Audio in Seattle have their PPA LD-2ube. List is over the $ limit set, but they are selling them for $299US.

 

[Mr Funk]

Just updated list with suggestions from others above.


Oktava MKL 2500 (£230)
Oktava MKL 5000 (£500)
ADK A51TC (£380)
ADK A48 (£550)
ADK GT2 (£250)
Studio Projects T3 (£370) - VG on my voice. Prefered over U87.
Studio Projects TB1 (£195)
Red5 Audio RV15 (£220)
AKG Solidtube (£335)
CAD M9 (£500)
MXL V77 (£250 - £500) - **it's great, love it.
**MXL V69 Mogami Edition (£170)
Rode NTK (£330)
Se Electronics Z5600 (£400)
Se Electronics SE5500 (£300)
Groove Tube GT66 (£250)
Groove Tube GT77 (£400)
Audio Technica AT3060 (£400)
SoundKing SKEA001B/W (??? < £600)
SoundKing SKEA002B/W (??? < £600)
SoundKing SKEA006B/W (??? < £600)
**Nady TCM 1050 (??? < £600)
**Nady TCM 1100 (??? < £600)
**Pacific Pro Audio PPA LD-2ube ($299)

 

[Speeddemon]

Maybe you could divide the list into Great mics,Good mics, Mediocre mics and Awful mics.
I mean, I see 20some tube mics there, I know about 7 or 8 by name, and I know the sound of 2. I like the stuff I heard through the Røde NTK. (the ø is Alt+0248)

 

[alfalfa]

How many of those mics are the same mic just with a different name? SE electronics, Nady, ADK etc use standard feilo shanghai mic designs for some/all of their models so you might find lots of different companies selling the same tube mic.

 

[Mr Funk]

Yeah I realise that a lot of the mics are the same re-badged off the shelf units, although I believe ADK do make adjustments and/or have mics made to their specs (a bit like SP - the T3 is almost off the shelf). It would be useful if anyone can say (for definate) that one model is the same as another.

I am hoping that more people who have used these mic's will come forward and give an opinion, so that I can eventually have a list of good and bad ones!

Oktava MKL 2500 (£230)
Oktava MKL 5000 (£500)
ADK A51TC (£380)
ADK A48 (£550)
ADK GT2 (£250)
Studio Projects T3 (£370) - VG on my voice. Prefered over U87.
Studio Projects TB1 (£195)
Red5 Audio RV15 (£220)
AKG Solidtube (£335)
CAD M9 (£500)
MXL V77 (£250 - £500) - **it's great, love it.
MXL V69 Mogami Edition (£170)
Rode NTK (£330)
Se Electronics Z5600 (£400)
Se Electronics SE5500 (£300)
Groove Tube GT66 (£250)
Groove Tube GT77 (£400)
Audio Technica AT3060 (£400)
SoundKing SKEA001B/W (??? < £600)
SoundKing SKEA002B/W (??? < £600)
SoundKing SKEA006B/W (??? < £600)
Nady TCM 1050 (??? < £600)
Nady TCM 1100 (??? < £600)
Pacific Pro Audio PPA LD-2ube ($299)
*JoeMeek TB47 (£400)

 

[Larry Villella]

How many of those mics are the same mic just with a different name? SE electronics, Nady, ADK etc use standard feilo shanghai mic designs for some/all of their models so you might find lots of different companies selling the same tube mic.

Not to dispute you, but this simply isn't the case with ADK.

If several of these other companies have imitated our gear,
I have no control over it. But we were the first mic company
that builds in China, for example, to use Toshiba FET's (1998).

Show me the Panasonic Capacitors or Thomas & Betts Gold-Plated Switches from Texas in any of these other brands!!!

So - with all due respect to the commonly held view, as the founder of ADK, I emphatically defend our Value-Added Approach.

Anyone who has heard the 3d Audio CD cannot help but be impressed by our sonic quality. We sent our least expensive mic to do the shoot-out with 49 other mics! Listen and decide for yourself. Friends, Romans, Audio-Lovers - all we ask: lend us your ears. If you still don't hear a difference, then I surrender!

Respectfully,

Larry J. Villella, ADK Microphones

 

[alfalfa]

Just so I am 100% clear, Larry are you saying that no other mics sold by other companies are the same as any of your ADK mics (eg your project G series)?

If that is true I apologise for the mentioning ADK in my previous post. However your post referring to competitors imitating your mics suggests that my comment that different companies (including ADK) are selling the same mic is still valid.

 

[Larry Villella]

G Series aside (as the name suggests - there is nothing proprietary in Generis) we would expect ADK to be proprietary.

Having said that, there is a lot of stuff that happens in China that is beyond our control! Some of the big companies perhaps have the money to do patent protection. We clearly don't.

You will notice that I stated we were the First to use Toshiba FET's. It wasn't three months before one of our competition had Toshiba in their design. So it goes. Our new European Mod, for example: who knows how long it will be before it gets copied.

I am now using Panasonic Capacitors. See who does this next!

I am reminded of the first rubber bands for shock mounts. We forced our factory to go to stranded bands. Literally six weeks later another (nameless) company had them. So can I say Catagorically that our mics are Exclusive? Only for a month or two! Anyone who followed the Mackie vs. Behringer saga knows that there is no way to protect anything! The guy with the deepest pockets wins (Or the guy with the best lawyer wins!)

So innovate - yes we do. But if we have a good idea, someone with a lot more money than I have will probably take it from us.

So it goes. We are proud of being a trail-blazer. Lewis and Clark didn't have power boats! ADK didn't have CAD / CAM. All we had was a good mic collection, 30 years of dedication to musicianship and the recording arts, and a group of Golden Ear collegues.

If we succeded or failed is up to you. Listen to our mics and tell me! I have no illusion that I can really compete with the Big Boys.

But I try anyway!!!! I know NADY and SE (MXL or SP) Do Not Sound like ADK. But - really - it's your ears that count!!!!

All I can do is press onward. You will notice that every year we try to make some kind of improvement to our mics. So if some company temporarily has a similar mic, it usually isn't for long!!

And to be clear: the Capsules are certainly outsourced from one of two places (that I know of). So only electronics and grille design seem to be the source of sonic differentiation. Are we selective in our capsules. You bet. Certainly we aren't alone.

This I can say without fear of contradiction: the new JP Mod and the A-48 are - at least temporarily - totally proprietary ADK mics!
(Yes there is a company in Australia that seems to have a mic similar to the A-48, but it was "Grey Marketed" and will not be available in the future. Even Microsoft Windows gets pirated!)

And by the way - the G Series is simply the A-51 Model from 2 years ago without some of the upgrades that we have done.

Thanks for asking. Sorry for the long-winded response!!

Sincerely,

Larry J. Villella, ADK Microphones, Inc
Web www.adkmic.com Email larry@adkmic.com
TEL 1-360-566-9400 Toll Free 1-877-4-ADK-MIC

 

[alfalfa]

G Series aside (as the name suggests - there is nothing proprietary in Generis) we would expect ADK to be proprietary.

Thanks for clarifying that Larry.

 

[alanhyatt]

Pacific Pro Audio in Seattle have their PPA LD-2ube. List is over the $ limit set, but they are selling them for $299US.

Chris,

The PPA stands for Pacific Pro Audio, which is the name of their music store. The PPA mic is a Feilo mic who makes many of the mics already mentioned on this list, and I believe it is along the same mic as the SE5500.

Not that it matters to me, but too many brands are already mentioned on this list that are the exact same mic made in the same factory with different looks and names.

 

[Larry Villella]

I know for a fact that the PPA LD-2ube is Not made at Feilo.


Respectfully,

Larry Villella, ADK Microphones

 

[ausrock]

Alan,

I guessed that was the case, but it seemed to fit into the parameters for this list.

That mic was mentioned on another BBS by "someone who knows someone who thinks it is the equal to..blah, blah"..........you get the picture .



Larry,

Two things...........

1: Would you be able to share the name and model of the Aust., mic.

2: You probably will argue this till the cows come home, but the minute you put a "Teutonic" sounding name to your Chinese made mics, you have to raise questions about both the mics themselves and your own credibility. And this isn't helped when sales staff ar a major retailer here try and tell people the mics are made in Germany, and then change their story to "they are designed" in Germany. Personally, I think it reeks of misrepresentation and on principle will never purchase ADK.

My Loss?..............I doubt it.

 

[Larry Villella]

I don't know what the "my loss" comment comes from.

Maybe you can clarity it for me. As for the name, I spent 20 years selling Steinways (by day I sold them, by night I recorded them).
The idea for the name came from two sources. First, we literally took the response curves from my 30 year collection of German and Austrian tube mics and tried to Model them in an affordable mic. So we thought it would pay homage to the origins of the mics sonic signature. Second, we saw how piano companies in Asia would take names like Weber or Broadwood. It just seemed like a logical thing to do. If you take a German Scale and Design for a Piano and build it in Korea, is anyone harmed if it's called a Weber? Unless, of course, the piano dealer tells them it's a German Pianos!!If any of my dealers are saying these mics are made in Germany I would like to know so I can personally kick their ass! I spent 30 years in the music industry. I would challenge you to find anyone (other than Alan) who has anything bad to say about me. I am an honest Christian man. If I have no credibility with you, then I probably won't change that anyway.

But all I have ever asked is for folks to listen to these mics!!!

As for the Grey Market mic in Australia, sorry. First of all because it is NOT the same mic (it is an earlier prototype). And second, because there is no reason for me to advertise for them. Would Bill Gates tell you where you could find a pirated version of Windows? I hope you understand. If you want a knock-off of a mic, why not buy the Lawson! Or the Soundelux!!!!

Our view is that you can get 99% of the way toward a fine vintage mic with these two companies at a fair price. And if you want to get 90% of the way their (for about 10 to 20 cents on the dollar) then we submit you should at least try an ADK !

You will notice that we dropped our Teutonic Name several years ago and go simply by the name ADK. Like all hard-working musicians I try to be a good listener!!! Thanks for your input!

Our designers are Belgium and American, by the way.

Sincerely,

Larry J. Villella, ADK

 

[Mr Funk]

Hi Larry

So pleased to see you on the forum again, even if others seem to be intent on scaring you away!

From what I have read, ADK mic's always get a great response when used or reviewed by anyone. I am going to purchase a pair of the A51sc's soon and was wondering how close they all are to each other in terms of frequecy response, SPL handling and sensitivity etc? As Turnkey are the only shop selling them in the UK (I believe), I planned to buy about 8 from them, match the best two up at home and then return the others within 10 days for a refund! I have asked, and they said this is fine. The thing is, they don't usually have more than a couple in stock (well at the mo anyway), if I simply get the two in stock, by how much can they sound different? Please be honest.

I also plan to buy a sub £600 tube in the future, hence the thread! Which would you reccomend the A48 or the cheaper A51TC? I have only read a review of the TC (which was a positive one).

Thanks

 

[Downside Studio]

Maybe you could divide the list into Great mics,Good mics, Mediocre mics and Awful mics.

Hey, Seeddemon makes a good point...what is the use for listing as many cheap tube mics as possible without actually rating them....from my point of view though...all the cheaper tube stuff is kind of a hoax...I mean, just because there is a tube inside doesn't make it really tube...you've got tube and tube you know!!!

The big difference in price between the cheap and expensive tube stuff is that in the more expensive tube stuff the tube is actually used in a good way, instead of just being an eye catcher.

i have multiple tube stuff in my studio:

Groovetubes MD1 and MD1a..great mikes but not for vocals
TLaudio 5001 (2x):..quad tube preamps, are not being used, because their is no tonal difference from the preamps in my console (Soundtracs Solitaire) When the tube really starts to work it sounds really disgusting. Anybody wanna buy?
TLaudio 5021 (2x)..very very very good compressor. Don't know if it is the tube, but these are defenitly keepers...


oh, and could someone give me the correct spelling for defenitly. I use that word a lot, and it would be cool if I knew how to spell it