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Richard Monroe
Well-known member
That's a crock. They are, however, quite good mics at their price point. I don't think I'll be trading my Neumanns in for them anytime soon.-Richie
That's a crock. They are, however, quite good mics at their price point. I don't think I'll be trading my Neumanns in for them anytime soon.-Richie
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recordingpro
New member
OMG!!! That's the funniest thing I've heard in forever - You've never used 184s have you??
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drBill
New member
Yeah, 603, 604 (removable caps), 991's. All basically the same.
I'm with you Richie. Probably not fair, but in comparison to my 84's it's literally night and day. Black and white. The 84's are going in my coffin with me. 
(Along with my tweaked 87. And my Gefell's.) Even in comparison to the 184's the difference is pretty noteworthy I'd say.Note to self....reserve a bigger coffin.
BudgetMC
Spread the Love, People!
Put 'em all to work and see what you can get out of them!
MXL makes some dandy mics, and some pretty mediocre ones, too. The
V67g has got to be one of the all time price/performance winners, for example. And, I'm a big fan of the 960 (even better with a tube swap).
MXL makes some dandy mics, and some pretty mediocre ones, too. The
V67g has got to be one of the all time price/performance winners, for example. And, I'm a big fan of the 960 (even better with a tube swap).
PhilGood
Juice box hero
That's why it's called "hear say", dink!
From, the phrase "I heard someone say".
It's kind of implied, otherwise he wouldn't make a post like that if he'd used them
JTC111
Active member
Nope, I don't care for them. But like I said in another post in this thread, I've been witness to a shootout between them and someone either on here or on GS also did a shootout and posted the files. The difference isn't huge. I'll admit the 184 was better because it had a nicer high end, but that really was it. And I wasn't alone in that opinion. As I recall, quite a few people posted that they were were surprised at how well the 603s sounded side-by-side.
That said, when it comes to what sounds good, all anyone can offer is their opinion. Becoming condescending when disagreeing doesn't give your disagreement more weight or make it more valid. We can disagree and still be cordial, yes?
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drBill
New member
Hey PhilGood, do you know of anyone who does the mods to the 603/604/991/ etc, and how much the mods run?? I wouldn't mind dropping some $$ into mine to see what people are raving about. As is, they are never going to get used as I have a lot of other good SDC's. Thx!!!!
bp
bp
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drBill
New member
We can disagree and still be cordial, yes?
What the.......Just who do you think you......
Oh, OK!!
How come no hug emoticon on this board???Seriously, I wouldn't judge the top end by an mp3 on these mics. That's where the smeary stuff is for me. I want to get mine modded and THEN check them out again. What I'm hearing follows the mic even with a capsule change so I don't think it's the capsule. I think the "problem" (in the most non-confrontative, non-condescending, most cordial possible way for me.....) is in the preamp. And my guess is that someone has figured that one out!
Cheers,
bp
JTC111
Active member
What the.......Just who do you think you......
Oh, OK!!
Seriously, I wouldn't judge the top end by an mp3 on these mics. That's where the smeary stuff is for me. I want to get mine modded and THEN check them out again. What I'm hearing follows the mic even with a capsule change so I don't think it's the capsule. I think the "problem" (in the most non-confrontative, non-condescending, most cordial possible way for me.....) is in the preamp. And my guess is that someone has figured that one out!
Cheers,
bp
I hear ya, but sometimes all you have to go by is an mp3, although in this case I did hear them side-by-side in person. But like I said, I don't really care for the 184s.
As for preamps, there are plenty of good and bad ones now, aren't there? The choices are friggin' incredible! I've read enough stories on here about bad match ups though... you know, good mic, good pre, but bad together ...kind of like me and ....well, we won't open up that wound. Do you have another pre you can try to see if the same smear shows up?
BTW, this is the first time I've heard the word "smear" used to describe sound.
Edit:
Everything I wrote above... forget it. I totally misunderstood what you were saying. Now I'm gonna go stand in front of my mirror for a few minutes and make fun of myself.
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tdukex
Man of the Muse
I hear ya, but sometimes all you have to go by is an mp3, although in this case I did hear them side-by-side in person. But like I said, I don't really care for the 184s.
As for preamps, there are plenty of good and bad ones now, aren't there? The choices are friggin' incredible! I've read enough stories on here about bad match ups though... you know, good mic, good pre, but bad together ...kind of like me and ....well, we won't open up that wound. Do you have another pre you can try to see if the same smear shows up?
BTW, this is the first time I've heard the word "smear" used to describe sound.
I think he's talking about the mic's preamp (electronics), not a mic preamp.
JTC111
Active member
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drBill
New member
LOL
Yes.....the mic's electronics. Also known sometimes as the mic's preamp. Sorry not to be more specific, but I had a lot of fun reading your comments.
BTW, I don't particularly care the the 184 either. The 84's are my go to SDC's with the Geffel's and AKG coming second depending on how much brightness and detail I'm looking for.
Still hoping that PhilGood will pop back in and give some info on the mods for the MXL's.
Yes.....the mic's electronics. Also known sometimes as the mic's preamp. Sorry not to be more specific, but I had a lot of fun reading your comments.
BTW, I don't particularly care the the 184 either. The 84's are my go to SDC's with the Geffel's and AKG coming second depending on how much brightness and detail I'm looking for.
Still hoping that PhilGood will pop back in and give some info on the mods for the MXL's.
PhilGood
Juice box hero
The mods can be done by anyone with some soldering skills. On the 603, 604, 991, 2003 and most others, simply replace the capsule bridge capactor (which is usually a ceramic) with a 50v 1000pF Polystyrene. On the 603, 604, 991 it's the only capacitor on the back of the PCB. You can also remove C1 and C2.
In the 2003, do the same 1000pF in C10, replace C9 with a 1uF 50v Mylar and replace C8 and the same cap on the exact opposite side of the board with a .56uF 50v mylar. These are .33uF stock, but I find the bass response is better with the .56uF.
What this will do is take some of the harshness off the higher frequencies and add a bit more presence. It won't make them unbelievable or perfect, just better and clearer.
There are some other adjustments, but I'm experimenting.
I have to give credit to Gus for the mods listed here.
If you can't do them, or get desperate, you can PM me and I'll consider doing them for you.
In the 2003, do the same 1000pF in C10, replace C9 with a 1uF 50v Mylar and replace C8 and the same cap on the exact opposite side of the board with a .56uF 50v mylar. These are .33uF stock, but I find the bass response is better with the .56uF.
What this will do is take some of the harshness off the higher frequencies and add a bit more presence. It won't make them unbelievable or perfect, just better and clearer.
There are some other adjustments, but I'm experimenting.
I have to give credit to Gus for the mods listed here.
If you can't do them, or get desperate, you can PM me and I'll consider doing them for you.
kojdogg
bollocks redux!
MadAudio
Damned if I do
You're in good company!
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tdukex
Man of the Muse
Remove C1 and C2? Can we buy a single 50v 1000pF Polystyrene on the Net?
Thanks for the info.
PhilGood
Juice box hero
You usually can buy whatever quantity you need from mouser.com. It's best to make your order with other parts, but not everyone needs a lot of components for electronics.
I bought a 50 pack, because I do this stuff a lot.
I bought a 50 pack, because I do this stuff a lot.
mshilarious
Banned
You should put together a parts kit and sell 'em. Digikey and Mouser generally only do ground shipping, if you sent a handful of parts first class you might have lots of buyers . . .
dgatwood
is out. Leave a message.
If you're just buying small quantities, by the time you factor in the minimum UPS shipping charge (which I think is about $6.50 these days), you may be better off buying the parts locally from Radio Shack or Fry's or something. They both sell film capacitors in a lot of common sizes.
PhilGood
Juice box hero
That's a great idea!