MXL 4000 is VERY Similar to Sterling Audio ST77
Guitar Center convinced me to buy a Sterling Audio ST77 microphone a few months ago, mainly because there was a "deal" where
a Mbox 2 Mini was included for FREE. After I bought the mic, I searched everywhere online and discovered, after going through many forums and making some phone calls, that the Sterling Audio brand is Guitar Center's own brand, like their line of Laguna guitars, etc. A division manager within Guitar Center had connections to Groove Tubes and GC was able to acquire most of GT's microphone formulas in designing the Sterling Audio microphones. This is why Sterling Audio is dealt ONLY through GC, and also why they can afford to sell such high quality mics at such affordable prices.
Interesting, I just noticed that the MXL 4000 condense mic has the EXACT same specs as the ST77, the only difference is that the MXL 4000 offers more dimensions like different patterns, a pad, and cutoff filter. That MXL 4000 is only dealt through GC leads me to suspect that it is probably a very similar microphone if not the exact same as the MXL 4000. They are even sold with the same exact SM-7 shockmount and "mahogany" storage case.
FOR SPECS: LOOK UP THE MXL 4000 ON MUSICIANSFRIEND dot COM, and go to STERLINGAUDIO dot NET for the ST77. I'm not allowed to post URLs until four more posts.
So, now onto the price and actual quality. My extensive searches of the ST77 have only partly convinced me that it truly is a great quality mic. Peoples' strong reviews could simply be due to lack of appropriate comparisons and inattention to fine detail. For example, if you're just doing project and demo recordings, chances are that a $200 - $2,000 mic will likely get you the same results. Other factors such as sound character of recording space are often times a more important factor in determining the outcome of a sound recording - a better sounding mic will only capture the room ambiance more accurately.
The MXL 4000 sells for $200, whereas the Sterling Audio ST77 sells for $500. Why such a stark difference in price? Either MXL has "stolen" the ST77 and found a way to undercut the ST77 microphone, or GC has some sort of deal worked out with MXL. Other possibilities of course there are!
But, get this:
I paid $500 + $110 for a 3-year "performance guarantee" extended warranty through GC.
The Mbox 2 Mini was free, but cost $40 for a 2-year performance guarantee.
Total was $650, plus a little more for taxes, which I'll leave out for this purpose.
Let's say I did pay the full amount for the Mbox 2 Mini, and under this scenario, we can derive the "actual" value of the Sterling Audio ST77:
$650 - $300 (cost of Mbox 2 Mini) - $40 2-yr coverage - $110 3-yr ST77 coverage = $200.
Coincidence? I think not. Sounds like GC has found yet another way to consistently make killer profits off of unsuspecting, and often misled, customers. You see, in most cases, people will be convinced to buy the ST77, usually because all the Pro Audio guys will be like, "Yeah! I have 3 Sterling Audio mics that are all awesome." Well, GC employees already get a huge discount and likely will get an even steeper cut with store-brand items. So in the event that this "extreme deal" that I had is not being offered, that just means GC is making even more money.
I've used the ST77 a number of times and quite honestly can't say that much about it because I have not yet used it in a high enough of an audio quality setting to be able to tell much about it. But I can say this, the specs for MXL 4000 and ST77 are the EXACT same and will probably yield the same exact results.
The ST77's self-noise of 18 dB is actually pretty high, given the fact that
the Blue Bluebird, now $350, has less than 7.5 dB of self-noise, and the Shure KSM27 and KSM32 at $300 and $550, respectively, have self-noise of around 12-15 dB. The AKG Perception mics 100, 200, and 400 have self-noise of also 18dB and are at LEAST half as expensive (especially with current rebate offers until the end of January!).
So the moral is this: you get what you pay for, with exceptions of course.
In the case of the ST77, I got a "free" Mbox 2 Mini. There have also been recent deals where the ST77 is essentially included for FREE in the same way that many MXL mics are included for free with basic recording equipment packages and the like. The lower cost and VALUE of these microphones is generally due to a less strict quality control system, so you might get something great, or something not so great.
And this is EXACTLY why the "performance guarantee" program works so ridiculously well. Backed by corporate giant Aon Consulting, which specializes in Risk Management, Guitar Center (bought by Bain Capital - private equity firm) has discovered a way to keep profits rolling while still being able to convince most of their customers that they are getting "awesome deals" even though the prices are actually not that great or even that different from normal "sale" prices.
If you'd like to discuss more, definitely shoot me an email, I feel like I've exhausted the topic of MXL 4000 + numerous tangents for now.
Best,
Steve
