mxl line is confusing. Which is which

  • Thread starter Thread starter Berberman
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Berberman

Berberman

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Hello,

I've been planning on getting a pair of mxl 603s for drums overheads. Now i cant seem to find them on many of the websites. Is the mxl 993 the same mic? http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-993-Condenser-Microphones-Stereo-Pair?sku=273171

I'm also interested in the mxl 604s but i can't seem to find them in a case anywhere. The only place i found them is here http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MSEMXL604

I checked out the mxl website and it seems many of the reference numbers don't exist on their website except for the 603 and 604 ..

I guess my question is what reference number is equivalent to the 603 and 604? and where can i shop for them?
 
I think all the 9xx series mics are made exclusively for musicians friend / guitar center. From what I've heard, the 991 and 993 are very similar to the 603. The 993 has a low rolloff switch and -10 db switch.

Frontendaudio and 8thstreet have the 604.
 
TravisinFlorida said:
I think all the 9xx series mics are made exclusively for musicians friend / guitar center. From what I've heard, the 991 and 993 are very similar to the 603. The 993 has a low rolloff switch and -10 db switch.

Frontendaudio and 8thstreet have the 604.
Click to expand...

it's funny-- with the 9xx series and the cube their musicians friend only line is almost as big as their generally distributed line.
 
Musician's Friend doesn't carry a lot of the MXL mics. For the full line I had to go to Front End Audio and Full Compass.
 
The 603, 604 and 991 all seem to take the same omni capsules (of course, the 604 comes woth the omni capsules) that are sold as accessories by GC ($50/pair). I don't have 604 mics, but the capsules seem to work perfectly on the 603 and 991, which are essentially the same mic (reportedly different body construction, same electronics, slightly wider cardiod pattern on the 991). That's my take on them.

Paj
8^)
 
At this point I think i will go for a pair of mxl 993s with mic clips and delux case for 180 USdollars...
 
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homestudioguy said:
I'd suggest the 603's or 604's before going with the 9** series. That thing with Musicians Friend only doesnt sound very appealing to me.
I believe that you will find the 03 or 04 to be a better quality mic.
See this: http://www.mxlmics.com/mic_kits/mickit_index.html (603S pair)
B&H has the matched 603S pairs for $189. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...=MXMXL603P&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=423843
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Thanks for the B&H link. It sure looks interesting. Time to make decisions.
 
Harvey Gerst, who lurks ;) in here regularly and has much much much much more credibility than I has said that, for the money, these mics (603's) are definitely worth it.
 
The 603 is the exact same as the 991. I own both and have tesed them together; have also read about that being the case.

Note that the 991 is $99 and comes with the 990; whereas the 603 is $99 on its' own. Same mic. You can likely get GC to do 2 991's and 2 990's for $175 or so if you're willing to haggle.
 
For some low priced O/H's take a look at the Joe Meek JM27's
Less than $100 for a matched set with shockmounts.
 
I could've sworn

that I read here somewhere that the 991 and 603 were NOT the same thing. The 990 supposedly has the same capsule as the 603, but the different body makes it sound different.
 
Actually, the 991 and the 603s are differnt. On Marshall's website, they list the 603s as having a frequency range of 30hz-20khz with a 17 db self noise.
http://www.mxlmics.com/condenser_mic/mxl603s/mxl603s.htm

the 991 has a range of 30hz-18khz with 20 db self noise.
http://www.mxlmics.com/condenser_mic/condenser_index.html

I've got a couple of 603ses, and they do fine for drum overheads. I've used them on accoustic guitar. Some people love them on that, but I have other mics I prefer (probably because my guitar isn't that great and sounds better sweatened up with a LDC). Anyway, the 603s strikes me as not the most silent mic I own, so I would probably rather not have any more self noise with the 991. Maybe it's just a matter of specs that don't really matter though.
 
Well, I would say

the 990 gets mixed reviews.



Harvey Gerst said:
Strange. We just finished the new "Feds" album a few weeks ago. Looks like they're switching from Capitol Records to Columbia/Sony. Columbia/Sony loved the album and was especially complimentary about the production and the recording. All the vocals on the new Feds album were done with an MXL V69ME - AND an MXL 990 !!!

So, maybe that should answer the question of whether a 990 is good enough for professional work; Columbia/Sony seems to think so.
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Chessrock, Tim Lawler, and several others found uses for them. It's just like anything else, some like them, some don't. The ones who do seem to be fairly knowledgable people, IMO.

Whether or not it works for you will depend on a lot of factors, including what you want to use it on, your room, and personal taste.

Just wanted you to get a broader perspective.
 
I'm liking my 990 well enough, when I use an SM58 simultaneously. I'm actually planning on getting the package from GC so my fiancee can have a 990 and I can use the two 991s and one 990 here.
 
nuemes said:
The 603 is the exact same as the 991. I own both and have tesed them together; have also read about that being the case.

Note that the 991 is $99 and comes with the 990; whereas the 603 is $99 on its' own. Same mic. You can likely get GC to do 2 991's and 2 990's for $175 or so if you're willing to haggle.
Click to expand...

Check the MXL anniversary pack is only $99 and comes with 603 and 2001
 
Berberman said:
Hello,

...I checked out the mxl website and it seems many of the reference numbers don't exist on their website except for the 603 and 604 ..

I guess my question is what reference number is equivalent to the 603 and 604? and where can i shop for them?
Click to expand...

Send an email to sales@mxlmics.com, I've got an answer in the next day.
 
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