MXL V93/V2003 vs. V67

[betaphase]

Hi everyone I'm new to the board so please excuse my ignorance. Here's a question you've all probably heard a million times. Is the Marshal Electronics MXL V93 really the same as the 2003. What is the difference? I'm choosing between either a V67G or a V93 what do you guys think?

 

[Innovations]

The V93M is a version of the 2003 that was made for Mars Music. When Mars went out of business the stock was purchased by Musician's Friend.

The conventional wisdom was that the mics were identical other than the silver vs black case. But when I just recieved mine I noticed the prominent Mogami logo and the box saying that it was 'internally wired with Mogami cable'. Since I have never heard that claimed for the 2003 I guess that counts as a difference.

Considering that the V93 costs about $20 more than the V67 but includes a shock mount they are both excellent bargains. Definitly until they run out of stock the V93M is a bargain over the street price of the 2003.

I have never been able to a/b it with a V67 but here is my impression of the V93M. As you would expect with a large diameter condenser it is very sensitive. It also seems to be very forgiving to slightly off-axis presentation. I can place it at the 2-o'clocck or 10-o'clock positions frequently used for broadcast/voiceover work and it does not seem any different than speaking directly at it. You have to get rather close to get a lot of proximity effect out of it. What has impressed me mostly about the mic is the detail which the slightly larger 3 micron head picks up. I can see why some folks characterize the mic as harsh, because it picks up so much detail. I had it pointed at my wife and daughter sitting at the kitchen table roughly 30 feet away and when they closed a bread wrapper you could hear every crinkle of the plastic.

 

[bleyrad]

you basically just described every LDC in the world, not any of those particular mics.

 

[Fab4ever]

For the other half of the story...

I don't have the V93/2003, but I have the V67G. It has a slightly darker, rounder sound than some other Chinese condensers. To my ears, it makes my rather weak baritone voice sound "bigger" or more powerful. Proximity effect is significant.

Fab

 

[Innovations]

you basically just described every LDC in the world, not any of those particular mics.

Well I did say I had not been able to a/b them.

So why did I choose the 93 over the 67? I went to http://www.thelisteningsessions.com My impression was that when the lowest notes were played the 2003 picked up more of the detailed reverberations of the guitar body itself. Since I already had a bass voice I wanted a mic that would pict up its natural resonances rather than needing to rely on a proximity effect.

In other words the decision between the 67 and 93 was close and based on the specific qualities of my voice.

 

[invisiblemute]

I think the most noticable difference between the V93 and V67 is the way vocals sound. For some reason the physical look of the two mics correlates with their characteristics for me. The V93 is shiny silver, angular and modern looking. The V67 is matte black and stylish in the same way a traditional tux might look. It is round and not angular. Make sense or does this make me sound silly?

i'm'

ps - (half and hour later elapsed... just checked the mic boxes the V93 has a 3 micron thick diaphram and the v67 has a 6 which I understand makes the V93 more responsive but more delicate.)

 

[chessrock]

Yea, it makes a lot of sense, actually.

The v93 tends to make things sound bright and metalic, while the 67 makes things sound dark and less defined.