My CAD EQUITEK E-200 experience.

[smellyfuzz]

My CAD EQUITEK E-200 experience.


I needed a microphone for my home studio.
BIG PROBLEM, I'm on a budget & need a good deal.

I'm a singer, I have a good band & I have been building a semi-pro studio for
about a year.
Now I needed a Mic that would do my voice justice & can also be used on my
Guild & on my guitarist Martin.

Which Mic does one get? How much do you need to spend?
Very common questions around here.

How about a Neumann or Telefunken?

Way, way, WAY out of my price range.
I know they are the best, but I can't swing that type of dough, not even close.

Well... I can always buy that new MXL 2003 or 2001 for around $200.00.
It has been said that the Marshall Mics sound almost as good as the two mics
I listed above.(yea right)
I will never believe that a $200.00 Mic sounds as good as a $2000.00 Mic.

Anyway, I'm like most homers, I just want something that sounds good and
does not break the bank account.
I also realize the importance of the front end, I have read many times that one
should spend as much as possible on a good mic, so I take all this into account.

I hear the Rode is good or maybe an AKG 414?

I think right around here is where I like to be, good reputation on both mics.
The AKG is a bit out of my price range though, so I will probably get the Rode.
Unfortunately, here on Long Island, the only way to really test out a mic is to
buy one and return it, if you do not like, or rent out a studio that has the mic
your interested in.

Pain in the ass if you ask me, but it's for the best.

Long Island is a great place for a musician, we have clubs all over the place,
the big city is close by & we also have Sam Ash, Guitar Center, a ton of small
new & used gear shops & of course the net which every one is competing against.

Prices on Long Island can get driven down many times on all sorts of gear.

So one day I'm in Guitar Center, Commack, NY, LI..................................
..................................................
.......
...

I just love to browse around and window shop," look at that board", $6000.00 Strat,
or "let's check out the Acoustic Guitar Room, YEA BABY! Give me a Taylor any day."

So something else caught my eye... A CAD microphone. The E-200. Three Hundred bucks.
COOL. Let me see that. It is really big & heavy. Has a lot of switches. Looks impressive
but looks can be deceiving. I'm sure it went for more money then what they want.
The list price says $749.00. Well they always mark that up.

I decided to put a deposit on one & investigate the matter more, I can always get my
cash back if I change my mind.
Besides, years ago I heard a story about Neil Young liking this brand of microphone.
I also like that it is American made. As far as Home Stereo equipment, American made
gear is top notch.
Also, I own the CAD drum pack, it is not expensive but the mics do sound decent.

Later that night, I decided to do a price check on the web. Here's what I found:

8th Street $389
Abe's $469
Pulse $379
used gear by mail $429.99
Full Compass.com $749

Guitar Center beat all those prices. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
So back I went to Guitar Center & I gave the dude the rest of the cash & home I went.
If I decide I do not like the microphone, I can always return it.

At home I have an old Tascam m-520 48v phantom mixer & I run it to an old
Otari 5050 Mk-3-8 track.
I know a lot of you love your digital stuff, but I love my setup & how it reproduces.

So I plug in the new CAD, I just love getting new gear, doesn't everyone & I sing
gently into the mic, not bad, very warm, like the sound of Waters on the song Mother,
really rich.

The direction say you need to charge the mic for 12-14 hours, so I stopped & a charging
I went.

FRIDAY

I wanted to give the mic a good run though, so I set everything up to rock & roll.
The cad looks good, I'll start singing about 6 inches away.
DISTORTION!
I'll back up. DISTORTION!
What the fuck? This can't be right. I'll back up TWO FEET. DISTORTION!
DISTORTION! DISTORTION! DISTORTION! DISTORTION!
Somehow I knew it had to be a faulty microphone, I'll give cad a call.

I got to talk to a really nice tech guy there, he told me first of all that the mic had
to be bad & to exchange it for another.
He also told me that the price I payed for the mic was unheard of, he said the cheapest
he has heard about was about $400.00. Good deal, I guess, if I can get one to work right.

Monday, Monday, Da da da da da da.

What a great sounding mic. I LOVE IT.

However, remember when I said it was really rich like Pink's The Wall?
Not this one. Much less of a bassy sound, far more detailed then the broken mic.
Still rich, but not as much. Go figure.

O.K.

I decided to do a comparison of the CAD E-200 & my old Shure SM58.
Why?
Cause, I have nothing better to do. Business is slow.
Plus, I bet anyone interested in this post probably is looking for a Mic &
already has a Shure at home or something like it.
Who cares how it sounds against a Neumann, how many homers own one.

My Acoustic Guild D4 Bow Back with medium gauge Martin Bronze strings.
This is a good instrument, really warm sounding, to warm for most, but not me.

The Shure gives it a bright sound, picks up the highs, drops out the lows.

The CAD, much, much warmer, you can really hear those big thick low
E and A strings. The high strings are just as present as with the Shure &
yet they sound sweeter or less harsh.
Also, on tape the guitar is more WOOD sounding & far more spacious.

I have a pretty good singing range, kinda low & kinda high.
Here is where I think the Cad really Shines.
The SM58 make me sound nasal, constricted, bright.
Not the CAD. BIG BIG sound.
Cuts right though the mix, even if you have the level pull way down.
The Shure, loses my voice, even when I turn it way up, it doesn't
have nearly the clarity as the CAD.

One really cool thing I heard on both the guitar & vox, which surprised me a lot,
the CAD gave any reverb, more reverb. In other words, the reverb was much more
noticeable & spacious with the CAD compared to the SM58. WEIRD.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..................

If you have $300 bucks & you need a Mic & you can get to Guitar Center,
I highly, HIGHLY recommend the CAD E-200.

Good Luck,

SEAN

Ps.
Here is another review of one.


http://homerecording.about.com/musicperform/homerecording/library/weekly/aa052797.htm?terms=CAD

 

[Dolemite]

Sounds like the CAD is working well for you, smellyfuzz.

I can only imagine how good it would be if they had actually built it to our own Harvey Gerst's original specification.

 

[Harvey Gerst]

My CAD EQUITEK E-200 experience.

I needed a microphone for my home studio. BIG PROBLEM, I'm on a budget & need a good deal.

I'm a singer, I have a good band & I have been building a semi-pro studio for about a year. Now I needed a Mic that would do my voice justice & can also be used on my Guild & on my guitarist Martin.

Which Mic does one get? How much do you need to spend? Very common questions around here.

How about a Neumann or Telefunken?

Way, way, WAY out of my price range. I know they are the best, but I can't swing that type of dough, not even close.

Well... I can always buy that new MXL 2003 or 2001 for around $200.00. It has been said that the Marshall Mics sound almost as good as the two mics I listed above.(yea right) I will never believe that a $200.00 Mic sounds as good as a $2000.00 Mic.
SEAN

Sean, you'd be very wrong. There are several mics out there that compare favorably with the old Neumanns and Telefunkens. The MXL-V67G from Marshall does a pretty good job, as does the Oktava MC012 with the Lomo 33 mm head, from the Sound Room. Both these mics deliver world class sound at a fraction of what a comparable Neumann would cost.

As far as the CAD E-200, I disagree with their choice of the two $8 Primo capsules. The capsules from Yasu were cheaper and far smoother, but it would have cost them more in quality control to cull the marginal capsules out, so they went with a more consistant, but inferior capsule, IMHO.

The design was unique in that using two inexpensive back to back cardioid capsules let me design a multi-pattern mic that could be made for a lot less than the large diaphragm mics that were available in 1988 when I designed it. I still prefer a large diaphragm condensor mic for many vocals, but if the E-200 works for you, that's great.

 

[brich2929]

Harvey,

Are you saying that you helped design the E200?

 

[eyeteeth]

I bought an E-200 new Back around the mid 90's... Only I paid the much higher price back then lol. Still love that mic and feel it was well worth the price. I didn't know they still made them.

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Harvey,

Are you saying that you helped design the E200?

No, I'm saying that the CAD E-200 is based on a mic design I did for IMC. When IMC decided not to build it, I gave the design to Dick Rosmini, who was consulting for CAD on mic designs at the time. The E-200 is based on that original IMC design.

 

[brich2929]

Oh. The reason I was asking is because I bought an E200 prototype - I think on eBay a few years back and was wondering what it may be worth. Just curious??

 

[walkersmusic]

Wondering about uses for the CAD E200

I recently obtained an CAD E200 when I purchased a lot of music equipment off an individual. I own an operate a music store and recording studio. I was just wanting some opinions on uses for the CAD E200 when thrown into the mix with all my other mics. What type applications does it work best on?

My Studio Collection

AKG 414 matched pair
Shure KSM 27 X 2
Audio Technica AT4040
SM57's
SM58's
BETA58's
Audix Small Condensers (forgot model, higher end ones)
Audio Techninca Kick mic
Etc....blablabla

 

[RRuskin]

No, I'm saying that the CAD E-200 is based on a mic design I did for IMC. When IMC decided not to build it, I gave the design to Dick Rosmini, who was consulting for CAD on mic designs at the time. The E-200 is based on that original IMC design.

And the 1st prototype made after Rosmini got involved was beta-tested at my Pasadena Studio. Not a bad unit but it never took the place of the U-67 that resided there for a long time.

 

[vbass]

I've owned and used an E-200 since the mid nineties. Truly a fantastic mic. At the time I bought it, I was renting a Neumann U-47 to record vocals for a singer who insisted no other mic would do(actually it was the producer who insisted). Naturally I did an A/B test with the two mics. Yes, the Neumann was the better mic, but it was not night and day better. It took some close critical listening to tell the difference in quality. The test was done through a Summit mic-pre which was also a rental straight into an ADAT. Since then, I've upgraded quite a bit including a pair of Neve 1272's and I still think the E-200 and the E-300 stack up quite well next to any Neumann that I've used. In fact, I would say that the main reason that I don't own a Neumann is because I can't justify the price of a Neumann when the E-200 sounds so darn good at a fraction of the price.