Oktava Mk-219 vs. Mk-319

  • Thread starter Thread starter Absolutepower
  • Start date Start date
A

Absolutepower

New member
Hello, I have finally narrowed my choice of microphone to these 2 and I was hoping someone might be able to give some advice on which would be the better choice.
Mainly I'm going to be using it to record opera singing. I have been trained to sing with no amplification, and therefore for the voice to be complete without any added boosts or other effects from a microphone. My voice is also very bright and piercing so I am looking for a LDC mic that is at most neutral and flat, if not on the darker side, and that's what has led me to these 2, and also because they are both in the price range I'd like to spend.
I have tried singing into bright sounding mics, (which it seems most of them are) and the result wasn't good. :(
I just received in the mail 2 dynamics EV 676 and 664 which I'll be experimenting with, but the final one I want for my collection is a good quality LDC.

So if there's anyone who has experience or special knowledge about these 2 Oktavas I'd love to hear it. The Oktava website says that they have the same electronics, but the MK319 is a bit better.
 
oktava quality control doesn't get a good rep.

from the description of what you want, it sounds like you're on the right track,,,

but two things to keep in mind.



if you're lookin at the oktavas, audition before buying......

one 219 may not sound anything like another 219.


and if your properly gonna be belting it out sometimes,,,maybe a big dynamic is the job for you?
 
Cool, thanks for the tip. Right now I'm really leaning toward the 319. I was just on the Oktavamods website, and I listened to the sample of the modded 319 next to a U47, this has got me seriously excited!
 
cool! oktavamod is the place to be....they definitely get some good rep..

plus plenty of people round here have experience with them, so i'm sure they'll chime in!

good luck!
 
I recently put my modded 319 against my unmoded 319 on accoustic guitar and I was extremely disapointed in the modded one....I have had the mics for several years, and have never put them against each other....the unmoded mic was very open and had a nice top end....the moded mic was un-usable....the top end was almost gone....I actually had to re-trace everything to make sure I didnt have some wires crossed somewhere...I will give it another go soon enough but based on this session, I like the stock 319 better.
 
what mods did you do/have done?

full electronics or just the basket mods?
 
Absolutepower said:
Hello, I have finally narrowed my choice of microphone to these 2 and I was hoping someone might be able to give some advice on which would be the better choice.
Mainly I'm going to be using it to record opera singing. I have been trained to sing with no amplification, and therefore for the voice to be complete without any added boosts or other effects from a microphone. My voice is also very bright and piercing so I am looking for a LDC mic that is at most neutral and flat, if not on the darker side, and that's what has led me to these 2, and also because they are both in the price range I'd like to spend...
Click to expand...

The MK-219 and the MK-319 use the same capsule and electronics but the headbaskets are different. This gives the 219 more lower midrange presence while the 319 is a bit more "open".

I actually have an opera singer client in NY who loves his mod'd MK-219 mics. He uses them at "classical" distances and does not do close mic'ing with them.

Based on how you've described your voice I believe the 219 will be a better match.

btw - one of the elements of my modifications is to remove the stock high frequency resonator discs which boost 9kHz by 4dB but in the process of doing so smear the transient response. The sound is tighter and smoother without them. Sounds like you've already got plenty of top end in your voice, won't miss the HF boost, and would be better served with a more accurate transient response and the general reduction in "boxiness" and midrange coloration that are halmarks of these mic in their stock form. best, M
 
Hmmm, recording acoustic guitar can be difficult. I would suggest keep playing with settings maybe? Not sure what the issue could be.
 
Last edited:
lol....Michael Joly is the oktava mod people.....he just posted in this thread....
 
MichaelJoly said:
The MK-219 and the MK-319 use the same capsule and electronics but the headbaskets are different. This gives the 219 more lower midrange presence while the 319 is a bit more "open".

I actually have an opera singer client in NY who loves his mod'd MK-219 mics. He uses them at "classical" distances and does not do close mic'ing with them.

Based on how you've described your voice I believe the 219 will be a better match.

btw - one of the elements of my modifications is to remove the stock high frequency resonator discs which boost 9kHz by 4dB but in the process of doing so smear the transient response. The sound is tighter and smoother without them. Sounds like you've already got plenty of top end in your voice, won't miss the HF boost, and would be better served with a more accurate transient response and the general reduction in "boxiness" and midrange coloration that are halmarks of these mic in their stock form. best, M
Click to expand...

Hey Michael I see your new digs are on the cape how are you liking it there?





:cool:
 
no comment on the 219 vs 319 question, since I've only got 319s (and if Michael thinks a 219 would be better, you don't need to look too much further for the answer).

Just wanted to chime in to say I've had a FDPE 319 for a couple of years, and it's absolutely fantastic on vox - that seemed obvious to my largely untrained ears when I first got it, and has been repeated confirmed as time goes on (but admittedly my ears are still far from trained). I haven't tried it on acoustic - I tend to use small diaphragm mics for that.
 
thajeremy said:
lol....Michael Joly is the oktava mod people.....he just posted in this thread....
Click to expand...

What's so lol about that?

The 219/319's can be really, really good mics.
I have a bunch of higher end mics and bought and sold a lot of others, but my 319s won't ever be sold. No matter what I have (and I think I am set now) they will always have a home.

Take Michael Joly's advice, buy a 219 and send it to him to make it what it can be. You won't find anything near the price range that is better IMO.
 
Michael post here at HR from time to time and is very knowledgeable when it comes to microphones.
I have some modified microphones from Mr Joly and his craftsmanship is A1 with sterling results second to none.
Do this, for you won't be sorry.





:cool:
 
antichef said:
no comment on the 219 vs 319 question, since I've only got 319s (and if Michael thinks a 219 would be better, you don't need to look too much further for the answer).

Just wanted to chime in to say I've had a FDPE 319 for a couple of years, and it's absolutely fantastic on vox - that seemed obvious to my largely untrained ears when I first got it, and has been repeated confirmed as time goes on (but admittedly my ears are still far from trained). I haven't tried it on acoustic - I tend to use small diaphragm mics for that.
Click to expand...

Ditto that! Except that I have tried it on acoustic guitar, and it performs nicely. Very meaty on acoustic.
 
Awesome, thank you guys. This has been an informative thread and I'm glad I signed up at this board. I have ordered the MK-219 based on the recommendation and the sound samples I've heard, which I really liked. I ordered it from a company which does a quality inspection of the item before they ship it out as well, since there is no place that sells it around where I live. If I like this one I might just get a 319 as well. Its really not that expensive as far as good mics go.
From what I've heard these are some of the closest mics out there in sound to the U47. Today I talked with a guy I know who designs equipment for electro-harmonix, and he also vouched for the quality of their sound.
 
Absolutepower said:
Awesome, thank you guys. This has been an informative thread and I'm glad I signed up at this board. I have ordered the MK-219 based on the recommendation and the sound samples I've heard, which I really liked. I ordered it from a company which does a quality inspection of the item before they ship it out as well, since there is no place that sells it around where I live. If I like this one I might just get a 319 as well. Its really not that expensive as far as good mics go.
From what I've heard these are some of the closest mics out there in sound to the U47. Today I talked with a guy I know who designs equipment for electro-harmonix, and he also vouched for the quality of their sound.
Click to expand...

Now do keep in mind that you can get this microphone modified to get an even more classy sound through it.





:cool:
 
Yeah, I have a feeling it won't be too long before I send it in for mod. I do want to experiment with it for a while and get a good feel for the tone of it first, so I can really appreciate the improvements.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top