Studio Projects C1 vs. AKG Perception 200

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meinaminor

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haven't tried the AKG - you don't want to know what I think of the C1
 
recordingpro said:
you don't want to know what I think of the C1
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Well, actually I think he does. That's kind of the point of the thread, I think.

I keep forgetting ... you can't say anything bad about that mic without the idiot brigade accusing you of having a vendetta against the owner of PMI or whatever. :D There's gotta' be about 10 million highly-motivated dumbasses all over the web, just waiting to pounce on even a hint of a bad word on that brand. It's really kinda' creepy.
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I've never used a C1, but I have a Perception. I use it for vocals and acoustic guitar myself. I like it for the price, it's not a bad mic. A little brittle on the top end, but not as much as a lot of other mics in that price range.
 
chessrock said:
I keep forgetting ... you can't say anything bad about that mic without the idiot brigade accusing you of having a vendetta against the owner of PMI or whatever. :D
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I don't think anyone has a problem with something being said bad about the mic, as long as it's objective criticism.

Which is more helpful?

a) The C1 is an okay mic, but has a highly exaggerated top end, so will require a fair amount of EQ'ing to get a decent sound out of. If heaps of top end is required, there are cheaper mics that can give this signature Chinese sound.

b) The C1 sucks.
 
whats helpful is the truth.....if (b) is what he really thinks, he owes it to the person asking the question to say that......
 
Daniel Reichman said:
Which is more helpful?

a) The C1 is an okay mic, but has a highly exaggerated top end, so will require a fair amount of EQ'ing to get a decent sound out of. If heaps of top end is required, there are cheaper mics that can give this signature Chinese sound.

b) The C1 sucks.
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Depends on if you want the whole novel, or just the cliffnotes, I guess. :D
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I've never used the C1, but I just purchased the perception 200 like a month ago, and is happy with it for now. There is a little bit 2 much high's in it though, so you got to watch that, but I now run it through eq & compressor & mixer before my daw, so I lower down the highs anyways. It's a great mic for the price, and it exceeded my expectations. I just don't know about Studio Projects. I also purchased the VTB-1 preamp a couple months ago, and that was lower expectations then what I had... but maybe your better off getting some more sm57's
 
So can anyone reccommend me a mic under 200 dollars then? I know that your personal voice has a role in how the mic will sound, but in your guys' experience, what can most people count on for 200 bucks?

You also have my ex-bands crappy myspace demos: myspace.com/sumsai

If you want to listen to my voice and reccommend something.

Thanks.
 
meinaminor said:
what can most people count on for 200 bucks...
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I can a good bottle of scotch (maybe 2) for 200 bucks. Go to the store and try out mics within your budget
 
recordingpro said:
I can a good bottle of scotch (maybe 2) for 200 bucks.
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By the end of the first bottle, it doesn't matter how much the second bottle costs...
 
Well, let's see:

Several people have commented that they don't like the high end exaggeration of Chinese mics like the SP C1.

And others have also noted a similar high end exaggeration in the AKG Perception 200 - which is also made in (surprise, suprise) China.

But the people that blasted the C1 in the strongest terms didn't mention the AKG Perception 200. Maybe because they didn't realize it was also made in China?

I'm not here trying to defend the C1 - I don't even own one. But I think some anti-cultural biases may be showing here just a bit.
 
Harvey Gerst said:
But the people that blasted the C1 in the strongest terms didn't mention the AKG Perception 200. Maybe because they didn't realize it was also made in China?
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Or maybe it's cuz they never tried the AKG. Like I said I've never used the AKG but the C1 is a spitty little harsh nasty thing that pretty much sucks on most stuff. I will concede this about the C1 - it sounded usable on a Martin D28 once.
 
People say some of the C1's sound different than the rest. I must have one of the different ones. The mic is a little bright, but since i've did some tweaking and threw on the -10db pad, i'm getting a good sound out of it. Before any of the tweaking, it didn't sound as bad as some people here says it does. The sound of a mic has so many variables that it's almost hard to say what a mic sounds like unless in a controlled environment.

Variables:

The room(alot can be fixed here to make things sound better)

Voice of person(ditto)

Distance from mic(Finding the sweet spot is KEY)

Type of Popfilter(some of them mess the sound up)

Quality Consistency(Some of the same mics sound different)

Mic Cable

Preamp(and any other external hardware used going in)

AD/DA Converters

And Listening Equipment(Some is better than others)

I guess when you get into the high end with mics, the consistency is alot better and these mics have been used for YEARS so it's a little easier to generalize the sound of a mic but i'm not sure if that's so possible in the low end considering all these variables. Almost makes microphone reviews useless :eek: :mad: ;) :D !
 
Harvey Gerst said:
Several people have commented that they don't like the high end exaggeration of Chinese mics like the SP C1.

And others have also noted a similar high end exaggeration in the AKG Perception 200 - which is also made in (surprise, suprise) China.

But the people that blasted the C1 in the strongest terms didn't mention the AKG Perception 200. Maybe because they didn't realize it was also made in China?

I'm not here trying to defend the C1 - I don't even own one. But I think some anti-cultural biases may be showing here just a bit.
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Are you kidding me? AKG? Have you ever seen the kind of pummeling the lower-end AKG mics get around these boards? :D Good lord, you'd be hard pressed to find a single good word on the C-1000 or the C3000B. You don't hear anyone cutting those mics any slack for not being Chinese. And that's mainly because they suffer from the same problems that a lot of the Chinese condensers suffer from; not just an exaggerated high end, but a nasty high end.

And I think there needs to be a distinction made between a high end that's merely "exaggerated" ... and one that just kinda' sounds distorted or unnatural. Two examples; The Marshal mxl990 has an exaggerated high end, while the mxl2001 has kind of a "nasty" high end. Probably no more pronounced than the 990 ... just harsher and less natural sounding.

But back to my point, to suggest that there's any bias on these boards towards or against the Chinese is pretty ridiculous. If a mic sucks, people on this board tend to be equal-opportunity destroyers, regardless of country of origin. See the Rode NT1 (Australia), Oktava MK219 (Russia), the AKG C1000 or C3000B if you want any examples.
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meinaminor said:
So can anyone reccommend me a mic under 200 dollars then? I know that your personal voice has a role in how the mic will sound, but in your guys' experience, what can most people count on for 200 bucks?

You also have my ex-bands crappy myspace demos: myspace.com/sumsai

If you want to listen to my voice and reccommend something.

Thanks.
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Yes, a Studio Projects B-1 for $100 bucks. Most seem to agree it's a great mic for the price.

I own a B-1, a B-3 and a C-1. I love them all and despite what some say I find the C-1 sounds the best on my acoustic guitar in my room under my conditions going into my chain etc., etc., etc. Remember this, it's human nature to knock something after building it up for so long. The flavor of the day it to knock the C-1, there are countless comparisons, reviews, opinions, sound clips etc., etc., etc., on the net all showing the C-1 in good light. That being said, the B-1 is half the price and an even better deal IMO and I think the new ones have a -10db pad and roll off switch.

Of course you have other choices, these days there are plenty of very usable mics in the $100 and under price range. In fact I think it was Harvey who said he could make a whole album with a couple of $39.00 Nady CM-100's.
 
meinaminor said:
So can anyone reccommend me a mic under 200 dollars then? I know that your personal voice has a role in how the mic will sound, but in your guys' experience, what can most people count on for 200 bucks?
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Electrovoice re-15 or re-16.
 
meinaminor said:
So can anyone reccommend me a mic under 200 dollars then? I know that your personal voice has a role in how the mic will sound, but in your guys' experience, what can most people count on for 200 bucks?

You also have my ex-bands crappy myspace demos: myspace.com/sumsai

If you want to listen to my voice and reccommend something.

Thanks.
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The Stellar CM-1
http://cgi.ebay.com/CM-1-Tube-Conde...0499402QQihZ016QQcategoryZ41466QQcmdZViewItem
IMO the best mic for the money. Bar none.

I went in skeptical, came out a believer.

And if you swap some somponents, you can make it perform like a mic worth 10x the price. The CM1 is also branded as Apex-460 and TelefunkenM16 mk1. But even straight out the box the CM1 is very good.... way better than any other $190 I've ever came across. Also, notice the "Best Offer" button.... Also the seller is very good to deal with.

Between the perception 200 and the SP C1? I've never used a 200. But the C1 is pretty good for the money too, but is not the price/performance contender it once was.
 
tarnationsauce2 said:
The Stellar CM-1
http://cgi.ebay.com/CM-1-Tube-Conde...0499402QQihZ016QQcategoryZ41466QQcmdZViewItem
IMO the best mic for the money. Bar none.

I went in skeptical, came out a believer.

And if you swap some somponents, you can make it perform like a mic worth 10x the price. The CM1 is also branded as Apex-460 and TelefunkenM16 mk1. But even straight out the box the CM1 is very good.... way better than any other $190 I've ever came across. Also, notice the "Best Offer" button.... Also the seller is very good to deal with.
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You mean the $1,400 high end Telefunken m16? Well, I'll be a Monkey's Uncle! How in the world can you get the same mic for $190.00 bucks, You mean I can save over $1,200 and get the same dang thing? Don't tell the gear snobs, they all know expensive mics are muchhhhhh better than "budget" mics even when they are the same exact mics made in the same exact factory! It's the name that makes it sound sooooo prooofessional like ;) The name Stellar just doesn't sound as good as Telefunken and therin leis the secret of the pro sounding microphone.
 
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