The 99¢ K-Micro condenser mic. Yep, 99 cents.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dot
  • Start date Start date
"Due to the large back orders, we do need some time to fulfill everyone's
order. We have been shipping the mics based on a first come first serve
basis. We plan to ship out all orders which was received by August 31
before Sept. 15.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Belinda"

edit - i asked for a confirmation number and noted they may want to tell their customers there is a delay in shipping at point of order as i was informed they would ship 8.31.06. brenda told me my order may have already been shipped.

note to self - if i ever start up a mic company and offer a 99 cent mic - i must remember to get a shipping department. :D

Mike
 
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Keep your pimp hand strong..... :)

I am waiting for my order. I am in no rush but for 18 bucks shipped for 2 I was willing to take a chance....especially since my mic choices are limited.....
 
undergroundtoon said:
kidvybes you have 8 post on this thread
It kind of sounds like you are pimping them. Do you work for Karma?(do not take that as a slam i am just wondering) :D
vybes........Karma....... they kind of go on the same page of words.....................
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=190517
...kind of stiring up some business for them......lol just kidding :D
I am an sE kind of guy myself. ;)
Click to expand...

...no, I definately do not work for them...but if you read all the original (Karma chronicles) postings, you might understand my motivation for giving them some support...in the past, I've given other companies such as MXL and sE similar attention, based on the fact that they also were offering exceptional or innovative product at very affordable pricing...

...Karma (Waylon) took alot of heat for some of the statements in those original postings and many were ready to count them out because of it...but Karma has bounced back with the buzz over the 99c "K-Micro" and other new and innovative products (being previewed at NAMM) and I admire their resiliency...

...the truth is, the Karma mics were good value from the get-go (much like the sE mics were when first introduced)...and (without opening another "can-of-worms") I have to say, there were some truths in those original postings, as well as some misleading statements by both companies involved...I continue to support both sE and Karma, as I believe they both offer very affordable and capable "prosumer" product...

...Waylon and his "Karma Krew" may have taken a few miss-steps along the way, but you gotta love their ability to recoup and recover...their K6 phantom-powered ribbon mic and their K58 tube mic are excellent products at very fair pricepoints...and the K-Micro is still a great little mic even at $5..

(Disclaimer) I have been buying microphone products from Waylon Ford going back to the days when he was an sE distributor....I have purchased all of my sE/Karma products on their website just like any of their other retail customers... :D
 
...and just in the interest of "equal time", let me give major props (and a guaranteed slot in my mic closet) to the following (all of whom I would gladly "pimp" for ;) ):

MXL's V77s and 603
sE's 2200A and Z5600A
Studio Projects T3
Rode's NTK and K2
Cascade's V55
ADK's Vienna
Heil's PR40
Cad's M179
Nady's RSM2 (or the Shadybox equivalent)

(Shure and AT don't need my pimpin' skills)...all of the above are great "bang-for-the-buck" keeper mics (IMHO)...
 
kidvybes said:
...and just in the interest of "equal time", let me give major props (and a guaranteed slot in my mic closet) to the following (all of whom I would gladly "pimp" for ;) ):

MXL's V77s and 603
sE's 2200A and Z5600A
Studio Projects T3
Rode's NTK and K2
Cascade's V55
ADK's Vienna
Heil's PR40
Cad's M179
Nady's RSM2 (or the Shadybox equivalent)

(Shure and AT don't need my pimpin' skills)...all of the above are great "bang-for-the-buck" keeper mics (IMHO)...
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Well, you took my post in stride without trying to tear me up. For that i give you respect. the pr-40 is on my list and so is the sE 2200a(good choices). As for karma they ripped on sE for starting as a good mic company then bumping up all of their prices. I hope karma will not do the same. Their 99 cent mic is already up to 5 bucks :p .
 
undergroundtoon said:
As for karma they ripped on sE for starting as a good mic company then bumping up all of their prices. I hope karma will not do the same. Their 99 cent mic is already up to 5 bucks :p .
Click to expand...

...you have to keep in mind that what is now "Karma" was formerly sE's west coast distributor from the very beginnings of the company...so there's some history there...

...as for the K-Micro going from 99c to $5, I purchased my 2200A from Waylon/sE when it was first released for $129 with aluminum case and (kingsize) spider-mount...needless to say, that "introductory special" pricing was shortlived... ;)
 
There is some out of context info here about sE Electronics and Karma "ripping" on them for raising their prices. sE started their own factory a couple of years ago and are not re-badging OEM or off the shelf (or close proximities of OEM) but sE rather are designing and implementing their own microphones in their own factory which Karma cannot claim the same.

sE even makes their own mic cases!

I am not saying Karma might not be putting out decent product, personally I've never heard one and also don't care to as their ethics and use of misleading information make me want to vomit. However, ordering up a bunch of mics from Feilo or other Chinese mic manufacturers and starting your own factory with your own equipment / designs etc are two totally different things. sE does what they do which is unique, and Karma does what they do which is similar to many other mic sellers here and abroad.

This isn't a situation where we could apply the same standards to both companies and say one is "charging more" because sE is spending more and controlling their own destiny as a company (and apparently they're quite happy with that). If you guys saw some of the wholesale pricing for Chinese made "mass produced" microphones it'd make you wonder where the hell even Karma came up with their pricing structure.

It's cheap cheap cheap...I'm talking 15% to 20% of street price many times.

Neither company is in a position to rightfully compare itself to the other as an equal as they approach the market from two totally different angles.

War (biased evil sE Electronics dealer)

timboZ, "Stone Recording" and "Karma" are the same folks although they don't tell you that.
 
Warhead said:
However, ordering up a bunch of mics from Feilo or other Chinese mic manufacturers and starting your own factory with your own equipment / designs etc are two totally different things. sE does what they do which is unique, and Karma does what they do which is similar to many other mic sellers here and abroad.
Click to expand...

War...honestly my friend (without rehashing all that's been said before), if you took a minute or two to examine a Karma product (the circuit boards/surface mount componentry, the mic casings/grills, the mounts, the carrying cases...jeez, just about everything) you would realize there is NOTHING relabelled OEM about these mics (and I've owned many, many re-badged OEM Chinese mics)...who else uses surface-mounted components (other than RODE)...who else uses shock-mounts of this design?...who else uses carrying cases of this style? (whether they make them themselves or otherwise)...who else produces an Chinese OEM "phantom-powered" ribbon mic?... :confused:

...as an sE retailer, your opinion of Karma's "ethics" is understandable...but do we really want to add more "mis-truths" to the mix?...when can we just evaluate the value of the product based on it's own merits (can't we all just get along?)...doesn't innovation and unique design account for anything?...if you want to critique the competition, take the time to at least familiarize yourself with their products before passing along more "mis-information"...

...and just as sE's microphones (originally Feilo OEM) were improved and refined over time, we may see Karma do the same...time will tell...

(...by the way...you gotta admit...when RODE ran their ads asking "when will there be a $1.99 condenser mic?", nobody expected the 99c K-Micro response)
 
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Why haven't we heard a comparison recording of this microphone against any other well know microphone? I bought a pair of MSH-1A based on the guitar recording that was posted. I couldn't be happier with the purchase. I'd like to hear what this Karma mic sounds like too. I also wonder if they can be modded to provide a balanced output?
 
I'm looking at the MSH-C1's and think those might be better for toms than these.

I think I'm gonna try both.
 
TaperChuck said:
I also wonder if they can be modded to provide a balanced output?
Click to expand...

Add a resistor between pins 1 and 3 equal to the output impedance.

Edit: it's possible that a phantom supply might not like that much current, so a cap in series wouldn't hurt anything.
 
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TaperChuck said:
Why haven't we heard a comparison recording of this microphone against any other well know microphone? I bought a pair of MSH-1A based on the guitar recording that was posted. I couldn't be happier with the purchase. I'd like to hear what this Karma mic sounds like too. I also wonder if they can be modded to provide a balanced output?
Click to expand...

I've have a pair of the MSH-1A's and the K Micro's. I'll try to get sound bites up of both sets of mics over this weekend. On the other hand we are only talking about 5 bucks a mic so if you bought a couple you certainly won't be risking a huge amount of money.

I bought the MSH-1A's over a month ago and haven't had time to try them out but since they were only $47.50 for a matched pair I knew I wasn't taking much of a chance.
 
I just ordered a pair, we'll see how it goes...
 
I ordered 6 of them on Aug 1st. I better call and check on the status.
 
Warhead said:
There is some out of context info here about sE Electronics and Karma "ripping" on them for raising their prices. sE started their own factory a couple of years ago and are not re-badging OEM or off the shelf (or close proximities of OEM) but sE rather are designing and implementing their own microphones in their own factory which Karma cannot claim the same.

sE even makes their own mic cases!

I am not saying Karma might not be putting out decent product, personally I've never heard one and also don't care to as their ethics and use of misleading information make me want to vomit. However, ordering up a bunch of mics from Feilo or other Chinese mic manufacturers and starting your own factory with your own equipment / designs etc are two totally different things. sE does what they do which is unique, and Karma does what they do which is similar to many other mic sellers here and abroad.

This isn't a situation where we could apply the same standards to both companies and say one is "charging more" because sE is spending more and controlling their own destiny as a company (and apparently they're quite happy with that). If you guys saw some of the wholesale pricing for Chinese made "mass produced" microphones it'd make you wonder where the hell even Karma came up with their pricing structure.

It's cheap cheap cheap...I'm talking 15% to 20% of street price many times.

Neither company is in a position to rightfully compare itself to the other as an equal as they approach the market from two totally different angles.

War (biased evil sE Electronics dealer)

timboZ, "Stone Recording" and "Karma" are the same folks although they don't tell you that.
Click to expand...


It is obvious you do not know whatyou are talking about.

We make our own mics we do not OEM them.

We own our factory.

We design our own products.

We have some of the top engineers working with and for us.

WE MAKE EVERYTHING THAT IS KARMA

So I think you should make sure your comments are correct before you say something.

Any questions from anyone please feel free and call me directly. My information is below in my signature.


Waylon Ford
Business Development of Pro - Audio Products
New Product Developer
Karma Audio Productions

Office: (408) 446-2921 ext 102
Website:http://www.karmamics.com
 
Let us know if you guys actually ever receive the mics in the mail. Then I'll order a few.
 
Last week I purchased 2 MSH-1Os, the stereo bar, and an MSH-4. Unfortunately my studio is under construction for another month or so (hopefully by then, and hopefully sooner :) ). So I really won't be able to post anything until then, but will say that Naiant got them to me yesterday, which was quick. Nice packaging, etc. Not trying in any way to say the Karmas are anything less, just stating what I can tell you about customer service I've experienced with Naiant so far.
 
kidvybes said:
(...by the way...you gotta admit...when RODE ran their ads asking "when will there be a $1.99 condenser mic?", nobody expected the 99c K-Micro response)
Click to expand...

That's funny as hell, I was thinking the same thing when I read the ad for Rode...!

OK without rehashing everything all I'm trying to say is...they are two different companies and we cannot compare who's "too high" on price which is what was being inferred. Both companies have different costs involved in how they go to market. Anyone wanting to spend Karma money should spend it, anyone wanting to spend sE money should spend it.

Waylon, as far as I am concerned the level of dishonesty used by your company to promote itself pretty much knocks out a level of trust between us. I'm afraid that's a hurdle that just cannot be removed at this point. If you'd like to state the name and location of your very own factory in private or here then that is great, but I was under the impression that Karma was a continuation of the old Feilo relationship.

If I am wrong about these things then I sincerely apologize.

War
 
timboZ said:
I ordered 6 of them on Aug 1st. I better call and check on the status.
Click to expand...

Just called Karma, My mics shipped on the 5th. Should be getting them soon.


Thanks Waylon.
 
timboZ said:
Just called Karma, My mics shipped on the 5th. Should be getting them soon.


Thanks Waylon.
Click to expand...


Anytime. Keep in touch. :)

Warhead said:
I was under the impression that Karma was a continuation of the old Feilo relationship.

If I am wrong about these things then I sincerely apologize.

War
Click to expand...

Apology accepted :)
 
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