sdc w smooth everything

[tmcconnell]

My Earthworks z30's sound fine - a little noisy - but the proximity is touchy - and they are not usable beyond 18 inches.
My km 184's are high endy - nice for dull source, bu that's it.
My cheaper sdc's sound nice from the front and bad from the room.

What is the choice for a cardioid sdc that's smooth off axis, is flat from a few meters away and further, and perhaps a little flattering, and quiet??

The schoeps and dpa come to mind - but there's a lot of interesting choices beyond that - Sennheiser, gefell, etc. I'm looking for something to handle bouzouki, banjo, mando (although r84 is beautiful on that), guitars, and drum overheads, for example. I use Royer 122 and r84 mostly, but sometimes I just need cardioid. Is there are cardioid mic that sounds like the 122?
And - the european stuff is getting out of price range in a hurry.

My soundeluxe e49 has nice rejection - but the strings seem to sound more immediate with an sdc.

Ted - from the USA - where money talks, but lately, without much to say.

[u b k]

the josephson e22s and gefell m295 are both lovely and incredibly versatile, and have more character than the schoeps/dpa family of sound.


gregoire
del
ubk
.

[leaper]

My vote: sennheiser MKH 40

check out the current thread: just rediscovered my Sennheiser MKH40 SDC

[reflexon]

check out the beyerdynamic mc930s. They have been wonderful to me and they don't hit the bank as hard as some of their competitors.

[Omicron_9]

Originally Posted by u b k

the josephson e22s and gefell m295 are both lovely and incredibly versatile, and have more character than the schoeps/dpa family of sound.


gregoire
del
ubk
.

Greetings.

+1 on the M295!

I've not used the Schoeps or DPA enough to comment.

I had a Josephson C-42 for a year or so, and sold it. Insane amount of self-noise, well over 20 dB. Not trying to compare it w/the 22; have never used one, but in case you were maybe thinking about a C-42, they're heinously noisy.

However, I own a Gefell M295, and have never heard anything with this kind of resolution and detail. Self-noise is around 14 dB, IIRC. Again, IMO, it has to be heard to be understood and/or believed. I'm not stating it's the ultimate or best; that's up to the listener to determine. I am saying it could greatly behoove you to check one out; as far as I know, no one else is currently making anything w/a nickel diaphragm, and personally, I find it to be rather magical. It is one of my absolute top 2 or 3 favorite mics; others being the Gefell M930.

One other SDC which is accurate, impressive, and underrated is the Shure KSM 137/141. thumbsup

Happy hunting!
-0.9

[PlugHead]

Tho I haven't heard the Gefell M295's, they have a nickel capsule much like the Neumann KM54/56. The Neumann's are seriously good mics - if I could have a desert island pr. of SD mics (if they were in perfect shape) I'd take them over anything. There seems to be something euphonic about the nickel capsules, and are a lovely sound, both on and off-axis.

I'd audition the Gefell's - finding a pr. of mint KM56's would be rarer than hen's teeth nowadays, and repairing the capsule (as far as I've understood) is next to impossible.

My .02 c.

Best with it...

[tmcconnell]

Thanks. looks like the main recco's coming back other than e22 are european. (Sennheiser and Gefell m295). I had read the recent post on it. (I found it hard to believe that someone left a mic like that on the shelf for years - but... how nice to have stuff like that in the second string. ). Anyway - its really helpful to get pointed right. I think Mics only reveal their true ability after you use them for a while so its easy to make a mistake. t.

[AB3]

I would define the josephson e22s as detailed and crisp, more than smooth. It is great for toms and getting them to stand out well in a mix. And it is not because it makes the toms "smooth." Though it certainly is not harsh. But it is not as smooth as the Beyerdynamic M930s or the DPA 4011s for that matter.

I would consider a tube SDC like the Neumann KM64 or the new teles.

[SpiderM69]

Chameleon Labs TS-1

[sdelsolray]

+2 on the Gefell M29x Series

[mljung]

Originally Posted by tmcconnell

My Earthworks z30's sound fine - a little noisy - but the proximity is touchy - and they are not usable beyond 18 inches.
My km 184's are high endy - nice for dull source, bu that's it.
My cheaper sdc's sound nice from the front and bad from the room.

What is the choice for a cardioid sdc that's smooth off axis, is flat from a few meters away and further, and perhaps a little flattering, and quiet??

The schoeps and dpa come to mind - but there's a lot of interesting choices beyond that - Sennheiser, gefell, etc. I'm looking for something to handle bouzouki, banjo, mando (although r84 is beautiful on that), guitars, and drum overheads, for example. I use Royer 122 and r84 mostly, but sometimes I just need cardioid. Is there are cardioid mic that sounds like the 122?
And - the european stuff is getting out of price range in a hurry.

My soundeluxe e49 has nice rejection - but the strings seem to sound more immediate with an sdc.

Ted - from the USA - where money talks, but lately, without much to say.

Maybe the KM-69 thread is worth looking at
KM69