Looking for a solid pair of small condenser microphones.

[ckett]

Hello,

I am on the hunt for a matched pair of small condenser microphones.

I am going to be using these mics in a small home studio environment to record acoustic instruments primarily in close proximity. I do not have a "sound" room other than a living room that is not optimized acoustically.

In terms of sound character, I am looking for something very neutral and smooth and able to pick up great detail. I will be recording a variety of world instruments, anything from stringed or plucked, to hand percussion and Indian flutes.

These are mics I have been looking into lately for this task:

Peluso CEMC6s
AT 4051a
Avenson STO-2
Oktava MK-012

I may drop the Oktava's as the sound is good but not as rich, pure and clear as some others.

Your input and shared experience would be appreciated!

Thanks

[brownmouse]

i would add the josephson e22s to your list.
good luck,
joshua

[C.Lambrechts]

Originally Posted by ckett

AT 4051a

I have and use a bunch of those on occasion. I can't say I like them more then 'bwarf'.

I remember picking it out of a mic test for recording a spanish guitar (nylon strings) where I thought it sounded better then my usual suspects which are schoeps, AKG 421 or M149 neumann.

In general I think the 'higher quality' mics like a schoeps or B&K will tracnslate your source better then the ones you list. Milages vary but the 4051 is definately not a 'bad' mic.

[Sounds Great]

I have a pair of 4051a's. I think they are the best thing going for the money. I did not like the Oktava's at all, the mids were totally lacking in detail to my ear. I would like a pair of KM84's, but that is a different sound, and more expensive.

Oh, also I bought a pair of the omni caps for the 4051's, but sold them, didn't like them much.

[Solunaris]

Check out Microtech Gefell M300's. Sounds very reminescent to KM84's.

I second the M300's
Very solid useful mic.
Great on OH's, acoustic anything.


I also second the 4051's AND add 4041's.
Both great. Not as much as the M300.

IMHO.



David

[RoundBadge]

Another vote for josephson e22s ...
under a grand for a pair... sound great.thumbsup
real mics...
worlds apart from the octava/guitar center crap.

[blueman]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

Another vote for josephson e22s ...
under a grand for a pair... sound great.thumbsup
real mics...
worlds apart from the octava/guitar center crap.

where are they under a grand for a pair?

[etneccas]

sounds more like the c42's

[NathanEldred]

Schoeps CMC6 with MK4 caps are most versatile in tone (and sound best to my ears of currently made small diaphragms for most utilitarian usage) for rock/pop/jazz, etc. Not to mention that the capsules are switchable so that makes life easier. I'd say the Gefell M300's are second, and are $1000 cheaper per pair than the Schoeps (and yes the price difference is worth it between the two). The Josephson E22's are excellent but are in no way 'flat'...BIG low end, slightly pronounced high mid with a lot of coloration. Those are great for percussion, guitar amps, anything that needs that frequency 'scoop'. On a budget the Josephson C42's are the best bang for the buck IMO. Neumann's are okay but can be a little strange, there is better for the money.

[djui5]

4051's would be my pick for something less expensive. I've yet to hear a lower budget mic sound as good as those for the applications..


If you got some money, EW TC30K's/SR77's or DPA 4011's would be my choice.

I haven't used the Josephson's, but they seem to be working well for a lot of people. I've been dying to use a pair.

[rwhitney]

I use the Gefell 300s and think they're pretty nice, but not fantastic. I'd get the DPAs, though, if I had the money. From my single experience with them, the Josephson C42s can be absolutely killer on plucked stringed instruments, but tend to be quite bright. Some would say overly bright through my Daking Mic Pre IV. Speaking of preamps, for your application I would use as quiet a preamp as possible (Millennia, Grace, et al)because SDs tend to be a little noisy on quiet sources. I don't have experience with the other mics mentioned. I'm not a big fan of the Neumann KM184s, except on nylon string guitar, where I think they really shine.

[RoundBadge]

Originally Posted by blueman

where are they under a grand for a pair?

My bad ...I meant the 42's..they worked great for overheads,acoustic guitars and a mic'd leslie cab a while back..I want a pair of my own.
stike

[Gravity8058]

Another vote for the C42s

[squeegybug]

Originally Posted by ckett

Peluso CEMC6s
AT 4051a
Avenson STO-2
Oktava MK-012

That's a pretty wide price range, do you have a budget limit?

That Josephson E22s is like, $2400/pair?

Gefell M300 ($1,500/pair) are nice for sure, but I preferred the 4051. Which can be found for $700/pair or so with some shopping.

Did not keep the Oktava for long. Did keep the Avensons, very nice mics there.

Steve

[john caldwell]

Remind me again, what's wrong with KM184's ? This board refers to KM84's whith such frequency that the unsuspecting reader would actually think that the KM84 is available and affordable! Call me unsophisticated whitebread, but I think KM184's are tremendous mics and not similar to the Oktava at all wrt quality. My 2nd pair of new KM184 came from Alto, and they were scarcely over $950, if memory serves.

Just because it's a Mercedes and the average person recognizes it as a prestigous car doesn't mean it isn't a superb automobile.

John-

[blueman]

It seems for me that the winner of “best bang for the buck” is between AT 4051 and Josephson C42.

Does anybody own or have compared both of them?
(Acoustic 6 & 12, nylon, mandolin, congas, bongos, shaker, tambourine, OH, etc)

[James Lehmann]

Originally Posted by blueman

It seems for me that the winner of “best bang for the buck” is between AT 4051 and Josephson C42.

From the original poster's list my "bang for the buck" winner is the Avenson STO-2's, which at $500 for the pair in a nice wooden box is a real bargain.

I have a pair of these and a pair of Gefell M300's - I plan at some stage to make some very basic comparative percussion samples with them if that would be of interest? Problem is I don't have 4 identical pre-amps at the moment (only 2 really good ones on my Metric Halo ULN-2) so I can't do a true A/B.

[henryrobinett]

I'll be the lone voice here. I love the Peluso CEMC-6 as a pair. The bestest bang for the buck as far as I can tell.

[chriscoleman]

AT4051.

$800/pair new (just look around at the usual places online...)

Omni and Hyper caps available, too.

More accurate than Oktavas; more mellow/less noisy than the C42's

Built-in hipass filter.

Good mics.

[mikebuzz]

John I agree with you on the KM184's I hace a matched pair and love them !! , anyhow.

Later
Buzz

I think I paid $850-900 for mine

[blueman]

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

I'll be the lone voice here. I love the Peluso CEMC-6 as a pair. The bestest bang for the buck as far as I can tell.

People talk just about what they know, and I think that few people have used the Peluso mics.

Have do you compared with AT 4051 or Josephson C42 or any other? If yes, which applications?

thanks

[blueman]

Originally Posted by chriscoleman

AT4051.

$800/pair new (just look around at the usual places online...)

Where? I find them more expensive.

[chriscoleman]

Originally Posted by blueman

Where? I find them more expensive.

I forget - it was about 6 months ago I was researching them pretty heavily. Try getting quotes from altomusic.com and a few other places. I just got a quote from 8thstreet at $499/per. Not bad.

-Chris

[RooF]

DPA 4011 fo sure...

[RoundBadge]

Yeah..I've got a pair of the Schoeps CMC6's w/ mk4's and the 41 caps[Hypercardiod for spot mics/ location dialog stuff] GVC swivels and collette cables..all the bells and whistles
great stuff
Far from cheap though....A basic pair is around $2300-2500.00..
The prices dropped for a while due to canada selling them for a lot less a couple years ago..but I think the prices have gone back up. stike

[missilanious]

Earthwork SR30's (SR77 old model #), they get lots of use over hear.

[Gravity8058]

Originally Posted by blueman

It seems for me that the winner of “best bang for the buck” is between AT 4051 and Josephson C42.

Does anybody own or have compared both of them?
(Acoustic 6 & 12, nylon, mandolin, congas, bongos, shaker, tambourine, OH, etc)

Yes, I've used both. The AT 4051 cant take the level nor do they have the openness of the C42s.

[dhughes]

You can have my Josephson C42s....when you pry them away from my cold dead fingers.

Yes, another endorsement for the c42s. they get used in every session. You'll love 'em.

[henryrobinett]

Originally Posted by blueman

People talk just about what they know, and I think that few people have used the Peluso mics.

Have do you compared with AT 4051 or Josephson C42 or any other? If yes, which applications?

thanks

Let's see - I've compared them to the Oktavas, SM81s, B&K 4003, Earthworks TC 30ks, AT4050 (I know not small condensors but I've used them on overheads and piano in cnoparison with the Pelusos), EV VP-88. Royer 121 as well, although a ribbon I've used in similar applications.

I've used them as drum overheads, piano, and as a spaced pair in front of an orchestra and a small jazz ensemble, on acoustic guitars. I think they're great. Very neutral and warm. Not brittle like the Oktavas and more present than the 81s. I preferred them to the Earthworks as well. The B&Ks were the great. Nothing to complain about them. I wish I had a pair.