nnajar

any of you guys ever try these THE mics? They say they make the capsules in their own factory- don't say where though, but they have said they're not chinese.

Anyway, it's a modular system with the standard 1/2 omni,cardioid and hypercardioid capsules available, plus a few 1" lollipop styles. I bought the hypercardioid years ago thinking it would get me into schoeps territory without the cost (fell prey to marketing!) and while it is reasonably nice sounding on its own, next to the schoeps mk41 it's a joke. I ended up just buying the schoeps a year later and it is my favorite mic for nearly anything. I did get the kr25A capsule (a "neutral" 1" capsule) awhile later for general purpose stuff, and it's my go to for tenor saxophone and some vocals, etc.... It works quite well, very clear and natural sounding.

So I just put this 1" capsule up next to my schoeps mk41 on my classical guitar- I had the capsules as near the same place as possible- and recorded a few bits and pieces to see how it sounded. I have a date coming up where I will need to use my pair of schoeps for stereo duties elsewhere, so I want to see what else I have to work with prior to buying something (although I sure would like a pair of AEA R44's!).

Now what I like about the schoeps is that it has terrific reach, and it is quite full sounding- very thick and big. And it turns down the room very well. I was really surprised at how this KR25 THE capsule performed. It sounded better all the way around than the schoeps in this application. There wasn't much more room in it, just a little, and it wasn't trashy sounding, but the direct pickup was big and bold, but without the lower midrange mushiness in the schoeps. It had more clarity all the way around, and the top strings were a little present, but not thin and bright. The top end on this mic is very smooth. It reminds me a bit of a neumann U89. It had a big bottom, clarity in the midrange and a smooth top end. I am still in shock that I preferred it in every way over my schoeps.

I rarely use the mic as the schoeps are the go tos for everything, and the only reason I never sold it is because they have nearly no resale value since they're impossible to search for on google and very few people have heard or used them. So I just kept it as a utility condenser. I'm really impressed. I am tempted to try their 1/2" cardioid- maybe a stereo pair of them.....

The hypercardioid still sucks though.

Anyone else use any mics in this line?