SCD Pair on about $1000 budget

[The Studio RI]

I just sold a modded pair of Oktava 012's and a pair of Rode Nt5's, and now I want one really good pair of SDC's. I was considering a used pair of KM-184's, but after reading all the posts, i'm not sure that would be wise. I've used the 184's on drums and really liked them, but never used them on ac guitar, but probably will. I liked that they were not harsh, handled transients very well and were very eq'able. My question now is:

For about $1000, what would be a better choice for a pair of SDC's? By the way, as incompetent as it sounds, I'd really like to stick with high-end names and good resale value.

thanks!

[CrankyRayHanky]

I'm not sure how the Okatava moded mics weren't good enough to keep, they would be my recommendation....this is a high end question no doubt

good luck

[tINY]

Josephson C42
AKG c451b
Earthworks SR20

All are good - the Earthworks are my favorite, but they are ruler flat and have absolutely no mojo - just clean and precise.

The Josephsons are most like the 184, with the HF rise, but a lot smoother.




-tINY

[jnorman]

AKG C481s, or C461s, or AT4051s are all very good. the km184s are okay on acoustic guitar, but are rather thin and harsh on many other acoustic instrumetn applications. gefell M300s are pretty nice mics. take a look at the yard sale forum at taperssection.com - there are always a wide variety of SDCs available there.

[madgansound]

Though this question has been asked to death on this forum... Beyer MC930 = game over. There is none better imho for under $1000 a pair and my 184's saw zero use after picking these up. Also, they can be had for $750 new if you hunt a little........

[reflexon]

Beyerdynamic mc930s. Great value and I love them on acoustic. They usually beat out my km184s for the task. Check em out!

oops I guess someone beat me to the point. +1

[buzzjoe]

+1 for the beyers. Sometimes I even prefer them over my Schoeps CMC6/MK21 pair.

[The Studio RI]

Originally Posted by Madgan Sound

Though this question has been asked to death on this forum... Beyer MC930 = game over. There is none better imho for under $1000 a pair and my 184's saw zero use after picking these up. Also, they can be had for $750 new if you hunt a little........

Yes, it has, and I've read many of them, but this question was more specific, with a certain price point.

thanks for the tip on taperssection.com I also found some useful articles there, too.

After reading several posts, it seems the beyers are a sleeper deal. I'd be curious to test them. As much as I think the Neumann's are overpriced, there is something about the sound of any of them that seems more "polished" for lack of a better term. I wouldnt call the new versions (e.g. TLM49, KM184, U87ai) creamy or velvety, but there is a certain thickness in the sound that I'm really a fan of, that's why I considered the KM184's, but several posts have compared them and said the Beyer's sound more like the KM84's, which are what I'd really like to own. It doesn't seem that the beyer's have a high resale value, but I can just pick up a used pair I guess and be happier with the sound

thanks for the input!

[The Studio RI]

OK FOLKS! I just got a brand new pair of 930's in today and put them through some paces (key jangle, vocal, ac guitar, shaker) and I must say that I am thoroughly impressed! I don't have a KM184 to compare, but from what I remember about the sound, the Beyers beat them hands down. It's got the same polished sound and handles transients VERY well, but is clearer and more defined on the top end. I wouldn't go as far to use the word "bright", but the top end (AND bottom end for that matter) are nicer than the 184.

Thanks again for all the help!!!

[Bryan T]

Originally Posted by The Studio RI

OK FOLKS! I just got a brand new pair of 930's in today and put them through some paces (key jangle, vocal, ac guitar, shaker) and I must say that I am thoroughly impressed! I don't have a KM184 to compare, but from what I remember about the sound, the Beyers beat them hands down. It's got the same polished sound and handles transients VERY well, but is clearer and more defined on the top end. I wouldn't go as far to use the word "bright", but the top end (AND bottom end for that matter) are nicer than the 184.

Thanks again for all the help!!!

Thanks for the report. I have a pair of 930's on the way. I'm looking forward to doing a lot of acoustic guitar tracking with them.

Bryan

[tnjazz]

Originally Posted by Bryan T

Thanks for the report. I have a pair of 930's on the way. I'm looking forward to doing a lot of acoustic guitar tracking with them.

Bryan

You'll be very happy with them, I'm sure. They outclass EVERYTHING in their price range and even a few things outside (above) their price range.

Signed,
another happy beyerdynamic user

[Bryan T]

Originally Posted by tnjazz

You'll be very happy with them, I'm sure. They outclass EVERYTHING in their price range and even a few things outside (above) their price range.

I'm hopeful. I did way too much reading/listening before biting the bullet on these. I used to have a pair of Josephson C42's that I liked a lot, so I'm hoping the Beyers compare favorably. I also bought an AKG C414BXLS (lmnopqrstuvwxyz . . . ), so I'll have a lot of options for recording acoustic guitars.

Bryan

[danbronson]

Wow. I have never seen such unanimous positive review for a mic. A quick look on Beyer's site makes them look pretty great too.

I've never even heard of them before. Are they new? What gives?

[The Studio RI]

Originally Posted by danbronson

Wow. I have never seen such unanimous positive review for a mic. A quick look on Beyer's site makes them look pretty great too.

I've never even heard of them before. Are they new? What gives?

Strangely, they are not really new. I think they've been around for a few years now. There was no place around me to hear them, so I read the posts here and bought blindly because of all the raves. I couldn't be happier! I sold a pair of NT5's and Modded 012's to upgrade to something better, and the 930's definitely fit the bill. I'm actually GLAD I didn't get the KM184's.

Oh, FYI, Full Compass has them for just about $700 for the pair NEW, no haggling (thanks to Thermos for the tip!)

[Jimbo]

++mc930

[danbronson]

Originally Posted by The Studio RI

Oh, FYI, Full Compass has them for just about $700 for the pair NEW, no haggling (thanks to Thermos for the tip!)

If they ship to Canada, I'm sold. Thanks!

[James Meeker]

Josephson C42. Definitely.

[kafka]

Peluso CEMC6, stereo pair for < $700.

[danbronson]

I called Full Compass. They do indeed ship to Canada. And the price they quoted me was actually $690.something. Wow. I'm waiting on a shipping quote, assuming it's realistic, I will buy them. I'm excited, this will be a gigantic step up for me.

[Corran]

Wow, that's a big mark-down from the $999 on their site. That's what I love about FC, they have really good prices if you just call. Too bad I never seem to need anything from them really...this just makes me have some more GAS...

[thermos]

Yeah, the Beyers are great. I actually sold mine, didn't dig them on my acoustic (too obvious a high end bump for me). I replaced them with a pair of Elation KM201s that I prefer for that job. But I've since heard them on ohs, and a "different" acoustic guitar, and they sounded great.