Recommendation for a Great Stereo Condenser Mic

[Petrus]

Pearl makes some nice stereo condencers. I have MSH10 for vido work mostly, but even that is good enough for small scale orchestral stuff.

DS 60 looks interesting, I would like to test it, but they are rare.

Pearl Microphones

[mixedupsteve]

Originally Posted by summer_room

I've worked with USM69i and it's a solid mic.
As I like the blumlein array, and have a Royer SF12, I take the Royer over the Neumann everytime. The Neumann has, as most LDC figure-8's, a nasty bump around 4-5 kHz.
But its nice to have when you need a fast xy setup.

I read good stuff about AKG C426 on this forum, but never tried it...

-jon

Are you able to use the SF12 on quiet projects at a distance?

[summer_room]

Originally Posted by mixedupsteve

Are you able to use the SF12 on quiet projects at a distance?

Absolutely. With my AEA TRP I have no problems with quiet sources at a distance.

When I use condensers, say DPA 4011 side by side with SF12 at the same distance, I notice the lower noise on the DPA set - but I often choose the SF12 because I just like the sound of the ribbons better. And while the fixed blumlein-array has limitations, the noise has never been a problem...

[didier.brest]

Originally Posted by tnjazz

Nevaton MC48 is an excellent mic, although cardioid only (coincident and variable from 50-140 degrees).

50-140° is not the angle between both caps but the width of the stereo sector. For a width of 50°, the angle between both capsules is 90°, which is the maximum value. When this angle is decreased, the stereo sector width is increased.

Shootout with a MC48 and a pair of Josephson C42 on piano at home. Two takes, each with the C42s and the MC48 and two preamps, DAV BG1 and Fearn VT-2.

MC48 + VT2

C42 + BG1

MC48 + BG1

C42 + VT2

Another shootout with a pair of AKG C414B-XLS:

MC48

C414B-XLS

[Omicron_9]

Hi,
I have been really enjoying the Peluso P-Stereo.

Regards,
0.9

Originally Posted by 25ghosts

Hi There,

I am currently testing some stereo Microphones for all-round use.

Any recommendations are very welcome and much appreciated.

Up until this day we did the recordings with a matched pair of Neumann TLM 170.
Results were great but honestly, it is a hazzle to set them up every time.

What I need is something that has variation, thus the ability of turning the capsules. And their characteristic should also be changeable.

Been testing one from StudioProjects but that bird is humming as H. In comparison to what I am used to. It is sounding awesome but I have problems dealing with the HUM and I dont wanna have to de-Hum every time I use it.

I have also tried the Røde stereo Mic which is also sounding great but is pretty limited as the capsules cannot be moved and the characteristics not be changed.

I am, as of now leaning towards the Neumann Stereo Mic as I know for sure that it wont hum and it has all the features a great stereo mic should have. Only down side is the very high price.

So if any of you have a great insider tip - please spill it thumbsup

[Daniel Stark]

I would like to chime in, with a vote for the Royer sf-24 (I have the Live version)

I had the Peluso stereo ribbon previously, and while it sounded very good (subtly dark and gooey flavor but balanced with realistic imaging), I found it too susceptible to power fields and ground loops. The sf-24 is much better in this regard, matches easily with preamps, and feels sturdier. I don't miss the adjustable angle at all.....Faster setup is a plus, and as someone said you can always go with m/s if you want.

It has a distinctly different tone than my tube mod-gefell um70s that I also like in stereo (continuously variable width is fun!!!). I would pick the Royer if I had to choose just one stereo setup to keep though. Easy, great build quality, sounds fantastic. Honestly the gefells are mostly for variety and if I need a main pair of cards, but I would be happy to use the Royer every time.

I have never used a good stereo condenser like the schoeps or akg that are recommended, but I would put the royer stereo mics a step above the peluso stuff...I think of Peluso mics as good craftmanship and components built to a reasonable price point, but wouldn't expect them to hang with the best vintage and uber-high end stuff.

[Piedpiper]

Not versatile as you specified, but the Crown SASSP is excellent, natural, unhyped and simple to use. I have rebuilt mine with premium parts to run single ended and dual mono battery powered exclusively. I built in integral battery powered mic preamps as well, and have damped the housing with sheets of lead to cut down resonance. It's killer.