DPA 3552 - worth the price tag?

[littledog]

Every few years I seem to tear my studio apart and reassemble it for a variety of reasons. In current case it is because my Steinway is out being restrung, repinned and re-dampered. This gives me the perfect opportunity to replace some really grungy wall-to-wall carpeting.

In the process, I get to clean up cable runs, remove stuff from racks that I never use, improve ergonomics, and best of all - it's an excuse to buy new gear. (So far I've treated myself to a Pendulum MDP, a Transient Designer, and an IBP.)

So, (as long as I'm in a buying mood), now that I'm going to have this wonderful instrument coming back, I'm thinking about some alternatives for mic'ing it. My favorite and usual option is a matched pair of Earthworks QSC-1's, which I am very happy with. But the ads I see for the DPA 3552 stereo kit are intriguing.

Leaving sound aside, the main advantage is the low profile of the miniature 4052 mics, along with the clever magnetic based mini goose-necks. This gives a lot more flexibility for closing the lid, or using the short stick with some sound blankets, which is currently more difficult with the rather lengthy QTC's.

But I'm not sure I can justify the $3000+ purchase price just on convenience of placement alone. Has anyone used these for grand piano applications, and do you think it would be a significant sonic step up from the Earthworks? And are there any other manufacturers making similar products that I should also check out?

[Remoteness]

We have a lot of DPA (B&K) lovers here. Are you still wondering -- Are they worth the price?

[littledog]

Steve,

Thanks for resurrecting my old post from almost a year ago. I had completely forgotten about it. How did you ever even find this old artifact?

But since you asked: in the interim, I did get my piano back, and I did pull the trigger on a DPA option, but I sort of wimped out and got the far cheaper 4061 stereo piano kit. So far I've actually used it mostly for live concert recordings, and they work really well for that because they are nearly invisible.

At one-third the price there's got to be a catch, and I guess that would have to be that they are a bit noisier than their more expensive siblings, but for ensemble recordings, especially where there are drums (or other noisy things) on stage, they are quite effective, and I have no regrets about my purchase.

I have also used them on pianos for sound reinforcement, and in both applications the pianists involved have been very pleased with the resulting sound.

[fifthcircle]

There is a lot more depth to the sound in the compact capsule series of DPA's.... It was interesting at AES, DPA had a grand piano with Omni and cardiod compact capsules and the 4061. The omnis had a great sound (as you would expect) and the cardiod was pretty impressive, but much more 2 dimensional. Both of the compact capsules sounded better, though than the 4061 (although none were bad).

We just got the stereo pair of compact cardiods at one of the venues where I work and they sound awesome. I've been using them for stereo pairs, spot mics, etc... The DPA mounts are so cool, too. There is so much flexability in your setups with them that you just don't get with other setups. The fact that they are very low profile is also great for the live work we do.

--Ben