Gefell UM 75 vs. Horch RM2J - the final decision

[ISedlacek]

Horch arrived this morning (thanks to Jean from www.akzent-audio.de). Taking it out from the box, I was immediately taken aback how HUGE it really is ... wow ...
Very eagerly started singing and talking alternatively to both mix, switching Horch between linear and extreme mode ....
My first impressions were waving on both sides quite rapidly ...
Later they were settled a bit.

But everything still remains very much open. I expect a friend-vocalist in the afternoon and very good female vocalist in the evening ... Then a real test will follow.

So far I feel:
Horch has very open full sound with velvet HF ... Very smooth, "ready-made", highly professional voice.
Gefell sounds maybe a tiny bit more "organically grown", more natural, tiny bit less "impersonal", with a touch of something "interesting", special (poetic ?) ... And the sound is not exactly less big than Horch ... Gefell has slightly more HF, Horch seems to be more mellow, round there ...

Still confused, of course
Both are undoubtedly very great microphones ...

Will continue in the afternoon ... Only one of them will remain as a new inhabitant of my studio ...

May post some samples later ...

[matucha]

slut!

too bad that (mr.) Carloff doesn't have UM57 at the moment, I'd be very very very interested to hear it side by side.

[shangoe]

upload some files PLEASE!stike

[T.RayBullard]

I call MG...who wants to bet?

[ISedlacek]

Well, afternoon has passed and the things become quite clear. In the morning session (not the whole one, just the last part) I did one funny thing, I misplaced the inputs in Samplitude, so while recording in Horch , I was actually still recording into Gefell, but from the side ... So no wonder, Horch sounded a bit less poetic :-))))

Now we did a proper comparison with Mr.Carloff singing (who unlike me has some voice) and well, Gefell is nice, but comparing to Horch, it has quite reduced (or I would say almost missing) bottom and its HF are a bit more sharp.

Horch has an incredibly magnificent warm sound in the whole spectrum and yes, lot of poetry too. Simply breath taking top class microphone. In the evening a female singer is coming , so we will crown the session with that.
But - we are using it almost exclusively in the extreme (red) tube mode. There it sounds the best ... Most full, velvet and open ...
Yes, I will post some samples later ...

[Vari-Mu]

I will be very interested to hear the samples you upload because although I like them both I've never used the two side by side.

From my own use, I think it's great that both mics are great sounding but quite different textures....

I guess as Thrill would say, it's the High End .... I need them both.



If you want more top from the Horch a bit of passive shelving eq works well....






Best,

Vari-Mu

[velophone]

Hello Ivo,

good to hear you're impressed with the Horch RM2J after all,
I've just been mixing some tracks with with a great Marokkan oud-player, some recorded with the RM2J, some with Gefell M92.1s.

Couldn't help but notice that in my opinion the Horch sounds better in this case too, specially in the mix, deeper, more detail, fuller.. still the Gefell is a lovely mic
puts the Horch in perspective...

Good luck with it!

Michiel

[ISedlacek]

Here are few bits (male vocal)

Horch extreme mode (quite close to the mic)

Horch linear mode cardioid (Mr.Carloff slipped a bit lower in the pitch...)

Gefell UM75 (quite close)

(all - Pendulum MDP-1, Lavry AD)

females will follow

[blaugruen7]

with listening blindly,
the horch is much more "bold".
i dont find the right words.
very interesting. i love listening examples, many thanks

[Ollie]

These are only straight vocal tests. Listen to each of these mics inside a track. After listening to the mics in the context of a track, I would be in hearing your perceptions.

[ISedlacek]

Here is a local "country sister", just rushed from the driving school, so a bit "restless", but yet:

Gefell UM75

Horch

BTW we did not use pop-screens, so there are some "pops" there, sorry ...
(used a bit of PCM91 vocal plate)

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by Ollie

These are only straight vocal tests. Listen to each of these mics inside a track. After listening to the mics in the context of a track, I would be in hearing your perceptions.

This is what I tried just now, this is what I share ... Cannot do everything at once ... And also - who says that the vocals must be always within a dense mix ? Why not solo sometimes or with just a very decent, athmospheric background ? I do no rock or pop ..

[ISedlacek]

I persuaded my wife (a total no-singer) to sing something (serious pops at times, sorry, at Horch track she slipped with the general pitch a bit ...)

Gefell UM75

Horch extreme tube mode

[squeegybug]

Sounds like you are having fun Ivo! Good job, hope you find what you are looking for.

Steve

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by squeegybug

Sounds like you are having fun Ivo! Good job, hope you find what you are looking for.

Steve

Well, a bit costly fun but very nice and exciting

[RoundBadge]

I like the Horch.. very smooththumbsup
how much?

[D.T. Jambor]

Question?
The sound of the Horch is finer, more broadly and more largely.
The sound of the UM75 is less noble.
The Horch sounds alone "better" - the UM75 in mix better, or?

Gefell UM75 in mix

Chris Jones † 13. September 2005 in Northeim, Deutschland

Dirk T. Jambor

[ISedlacek]

Here we tried how both microphones can stand kind of high pitch strong female "yelling" (I mean "artistic yelling":-)). For sure U87 would collapse soon. Gefell made a slight defense. Horch seemed to remain relaxed and unmoved ...
(the singing was really quite penetrating)

Gefell UM75

Horch

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by D.T. Jambor

The Horch sounds alone "better" - the UM75 in mix better, or?

I cannot document it right now. But other Horch owners around here invariably reported that Horch sounds quite amazingly in the mixes ...

[D.T. Jambor]

I say only... hear.
The Horch 2 is fine, very largely in the sound, but the UM75 has its small, nice characteristic.
Dirk

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by D.T. Jambor

I say only... hear.
The Horch 2 is fine, very largely in the sound, but the UM75 has its small, nice characteristic.
Dirk

Yes, Gefell has its nice characteristic for sure ... But if I have to select one rather universal vocal mic ...
And also - Horch has its intimate face too - within the endless number of mode positions (between omni and figure 8) in the linear mode

[D.T. Jambor]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

Yes, Gefell has its nice characteristic for sure ... But if I have to select one rather universal vocal mic ...
And also - Horch has its intimate face too - within the endless number of mode positions (between omni and figure 8) in the linear mode

Ivo,

I understand your feeling to Horch. It is a large and fine microphone, hope you find what you are looking for.

Dirk T. Jambor

[Vari-Mu]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

Here we tried how both microphones can stand kind of high pitch strong female "yelling" (I mean "artistic yelling":-)). For sure U87 would collapse soon. Gefell made a slight defense. Horch seemed to remain relaxed and unmoved ...
(the singing was really quite penetrating)

Gefell UM75

Horch

This is one of the main reasons I like it...it never seems to fold up under high SPLs.

Is the one you have continuously variable between omni and figure 8 in linear mode?


Best

Vari-Mu

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by Vari-Mu

Is the one you have continuously variable between omni and figure 8 in linear mode?

Yes, it is ... It there another model which does not have that ?

[matucha]

the only case I prefer gefell sample is the french singing

in other cases horch rulez big way and where gefell realy loses is the loud singing for sure, compared to horch it is clearly distorted while horch still sounds smooth

[ISedlacek]

And finally - His Master´s Voice

Horch cardioid extreme tube mode

Horch cardioid linear mode

Horch linear mode between card and figure 8

Gefell UM75 cardioid

(I may add between omni and cardioid later)

Please, do not take this listening as an absolute information , the performances etc. are not 100% identical ...

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by matucha

the only case I prefer gefell sample is the french singing

Yes, here the Horch linear mode would suit Magda´s voice better I think ... more "innocent" ...

[ISedlacek]

[blaugruen7]

hmmm,
you look younger than i have expected.
thanks again!

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by blaugruen7

hmmm,
you look younger than i have expected.
thanks again!

Well, he is the one who will inherit the Horch one day :-) I may post his Horch song too :-)