BeezNeez Arabella VS K2 Tube Upgrade VS The Truly High End Mic Experience

[Hardtoe]

Hey Tone Lovers'

I have been thinking about I am thinking of pulling the trigger on a new LDC - I have only a couple of Rode's for LDC's right now (NT2-A and a K2), neither of which had really demanded my affection. They are totally usable and have a workhorse quality, but are not really blowing my mind.

I have been considering if I should get a Bock 195, but my my research shows that this may not really be the ticket. Further reading has lead to the Arabella or just upgrading the tube in my K2. I really am looking for a stand out vox mic. I do have an SM7 and the Shiny Box 46MXL ribbon, that sound great when I need those tones , but I would like something a little more special on the condenser front.

I kind of got this hankering after listening to a shootout Adam Brass posted on movethemics with Sean Eldon playing with a bunch of fantastic mics recording him - I wish I could afford those, but I'll take what magic I can get. ( They were using a Bock 507, JosephsonC715 and the Telefunken Elektroakustik 251E - these are all very awesome).

So I wonder - can I get some of this feel with any of the options I have outlined? I know it's a hard go around the $1000 price range, but I would ideally have a mic that works something like those high end players. I think the Arabella might get me the closest, but I wonder what you'll think? (I have only been able to find a limited number of vocal recording with the Arabella, but they were great)

This mic is for vocal recording of various male and female artists is my studio - it is not for me, so it is more of a general question.

Thanks

[ddageek]

First off everytime I here the Arabella I want one, and yeah those samples show what a great mic can do! Now my first question is this mic just for your voice or are you recording bands? If it is for just one voice it becomes easier, but the methodology remains the same. You have got to find away to rent barrow demo some contenders, yeah it can be a pain in the ass, but buying mikes blind on the advise of others is like buying a mail order bride, sure it's worked , but far more often no one is happy.

[Hardtoe]

I edited my post above, but you must have already replied. It is for a general recording situation, not for my voice alone. I guess I want some other people's experience on if the K2 can give that "High End" kind of mic sound with a great tube, or is something like the Arabella is needed to get there, or if it even comes close to that kind of magic. You know where you just put the mic in front of the source and go "wow".

I have no experience with truly great mics, so I'm looking for what others think about these options.

I would have to go into some debt to get the BeezNeez, so I would need for it to be a big step up. Also, I like in a little city, so auditioning is out - the best thing here is a Rode Classic 2 and then lots of made in China.

(BTW I have a Thermionic Culture Rooster, RNP, EH 12AY7, and Apogee Ensemble for pre's, if anyone cares or thinks it relevant)

[KBOY]

The best mic I've ever owned was a brauner phantom classic. But I only had it for about a month and till this day I still drool over the way it sounded, but it didn't fit the vocalist I was working with at the time so it went back and I replaced it with an AEA r84 which worked perfect for that situation. Then I bought a K2... That same artist liked it a lot. But she hated the clarity of the brauner. The K2 is a good good mic. But it's kind of boring to me.

The best mic I've owned that seemed to work on just about any vocalist I threw at it and eventually allowed me to sell my K2 without any regrets was a Peluso 2247. Not the Le or what ever. Great mic.

I say screw it.. Give the Beez Neez a try... Anything in the 47 arena will probably work well for you.

Don't know if this helps ya though

[Hardtoe]

That actually does help a lot in some weird way. I do like the K2 (but think is could benefit from a better tube), but it just doesn't excite me as it is right now. The Arabella seems like it might have some special mojo that would make me say YES, I can hear the magic. I can use the K2 to get perfectly good takes, but I have yet to get a really great vocal recording with it. I wish there were a way to try the BeezNeez without the distance, but I think you can return them if you dont fall in love - it would end up costing me about $300 for the shipping though. Hmmmmm. What to do?

(BTW was your K2 stock of did you get a NOS tube?)

[KBOY]

Stock. The tube went once and they replaced it with an identical tube. I will say that Rode has great customer service. I tried a few (can't remember which ones now) tubes that were laying around the shop. But nothing kicked ass.. So I just left it stock.

I'm not an electrical engineer, but I'm going to guess that there is a lot more to do with the mic then only the tube. But also how the electronics interact with the tube.

Are there any mods out there that can get the K2 closer to the sound you want?? I've never heard of any. Seems like a nice well built good looking mic to mod. Just ditch the suspension mount.. That thing is waaay to big and clunky.

[Hardtoe]

I think I'm gonna try a nice NOS tube as some people seem to have heard a significant transformation after doing this - if it still isn't doing it for me, I go Arabella and sell the K2 - thanks for you input. I'm not going to try any mods beyond that, I'll just move on.

Any Arabella/K2 lovers out there want to make the case for their weapon?

[Hardtoe]

Ok, well I've ordered a high-end, but not ridiculously priced tube for my K2 - I got a Mazda goldpin 6922 from France. According to an email from Brent @ audiotubes.com:

These are an industrial type 6DJ8 that has a lower noise floor, is very detailed and dynamic, and just a touch warm in the lower midrange. They are $99.00 each.

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From his site:

Finally, Philips (the parent company of Amperex) owned a number of tube brands, and many were never seen outside of Europe. Most were actually made in the same Heerlen, Holland factory that turned out the Bugleboy 6DJ8 and PQ 6922 Amperex. Watch for tubes labeled E88CC with brands like Valvo, R/T, RTC, Miniwatt, Dario, Philips, and Adzam. These tubes are identical to the Amperex PQ and Philips SQ (Special Quality) types more often found in America, and are perfect if the Amperex is not available.

Also rare in America are these same brands made at the Philips-owned Mazda factory (La Radiotechnique) in Suresnes, France. These usually have a capital "F" in the second line of the date code. They are sweet like the Holland tubes, with a bit better detail and punch at the top end, and still have nice balanced warmth. We are one of the very few worldwide tube dealers to offer these rare NOS French Philips tubes.

They were made from 1970-1972.

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I am hoping for a big difference in the K2 - If I'm not totally loving it in a couple of weeks, I will just do the GS thing and buy the Arabella as well.
I'll report back on the Mazda Goldpin.

[a.beck]

Dislcaimer (and mostly off-topic): I've never really been a fan of Rode mics, even though I've tried to like them (living in Australia, they're pretty ubiquitous). I've often been working somewhere that has one (or two, or a dozen), and put them up on this or that source, faffed around for twenty minutes trying to get a sound, only to put up something else (414, 87, 451, etc.) and immediately think, "oh, there's the sound I was after". So.... yeah, that's the extent of my experience with a K2.

<anecdote>
My neighbor has a pair of K2s that he's put NOS tubes into, and he reckons the difference is night and day. I have yet to hear them, but it wouldn't really mean much if I did, as I'm not too familiar with the mics anyway (see above).
</anecdote>

Hope you like your new mics when the tubes arrive.

[Hardtoe]

I guess it's kind of funny that both mics I am considering are Australian - what're the chances? I must want a sound from down under (is there an
Aussie tone?)


Thanks for the anecdote...

[audiophile2010]

[QUOTE=Hardtoe;5153252]Ok, well I've ordered a high-end, but not ridiculously priced tube for my K2 - I got a Mazda goldpin 6922 from France. According to an email from Brent @ audiotubes.com:

These are an industrial type 6DJ8 that has a lower noise floor, is very detailed and dynamic, and just a touch warm in the lower midrange. They are $99.00 each.

How did it work out for you? are you happy with it or was it a waste of time? Night & Day, Chalk & Cheese? Let me know because I am about to take that plunge!

[tapehiss]

I recently purchased an Arabella Pro.... and I think there is a good difference between the studio series and Pro when considering the Arabella. After giving the mic some time, and trying the Wunder GT, I decided the Arabella was perfect. I was astonished with how great that mics sounds. The high-end is so detailed, without even a single hint of harshness..... It's just a beautiful thing..

I am extremely happy with the purchase..... Also, the Arabella I have has their new K7, steel tube...

I swear, it has some magic in it.

[Ephi82]

[QUOTE=audiophile2010;5658901]

Originally Posted by Hardtoe

Ok, well I've ordered a high-end, but not ridiculously priced tube for my K2 - I got a Mazda goldpin 6922 from France. According to an email from Brent @ audiotubes.com:

These are an industrial type 6DJ8 that has a lower noise floor, is very detailed and dynamic, and just a touch warm in the lower midrange. They are $99.00 each.

How did it work out for you? are you happy with it or was it a waste of time? Night & Day, Chalk & Cheese? Let me know because I am about to take that plunge!

If the OP doesn't mind, I will relate my experience.

I purchased two tubes for the K2, an Amperex, and a Telefunken.

I have tried the Amperex and it has been a pretty good improvement. The fault I was finding with the original was that it sounded kind of sterile/boring and seemed to have a peaky mid that brought out an undesireable aspect of my voice.

Amperex delivers more of the "character" I expected of a tube mic. More extended and detailed high end (but no where near harsh or bright) and a more significant improvement in a tighter, more accurate and extended low end. Most important, the problem in the mids seems to be tamed.

IMO before you move on from the K2, try a tube change.

[swafford]

Originally Posted by Hardtoe

I edited my post above, but you must have already replied. It is for a general recording situation, not for my voice alone. I guess I want some other people's experience on if the K2 can give that "High End" kind of mic sound with a great tube.....)

No, it can't. I've sung into high end mics, I owned a K2, I upgraded the tube. No comparison.

[imo]

Though i don't have any of Ben's mics, i had one of his capsules put in my Pearlman TM1, replacing a reskinned M7, and it is phenomenal. I hobby build mics and ordering one of his capsules for one of my own builds. His level of quality for the money seems to exceed anything else that i have found. I don't really need any other mics, but if i did i would be looking through his line first
Ian

[Hardtoe]

Thanks for the reports.

My K2 is much better with the "new" tube and I have had a similar experience to Ephi82 with the kind of improvements noticed - the Rode just has a nicer tone now.

However, in true GS fashion, I also bought a Beezneez James (studio) and it came with a bad tube, so Ben sent me a handpicked GE 5 star 6072a. This mic is great so far, but I have been mostly mixing since I got it, so I have only had a handful of sessions to date. (I bought it over the Arabella to have more contrast with the upgraded K2)

I also picked up a pair or Lulu's, which are absolutely fantastic - it seems pretty hard to go too wrong with the Beez.

[ironbelly]

+1 on the Arabella. Used it on voice, acoustic and electric guits, mandolin, banjo, and some percussion so far and it has yet to let me down. Gorgeous full sounding mic.



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