Hi, The answer to your question is, "NO." If you are getting those results, specifically muddy midrange, when running hypers, there must be something other than the mme that is wrong (this assumes that the 393s are at least in the range of 483s with respect to bass response and that you weren't taping in a jail cell). And if you like the AKG sound, get the 480s...I recently got a 391 Ratdog tape of a show where I taped with some 483s. The clarity difference was amazing, not to mention the boominess difference (albeit, some or much of which muddiness had to attributable to the hypers versus the cards). And then I got an AKG 568 (shotguns with amazing bass response) copy of the same show. Those are some nice shots...significantly better bass response than the 483s (muddy, even, depending on your playback system ). Again, though, the clarity of the 480s was noticeable. As a result of this characteristic, I think you should seriously consider keeping the mme and buying some 480s. Good luck and let us know what you do. (disclaimer: I am selling some 480s on the used gear page).