Topic: Want Neumann- Don't know what kind

[danlynch]

That is excellent advice. 

[Mr.Fantasy]

Well,

I really don't have a lot of people who record around here that I know of....I posted on the Oklahoma thread....but I don't have very High hopes. People around here are different than I am, I think I belong on one of the coasts...the cold water side....


But anyway...I live in Tulsa, and I am going to be on my own the majority of the time. We just don't get a lot of big names through here. . .

I am still studying my situation, and how much I am actually ready to lay down right now.....

[TNJazz]

I'll make the same recommendation that I did recently on another thread here.  It still applies.

For about $1800 total (maybe even less!), minus the stand, cables, bag, etc:

Mics:  beyerdynamic MC930 stereo set
Deck:  Korg MR-1000

And you're done.  A great starting rig that you won't NEED to upgrade for a long time, if ever.  The mics are top notch and the recorder is the wave (wav?) of the future.  You can swap out lots of different mics in the same price range of course, but NONE will give you the bang for the buck that the beyers do. 

FWIW, at least 2 current beyer owners moved to them from Neumanns and I believe they are both MUCH happier now...(just a little Neumann myth-busting on my part!)

Regardless of that, do your research first.  This will be a major investment, and you should look into every possible option before you commit to anything.  You really want to get it right the first time if you can.  Above all else, it's what YOUR ears prefer.

[stevetoney]

Listen to the people that recommend spending time on the archive.  You and YOU ALONE can determine what sounds best to you.  Since you have the money right from the start, spend the time doing your own research and make the best decision for YOU.

An example is that someone here said the 140s sound better than the 184s.  I have the exact opposite opinion.  Others will tell you that they both are the same sound because they have the same capsule.  None of these opinions is the single right opinion because ONLY YOUR EARS will determine what sounds best to you. 

Another example is that before I purchased my previous rig, even though I had listened on the archive and didn't like what I heard, I listened to the advice of people on the list and bought an MP-2 to match up with my MBHOs when I owned them.  The reason I bought this pre-amp was because SOOO many people had told me that this was T-H-E preamp for these mics.  I thought, well if so many people think that, then they can't be wrong.  Well, even though the vast majority of people recommend that pre-amp, once I got that pre-amp, I just didn't like it at all from day one.

So, the archive really _IS_ your best friend in making this decision.  If you don't spend hours and hours listening and comparing, in the end you're only gonna regret it because you'll make an uninformed decision.  And no matter what others tell you, the only thing you should listen to is your own ears.

So don't be confused.  Just listen to the archive and go with what your ears tell you is the sound that is best for you.  That's the best thing you can do for yourself.

[John Willett]

If you want Neumann, look at:-

KM 100 Series - namely the SKM 140 (stereo set of KM 140) or the SKM 100 (MS stereo set of KM 140 and KM 120).

A stereo set of KM 184 could also be considered.

I would also consider a stereo set of the digital KM 184-D with the DMI 2 interface.

Going off Neumann, I would also have a stereo set of the new Sennheiser MKH 8040 on the list - these are *tiny* and also work well outdoors.

I hope this helps.