Topic: AKG SE 300B a good idea?

[Laurent]

Hi all!
I need to get a pair of stealth mics within the next two weeks.
Someone made me this proposal:
two AKG SE 300B with ck91 caps in real good shape for 350€/434,963$. I don't know if this is a fair price for the set and as it is not what I'd call stealth mics, I wondered how much money and how much difficulties I would have to made them active mics?
With active mics I can put the body in my pocket and just have the caps on my shoulder?

I considered this offer because it is easy for me to obtain and these are good mics for what I've heard. A little big and tricky to get in but I think that some people do this often

Thanks in advance for any answer! Still a n00b and not a wealthy taper but I would also do my part of good recordings!

[grider]

they would sell used for $350 USD, that's the market price, there is a set of active cables for sale for these mics on this site in the Yardsale from seller caymanreview; these are excellent and small mics for a wide variety of taping situations, I owned them once and made excellent recordings

[Laurent]

they would sell used for $350 USD, that's the market price, there is a set of active cables for sale for these mics on this site in the Yardsale from seller caymanreview; these are excellent and small mics for a wide variety of taping situations, I owned them once and made excellent recordings

Thanks for the answer!
Used pair of SE 300B+2 ck91 caps=350$? Great for my wallet!

Still a few questions come to my mind:
- How much cost active cables? I might be wrong but for what I've found, they cost almost as much as the mics...
- That would need a modification on the bodies themselves or I can buy them separately?
- And I forgot to say that I am running a JB3 as a recorder. So I would need connections ending as 3,5" male jack! Is that possible with that kind of mics or I would have to include something between bodies and the JB3?

[Brian Skalinder]

- How much cost active cables? I might be wrong but for what I've found, they cost almost as much as the mics...

Sounds about right - it's a big reason very few people running these mics actually have the active cables.

- That would need a modification on the bodies themselves or I can buy them separately?

No modifications to the bodies are required to run the actives.

- And I forgot to say that I am running a JB3 as a recorder. So I would need connections ending as 3,5" male jack! Is that possible with that kind of mics or I would have to include something between bodies and the JB3?

Check out this thread.  These mics require phantom power, which the JB3 does not provide.  You'd need, at minimu, a phantom power source in a compact form, like the Denecke PS-2 (~$100 used).  Then, you'd still need gain.  The JB3 provides gain, but not very well.

What's your budget?  You may be better off with very compact mics + battery box / preamp like those available from Sound Professionals and Church Audio.

[Laurent]

Sounds about right - it's a big reason very few people running these mics actually have the active cables.

Ok! I don't want to wear the whole bodies on my shoulders and this solution looks not so wallet friendly and not so small in the end (mics+cables+PS-2)!

Check out this thread.  These mics require phantom power, which the JB3 does not provide.  You'd need, at minimu, a phantom power source in a compact form, like the Denecke PS-2 (~$100 used).  Then, you'd still need gain.  The JB3 provides gain, but not very well.

Ok, I thought that the power was coming from the bodies and that the cables were here only to provide freedom to the caps.

What's your budget?  You may be better off with very compact mics + battery box / preamp like those available from Sound Professionals and Church Audio.

I don't really have a budget. Just trying to be reasonable with that! I might say 400€ if I find something that I can keep and use for a long time. I have not been really impressed by recording made with Sound Professional mics (and some other mini mics) and that's why I wanted to know more about active and see if this option was good enough. But in the end I think that you are right, I might go for the cheap and popular: CMC-2>SP-SPSB-1 with Bass Roll-off (might go for CMC-4 and another battery box, not sure...). The goal would be to have a starter set and wait for an upgrade that I would really enjoy!
I am also considering omni instead of cardioid. Don't really know if that would add something in catching the whole atmosphere of the show (audience and venue sound).

Thnaks for your answers!