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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: jb3newbie on November 11, 2003, 01:49:01 AM

Title: Whats the Difference......MK012 matched/not matched....UA-5...digimod UA-5
Post by: jb3newbie on November 11, 2003, 01:49:01 AM
Will there be a notable difference in an unmatched pair of Oktava MK012's ???


Also could I pull a decent "tape" w/o getting the digi-mod.  

I am pretty much set on getting a matched set of MK012s...then running into a UA-5 (Possibly digimod) > then into the NJB3...
Title: Re:Whats the Difference......MK012 matched/not matched....UA-5...digimod UA-5
Post by: teamakg on November 11, 2003, 08:04:44 AM
you won't get any tape without the digi-mod.  it's a necessity.  without it you can't use your UA5 as a stand alone unit.  
Title: Re:Whats the Difference......MK012 matched/not matched....UA-5...digimod UA-5
Post by: pfife on November 11, 2003, 09:13:36 AM
you won't get any tape without the digi-mod.  it's a necessity.  without it you can't use your UA5 as a stand alone unit.  

Maybe your confusion is that there are several mods that people get to the UA-5.  First, in order to make the UA-5 work without having it plugged into a computer via USB, it must have the digimod, which is what you are discussing above.  There are some resources about how to do this yourself somewhere in taperssection.com...

Second, people sometimes get an Oade Brothers warm mod, or a presence mod - this switches out the stock mic preamps, and supposedly makes them sound WAY better.   But, these Oade Brothers mods are optional.
Check this out:
http://www.oade.com/digital_recorders/Digital_Converters/Edirol_UA5.html

The bottom will describe the optional mods better than I can...

I have the preamp --> recorder rig you are contemplating, using a UA-5 w/ a Oade Warm mod, and it sounds very nice.  I have never heard anything else, but my recordings that I have done thus far sound really nice!  Strangely, it is called a warm mod, because that is exactly how it sounds - warm! For the warm mod UA-5, w/ 'portable' mod, I paid $500 new, and I have spend about $60 or so in batteries, and $20 or so for the cord to connect the UA-5 to batteries.


HTH-
Pfife


Title: Re:Whats the Difference......MK012 matched/not matched....UA-5...digimod UA-5
Post by: junkbondking on November 11, 2003, 10:16:37 AM
i have both the warm and digi mods on my ua-5 and have to say that it is one great piece of gear.  i would encourage you to try your jb3 or a friends with a v3 as well.  but since a fully modded ua-5 costs 1/2 as much as a used v3, and delivers very comparable results, i think you'll end up with the ua-5.
Title: Re:Whats the Difference......MK012 matched/not matched....UA-5...digimod UA-5
Post by: pfife on November 11, 2003, 11:31:52 AM
i would encourage you to try your jb3 or a friends with a v3 as well.  but since a fully modded ua-5 costs 1/2 as much as a used v3, and delivers very comparable results, i think you'll end up with the ua-5.

It was a quote very similar to this that made me decide to take the UA-5.... and I am quite happy with it!

~Pfife
Title: Re:Whats the Difference......MK012 matched/not matched....UA-5...digimod UA-5
Post by: sexymexi on November 11, 2003, 02:51:16 PM
Will there be a notable difference in an unmatched pair of Oktava MK012's ???

a notable differnece.. well some people would say yes, other might not, it is a good thing to have matched pairs, but it simply means that they have sequencial serial numbers, and they will probably come with certificate saying that, and they have the same polar pattern alll that junk..  i almost went from my akg 391's to oktavas, but i didn't like the lowend they had with them, but they did sound very nice for the price.. i just decided the 391's sounded better, and what i wanted for their price..

peace.
matt
Title: Re:Whats the Difference......MK012 matched/not matched....UA-5...digimod UA-5
Post by: greenone on November 11, 2003, 03:37:33 PM
Will there be a notable difference in an unmatched pair of Oktava MK012's ???

a notable differnece.. well some people would say yes, other might not, it is a good thing to have matched pairs, but it simply means that they have sequencial serial numbers, and they will probably come with certificate saying that, and they have the same polar pattern alll that junk..

Not necessarily true - a matched pair means that they've been measured against each other to see if they have the same frequency response graphs, etc. - i.e. that they perform identically, or as close to identically as possible. With an unmatched pair, you might luck out and get a pair that might as well be matched, or you might not, and get a pair that sounds like shit. Depends on a) how well you can hear,  b) how much you care, and c) how much you pay. :) A matched pair will frequently have sequential serial numbers, but not always. It's more likely because the conditions, parts and assembly are supposedly most similar at the time of manufacture, but there are folks whose matched pairs aren't anywhere near each other...