Topic: End of an era....no more AT853's (SP-CMC-4's).....but.....

[soundpro]

Hello all:

I'm not looking to sell anything here, but since so many of you have these mics, I thought I would announce this in this forum as it might interest quite a few folks.

The SP-CMC-4 using the AT853's are gone forever. The have been replaced with the new U853 (now called the SP-CMC-4U in the stereo pair configuration), which has a new RFI shielded all-metal body, smoother off axis response, better bass response, flatter highs, less self noise and more dynamic range.

More info is available on our website, for those who are interested.

Thanks

Chris Carfagno
The Sound Professionals, Inc
800-213-3021
www.soundprofessionals.com

[RedRocketSr]

thanks for the update chris. any free samples?

[JaL]

I'm not looking to sell anything here

Really?

which has a new RFI shielded all-metal body, smoother off axis response, better bass response, flatter highs, less self noise and more dynamic range.

Those a objective truths? Not that I'm offended by this product information, the combination of "not looking to sell" and the "information" looks funny.

[poorlyconditioned]

I'm not looking to sell anything here

Really?

which has a new RFI shielded all-metal body, smoother off axis response, better bass response, flatter highs, less self noise and more dynamic range.

Those a objective truths? Not that I'm offended by this product information, the combination of "not looking to sell" and the "information" looks funny.

Chris is cool.  Check out his old posts if you don't believe me...

End of an era is true, AT853 has been standard for years.  Improvement is true as well.  Time will tell how much this matters to tapers, but this is a revised/improved version of a very solid mic.  I'm almost tempted to buy a new pair to play with .

  Richard

[RebelRebel]

Lay off fella. Chris is a great guy.

I'm not looking to sell anything here

Really?

which has a new RFI shielded all-metal body, smoother off axis response, better bass response, flatter highs, less self noise and more dynamic range.

Those a objective truths? Not that I'm offended by this product information, the combination of "not looking to sell" and the "information" looks funny.

[Brian Skalinder]

Those a objective truths? Not that I'm offended by this product information, the combination of "not looking to sell" and the "information" looks funny.

RFI shield alll-metal body, lower self-noise, greater dynamic range, and maybe (depending on how much stock one puts into frequency response plots) smoother off-axis and better bass response and flatter highs sound objective to me.  The latter three maybe not so much.  But still, keep in mind huge amounts of feedback on TS are purely subjective.  Besides, compared to some other retailers who constantly push their product, this is an isolated, tame incident from Chris that actually provides some useful information to people, i.e. discontinued / replaced product.  Thanks for the heads up, Chris.

[Javier Cinakowski]

Chris is a great guy, very helpful!!!


So these new U853's....  Are the capsules the same or are both the body and capsules new?  Are the old bodys/capsules interchangable with the new ones?  It says they offer a Uniline shotgun capsule for these mics?  Is this similar to the Microline capsules for the AT943's?  

[Will_S]

which has a new RFI shielded all-metal body, smoother off axis response, better bass response, flatter highs, less self noise and more dynamic range.

Those a objective truths? Not that I'm offended by this product information, the combination of "not looking to sell" and the "information" looks funny.

As Brian notes above, RFI shielding is an objective truth.  Can't really comment on the off-axis response.  Better bass response, flatter highs, lower self noise and more dynamic range are all borne out by the specs provided by Audio Technica and my own experience with the hypercardioid capsules from the old and new lines.  It's not a night and day difference, but I like the new sound better.

That said, I'm not going to rush out to replace my other caps or my old AT853 bodies.

windorabug:  The capsules are new but compatible with the old bodies.  I have used capsules from the old line with my new U873R bodies, and my new hyper caps with the old AT853 bodies, with no problems.

[joekar]

Hi,
  Thanks for the info Chris...

Peace,
jk

ps: Cut Chris some slack man, he's a good guy...

[JaL]

Chris is cool.  Check out his old posts if you don't believe me...

Hey, I just thought it sounded funny. I own two pairs of mics from SoundPro and also think it's a good company to buy stuff from.

[RedRocketSr]

hey, i never said a bad word or wasn't picking on chris. i just thought that since i thanked him first the update (I have SP mics myself), i might get a free sample. Still waiting on word about that.

[run_run_run]

This could lead to a fall out in AT 853 prices?

[George]

Chris is cool.  Check out his old posts if you don't believe me...

Hey, I just thought it sounded funny. I own two pairs of mics from SoundPro and also think it's a good company to buy stuff from.

Ok, then what's the problem?  Chris is making an announcement that the cmc-4's are no longer in production and have been replaced by a better mic (subjective?  maybe..).  I think soundpro has some of the best customer service out there.

[soundpro]

thanks for the update chris. any free samples?

He he.....hey, as soon as Audio Technica starts handing out free samples of their mics, I'll be the first to pass them on :-)

Chris

[soundpro]

I'm not looking to sell anything here

Really?

Yes, really. There are other forums for that. I was just passing along the basic info and a link to the more detailed specs (which are on our site).

which has a new RFI shielded all-metal body, smoother off axis response, better bass response, flatter highs, less self noise and more dynamic range.

Those a objective truths? Not that I'm offended by this product information, the combination of "not looking to sell" and the "information" looks funny.

I summarized the changes in the new design. You can see the spefic specs on our site and Audio Technica's site.

Chris

[soundpro]

Chris is a great guy, very helpful!!!


So these new U853's....  Are the capsules the same or are both the body and capsules new?  Are the old bodys/capsules interchangable with the new ones?  It says they offer a Uniline shotgun capsule for these mics?  Is this similar to the Microline capsules for the AT943's?  

The new mics also have new capsules. The caps are backward compatible, so you can get the frequency response improvements by getting the new capsules and putting them on the old bodies. The other improvements (noise, etc) are more related to the electronics in the body.

Chris

[soundpro]

This could lead to a fall out in AT 853 prices?

Perhaps a little in the used market.....yes. There are no more new ones available.

Chris

[OOK]

Chris is a great guy, very helpful!!!


So these new U853's....  Are the capsules the same or are both the body and capsules new?  Are the old bodys/capsules interchangable with the new ones?  It says they offer a Uniline shotgun capsule for these mics?  Is this similar to the Microline capsules for the AT943's?  

The new mics also have new capsules. The caps are backward compatible, so you can get the frequency response improvements by getting the new capsules and putting them on the old bodies. The other improvements (noise, etc) are more related to the electronics in the body.

Chris

Is the reverse also true, can you use the old caps on the new bodies?

[Chanher]

I've been talking with Chris, I think I'm gonna grab some 20 fters with phantom module hard wired on. I'll have to run a comparison with my current pair. I like these mics, it'll be nice to have a couple pairs.

[run_run_run]

This could lead to a fall out in AT 853 prices?

Perhaps a little in the used market.....yes. There are no more new ones available.

Chris

yeah I was talking used. Ether way next year I am going to pick up a set of U853 or 853s.

[soundpro]

Chris is a great guy, very helpful!!!


So these new U853's....  Are the capsules the same or are both the body and capsules new?  Are the old bodys/capsules interchangable with the new ones?  It says they offer a Uniline shotgun capsule for these mics?  Is this similar to the Microline capsules for the AT943's?  

The new mics also have new capsules. The caps are backward compatible, so you can get the frequency response improvements by getting the new capsules and putting them on the old bodies. The other improvements (noise, etc) are more related to the electronics in the body.

Chris

Is the reverse also true, can you use the old caps on the new bodies?

Yes, you can use the old caps on the new bodies

Chris

[audBall]

Chris,

Just to clarify even further....can you use the U-series caps with the adapters on the 943's?

[Aaron41]

I'm really liking all the changes these new mics are said to have. After I hear some clips, maybe I'll pic up a pair.

[Will_S]

I'm really liking all the changes these new mics are said to have. After I hear some clips, maybe I'll pic up a pair.

These use the U873R, which is essentially the U853 stuffed into a normal sized mic body with built-in phantom adapter.  They use the new U-series cap, hyper flavor.

http://www.archive.org/details/jgb2006-09-09.u873r.flac16f
http://www.archive.org/details/jgb2006-10-27.U873Rhc.flac16f
http://www.archive.org/details/nm2006-10-20.u873rhc.flac16f

[Aaron41]

I'm really liking all the changes these new mics are said to have. After I hear some clips, maybe I'll pic up a pair.

These use the U873R, which is essentially the U853 stuffed into a normal sized mic body with built-in phantom adapter.  They use the new U-series cap, hyper flavor.

http://www.archive.org/details/jgb2006-09-09.u873r.flac16f
http://www.archive.org/details/jgb2006-10-27.U873Rhc.flac16f
http://www.archive.org/details/nm2006-10-20.u873rhc.flac16f

Interesting. I'll have to give those samples a listen when I get home.

I'm really interested in some small card mics that can handle loud rock shows and provide good or even great bass. I love my DPA 4061s but I don't know how many more loud clappers I can take. heh

[Chanher]

when I've compared the at853's to the akg 480's head to head (there's a few shows on the archive featuring both mics) the 480's always sounded smoother and more rich (mostly in the low end), but it was NOT that big of a difference. Seriously, as audiophiles we look for those differences, but I wouldn't be suprised if non-audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between the two.

Granted, my reference system is not up to par, and a better playback could better reveal the strengths of the akg's and the weaknesses of the AT's, but at least 50% of my recordings are requested by somebody else who is probably not an audiophile.

[poorlyconditioned]

when I've compared the at853's to the akg 480's head to head (there's a few shows on the archive featuring both mics) the 480's always sounded smoother and more rich (mostly in the low end), but it was NOT that big of a difference. Seriously, as audiophiles we look for those differences, but I wouldn't be suprised if non-audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between the two.

Granted, my reference system is not up to par, and a better playback could better reveal the strengths of the akg's and the weaknesses of the AT's, but at least 50% of my recordings are requested by somebody else who is probably not an audiophile.

I have not used 480s (yet).  But my opinion is similar.  It seems 90% of the battle is getting your mics in the right place/configuration in the room.  And it matters even less if you do a SBD+MICS mix as I often do.  Don't get me wrong, a great room with great mics will always sound better, but having a great room and position is quite rare in my experience.

  Richard

[spyder9]

480's vs AT853RX  The initial comparison was for the Zoom's Pre characteristics.  But it could also be used for the difference between these microphones.  Have a slice!! 

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=74928.0

[Chanher]

when I've compared the at853's to the akg 480's head to head (there's a few shows on the archive featuring both mics) the 480's always sounded smoother and more rich (mostly in the low end), but it was NOT that big of a difference. Seriously, as audiophiles we look for those differences, but I wouldn't be suprised if non-audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between the two.

Granted, my reference system is not up to par, and a better playback could better reveal the strengths of the akg's and the weaknesses of the AT's, but at least 50% of my recordings are requested by somebody else who is probably not an audiophile.

I have not used 480s (yet).  But my opinion is similar.  It seems 90% of the battle is getting your mics in the right place/configuration in the room.  And it matters even less if you do a SBD+MICS mix as I often do.  Don't get me wrong, a great room with great mics will always sound better, but having a great room and position is quite rare in my experience.

  Richard

totally agree, not to mention the soundman taking care of business, although that has a lot to do with room.

[Chanher]

480's vs AT853RX  The initial comparison was for the Zoom's Pre characteristics.  But it could also be used for the difference between these microphones.  Have a slice!! 

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=74928.0

yes, a very good example.

[corsair]

U853s.... is AT trying to kill off their ES series of mics? 

[loul69]

Is there someone who try the u853? What s your impressions?