Hey now,
I've been running a pair of mod Nak700's into my Oade wmod UA-5 with pretty nice results considering the cost of the UA-5 and its mod upgrade. I'm pretty happy with the sound I have been pulling but really dislike the touchy mic gain pots on the UA-5!! They can be tricky to get the 700's balanced just using my D8's level meters (and these Nak700's have had the FET's matched by Steven Sank).
If I use my headphones with my Airhead headphone amp I can dial it in very nicely. However I'm not always thrilled to carry a bunch of gear with me at eveyshow. (just like the stand & my Nova 4 bag).
I'm looking for feedback - if anyone thinks its worth saving up for an upgrade (thinking of an V3 over the MMe) and dump my mod UA-5. I don't want to sell my beloved 700's since I have been drawn to that particular sound the 700's have. I have owned several pairs of Nak mics and still have a pair of 300's with all the caps, but the 700's are a much nicer sounding mic!!
A fellow taper in TX (Matt Hiles) runs the 700's into a MMe and sometimes puts his Nak MX-100 infront of the MMe with very nice results. I also do this often with my UA-5 (MX-100 into mic in of the UA-5) and balance out my levels using the MX-100. It would be nice to just run a HQ all in one unit such as the V3 and dump some of this gear (the MX-100 is a brick and very heavy).
Even though the MMe is more available on the used market, the footprint on it is too large for my LoePro Nova 4 bag and I don't want to replace my bag (love that sucker). The V3 will slide in very nicely and will run off the same voltage as my D8.
Is it worth spending $1400+ on a V3, or should I stick with my mod UA-5 for now? I also thought picking up a SBM-1 & have the line-in mod and 24bit mod done as another option that would not only free up more space but also is much cheaper. Is the V3 gonna do that much for my Nak700's that the SBM-1 or UA-5 will not??
Since I plan to keep my mics, what would some of you suggest?? I know this is a very subjective question, but I just can't help catching the upgrade bug!!
Thanks folks