Topic: More stealth, MBHO 603a

[Uncle Jimmy]

Folks,

  I need some advice. I have a set of MBHO 603a's that i have the active cables for. This means i can run the capsules in a hat or on a stealth clamp or whateveer and keep the bodies on my person. For the rig i have, i use a V2 and an ADC-20 into my JB3.
   The V2>ADC is too bulky to crotch or otherwise sneak around, so i am looking for a different option.
  I know there is a lot of stealth discussion, but i already have the mics i want to use (and the recorder) so i need to know what will fit in between that is more portable. Any and all success stories are appreciated. (Please don't say "look at the threads" because i did, and there is too much info and opinion about stuff that is not my situation.)

Thanks a bunch,
-UJ

[bush]

I'd sell the v2>adc20 and get something with some warmth.

all that thinness and clarity hurts my ears

[Uncle Jimmy]

i swear to jeebus i don't have any frame of reference for this. talk to me, baby.

i'd love to hear your (and anybody else's) opinion on where this set-up sits in the spectrum of gear.

even more importantly, though, i'd like to stealth and that stuff is huge. i was thinking of going to a V3 anyway, since i could scrap the A/D, but i am wide open to suggestions. and the V3 is still kinda big. i was hoping to hear some tradeoffs of quality vs size or price or preference of any type.

[Cooker]

they sound damn good into a mp-2, imho.

[creekfreak]

with the mbho's my favorite combo was V2-->modsbm-1, the V2 made everything nice and tight, the modsbm-1 added the warmth I liked, but this is not very stealthable either.

mp-2-->modsbm-1 would be my second choice.

[Chapper]

they sound damn good into a mp-2, imho.

Agreed....nice combo.   The MP2 is a great steal pre.  

[sleepypedro]

i stealth on a regular basis with mbho > mp2 > d8.  love it, and have dozens of example tapes if you need to hear 'em.  

if i'm doing a show that's a little less rigorous with regard to security and i don't mind an extra bit of bulk in the fanny pack, i run the mbho > mp2 > modSBM > d8 combo just as suggested!

you'll love it.

[bush]

i swear to jeebus i don't have any frame of reference for this. talk to me, baby.

All the mbho>v2>adc20 tape I've heard just really hurt my ears after a little listening. They have this sharp digital sound to them.

There's some good advice on where to go if you want to go stealth.
If it was me, I'd probably go mp2>mod-sbm-1, that will get you that warmth I spoke of.
 I've also heard some of Joe W.'s mbho>warmmod UA-5 tapes that sounded really nice.

Go out and find some tapes with these combos and give them a listen, let your ears decide

[Brian Skalinder]

MBHOs are bright to my ears, and the ADC20 is painfully bright to my ears.  I think the V2 complements them well with the right ADC.  I loved my MBHOs running V2 > modSBM-1.

Nothing new here:  as others have mentioned, I also like MBHO > MP2 > modSBM-1.  Or MBHO > MP2 > recorder would probably sound pretty good.  Anything to give the sound some warmth.  The MP2 is a relatively inexpensive pre that's great for stealthing and matches the MBHOs well, IMO.

[goose]

Another option would be PS2 for phantom with line transformers into a modSBM.  That would sound very nice as well, and be a small stealthable package.  The modSBM will provide a little warmth and match with the MBHOs well, IMO.   I think that this would provide better sound than using an MP2 - just my opinion however.

[Nick Graham]

Gotta give another thumbs up to the mbho>mp2 combo. They were made for each other. Bright sounding mics and a fat, warm pre...perfect combination.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Everybody,

  Thanks for the tips so far. Just one thing.... how can an A/D make anything "brighter" or "warmer" ? The preamp I can understand, but shouldn't the A/D be invisible, the better the unit?

J----

[Brian Skalinder]

how can an A/D make anything "brighter" or "warmer" ? The preamp I can understand, but shouldn't the A/D be invisible, the better the unit?

Just like mics and preamps, different ADCs have different sonic signatures.  One of the reasons I love the V3 ADC is because it's so smooth and natural, transparent to my ears (at 16-bit, can't speak to 24-bit...yet).  I find the MMe at 16-bit more hyped and colored, not as favorable to my ears.  Other ADCs have their own sonic signatures as well.  It's simply a matter of personal preference.

[Uncle Jimmy]

OK, but let's talk brass tacks here. What is the A/D doing to the signal that would make it sound warm or whatever? It must be in the analog processing, because digital is digital. And I would think that for a devoted D/A, there would be as little analog conditioning as well.

Has anyone used the same set-up of all else and just swapped the A/d?

I'm still skeptical on this one, but optimistically so.

J----

[Brian Skalinder]

The analog design all the way up to the ADC chip - and the ADC chip itself - impacts the sonic signature of the device.  I've run the same gear but swapped out ADCs and was surprised at the difference it made in the recordings.  Generally more subtle than the preamp's sonic signature, but much more explicit than I expected.