- We need to decide on what exactly we want out of this. Its not as easy as saying"I just want actives"
In fear of opening the floodgates, this is something we all need to give some thought. Let's all try to be realistic, though.
Here's what I'm interested in:
1) A box that has the option of a) providing phantom 48v and variable gain from 0 to ? AND b) not providing anything other than acting as the bodies. Ideally, it could operate either way so it could be used as actives only for running infront of other gear that provide the phantom power & gain (i.e. M148 / V3), or it would operate as an all in one in front of an ADC/capture device for stealthing.
2) An extension cable for the AKG 460/480 mics that allow for running the caps remotely from the bodies. This would allow the caps to be run remotely from the JW Mod AKG bodies, similar to the MBHO actives.. Ideally, an it would allow for the option to run the bodies in the chain with the box. This would possibly require more work than it's work, or not be feasable at all.
You're asking the right questions. But I would aim for #1 since it means you could buy the caps only. The bodies are much more expensive than the caps, so why buy them if you don't need them.
Richard
I agree that my item #1 would be the best approach for a new taper looking to get an affordable stealth/open AKG rig. Realistically, more people are going to use the all in one box vs. the extension cables, IMO. Therefore, I see the extension cables being on the back burner until the AKG actives/box is finished.
However, my wants/needs are different than this person. I love the JW Mod 460 sound, as do many others here. If there is no way to make the actives/box work with the bodies, I'll grab one for stealth/lowpro and hold onto my JW Mod bodies for open situations.
Additionally, I look at it as an opportunity to run 4 mic on-the-fly mixes since I own ck61/ck62/ck63 caps. If the actives/box worked per my item #1, I could run
ck62 > AKG box > UA-5
PLUS ck61 or ck63 > JW Mod 460's > M148 > V3 > UA-5
and output a 24 bit signal from the UA-5 to my capture device.
For all I know, the extension cables aren't even an option, but it seems to me if you can create an active/extension cable that works with the box, then creating an extension cable to run between the caps & body is a possibililty.