i have been through three pairs of km184s, royer r-121s, gefell m300s, AT4051s, schoeps cmc64s, and a variety of all kinds of other mics over the years, and have been using the AKG C480/ck61s for the past couple years as my main mics for mostly chamber music work. the akg's are just wonderful, and i have not had a single complaint about them. i surely find them more useable in more applications than the schoeps, though i really liked the schoeps on some applications also (plus they have incredibale build quality). anyway, i have kept my akg's and just purchased a pair of DPA 4011s to complement them. after jsut a few days of testing, and some studio gigs with som classical instruments, i thought i'd post a couple of thoughts. (preamps are millennia media HV3).
i am very keen on flat response, hence my favoritism twoard the c480s and the 4011s. both these mics are just fabulous, and do not enhance the plinky or screechy nature of any instruments like my little neumanns did (and so many other mics i have owned). the 4011s and 480s are both big, open and clean, with excellent off-axis response. i tend to prefer close spaced pairs on solo instruments in the studio, and in this testing, the 4011s and the c481s were indistinguishable - i did not quite expect this, but that is what my ears are telling me. frankly, i could not be happier with that result - i am able to overdub both mics interchangeably. the AKGs hold their own in every way with the DPAs, though the off-axis response on the DPAs is just a tad cleaner and smoother, which would seem to give them the nod for near-coincident setups like ORTF and NOS. i used a spaced pair of the 4011s on a pedal harp session saturday, with some of the best results i have ever gotten, IMHO. OTOH, the player simply could not hear any differnce between the 4011 session and an earlier session we did with the c481s. a flutist who just loves the sound of the c480s was also unable to distinguish between them and the new 4011s. the build quality of both mics is top rate, though i guess again, i would have to give a slight nod to the DPAs - everything about them, including aevery accessory, is just wonderfully crafted from top quality materials, and the customer support is outstanding. i have had several personal communications from bruce myers at DPA in colorado, and even got a phone call from gary baldassari today - what a treat, that guy has done everything in the world. DPA is even going to do a short PR piece about me next month for a gig i am doing with a new bosendorfer 7'4" grand piano - guess i'll have to comb my hair or something. anyway, i love the 4011s AND the c480s - if any of you have any specific questions about these mics, or how they compare to any other mics, let me know, and i'll try to answer them. take care - great forum!
Topic: AKG C481s vs DPA 4011s - some first thoughts (Read 3723 times)