Link to 16/44 flac file with sources flipping A/B every 15 seconds.
http://www.archive.org/details/sethyac2010-02-20_adk_akg_compattached is a "readme.txt" file to go with it. Same text is pasted below here:
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Here is my attempt at a good comparision between ADK-TLs and AKG414B-XLS mics.
I don't claim it to be absolutely scientific, but I think it's a reasonably accurate.
I believe the mics are 90% of the difference in this comp, and the other 10% is
uncontrolled minutia.
I own both sets of mics, and I try to be an impartial judge.
Do yourself a favor... listen to the WHOLE sample, or at least half. Don't listen
to 1 minute, draw immediate conclusions and rant about them.
The artist is "Seth Yacacone Band".
The song is "Chunky Baby Crap Brown Haggis on Toast".
Recorded at The Stone Church, Newmarket, NH 2010/02/20
The two signal chains are:
- ADK-TL > silvers > V3 > analog > Busman Tmod R4 (24/48) (Joe's rig)
- AKG414B-XLS > silvers > V3 > SPDIF > R44 (24/96) (Ted's rig)Both raw samples were:
- Recorded cardiod pattern, DIN, about 10' from stage, at the same height,
clamped to the same overhead I-beam, side-by-side, so the ADKs are about
6 inches Left of Center, and the AKGs are about 6 inches Right of center.
There is a mono PA stack to the Left and Right. I think we are picking up
about half PA and half directly from on-stage instruments and amps.
- aligned/leveled in Audacity as best as I could, no EQ, compression, or effects.
- resampled/dithered to 16/44 using "ssrc_hp --bits 16 --rate 44100 --dither 3 --pdf 2"
- run through a script which basically does "shntool split" and "shntool join"
in 15 second intervals while alternating the samples.
I think running V3s in both cases is important in making this an accurate comp.
I've run SPDIF/Analog simultaneously out of my V3 into my R4 and MR1 several times,
and I've done A/B comparisions of that variable and I really can't hear a noticable
difference, assuming the device you go into has a reasonably good A/D. Therefore,
I believe the mics are 90% of the difference in this comp, and the other 10%
is uncontrolled minutia.
The samples alternate every 15 seconds like so:
00:00 - 00:15 ADK-TL source
00:15 - 00:30 AKG-414 source
00:30 - 00:45 ADK-TL source
00:45 - 01:00 AKG-414 source
xx:00 - xx:15 ADK-TL source
xx:15 - xx:30 AKG-414 source
xx:30 - xx:45 ADK-TL source
xx:15 - xx:30 AKG-414 sourceMy conclusions... There is a difference in flavor, but neither is distinctly "better."
The ADK's have a presence hump in the upper end which tends to make the cymbals
sizzle a bit more. Whether this is good or bad is a matter of opinion. I expect the
AKG's are probably more "accurate". When I listen to the alternating source, in a
few spots when it switches from AKG>ADK I feel like I just dug the wax out of my ears.
In other cases, when it switches from ADK>AKG I consider it an improvement in
"tightness". In other cases, I don't detect a transition. It depends on what the
predominant instruments are in the mix at that moment.
Joe Bouchard, aka SmokinJoe. 3/1/2010.