Topic: Help me decide. nbox or 4061>mma 6000?

[tim in jersey]

Looking to slim down the pack a bit.

My completely open rig is mk4/41>kc5>cmc6>v3>722

FOB in reserved seating situations mk4/41>kc5>cmc6>722

looking to slim down even further for the occasional $te4|th and/or super low-pro gigs (ie: the act is taper-friendly, the venue is not. stands not allowed, etc.). at some point i'll be adding a r-09hr or m-10 or similar to the arsenal.

most of what I record anymore is small theater and club stuff where I can usually end up in the sweet spot. all the more so w/ a smaller footprint and/or ability to self-wear the rig.

Price point for both looks to be about the same. I'm really on the fence as to which direction I'll be going. I'm sort of thinking out loud here, but I'd love some input from you folks.

Nbox-
Pros- already have the mk4/mk41 caps. love the schempz sound, will integrate more easily in to full/open rig

cons- battery life, not as easy to self-wear; haven't found a hat mounting option I like yet; fixed gain- not sure if i like the idea of using the recorder to set levels yet. kind of used to stepped gain and variable gain on the pre.

4061/mma 6000
pros- having an omni in the arsenal, easier to hat mount, much more low-pro, stepped gain, non-proprietary/boutique pre, battery life (i think. what kind of battery life does the mma 6000 get?)

cons- HRTF/binaural (I hardly ever listen using phones), not sure what else.


Guess that's about it. Have at it!

TIA

[acidjack]

Seems to me if you already have the Schoeps caps the Nbox is the better way to go.  I love my 4061s but they are not the best mic in every situation.  I would think the Schoeps are likely to be more versatile unless you are always really really close in quiet venues.

[perks]

I own both rigs and my Nbox gets out in the field far more than my MMA6000 does.  I love the recordings I get from the DPA's when the audience near me cooperates but I never know heading into a show who will be sitting next to me or behind me and you have to worry about the behind you with the DPA rig.

I wont sell the DPA rig because it does sound  good but all things being equal I always pick the Nbox first. Plus Nick is great to deal with if you have any thing go wrong (not a knock on DPA service which I'm sure is good too.)

I've heard that the MMA600 will run for 40+ hours on 1 9V but I've never tested that out. I change the batt every other show just to be safe.

[yug du nord]

I've heard that with the 9.6v PowerEx NiMH rechargeable batteries do well with the NBox.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

One of my concerns about my 4061's is that something will happen with the cable...  If it gets yanked out of the capsule, my understanding is that it cannot be repaired.    The kc5 and nbox colettes can be fairly easily serviced by quite a few folks.  I also don't like the ambient noise rejection of the 4061's at quiet shows (but they are great mics).

So of the options you presented, I would definitely say nbox.

You already have kc5's and cmc6's.  I was always very comfortable using those with the 7xx, but having the right cables is key.   What about running the kc5/cmc6 with a littlebox into a handheld?  Your cmc6's can take 12volts, so the littlebox will be very efficient in battery use.

[Craig T]

I owned both the 4061's> Sonosax (never ran the mma6000) and Schoeps>NBox and I can say without a doubt that I prefer the Schoeps>NBox rig.  While I made a few great recordings with the 4061's, most of them were just OK at best.  While the 4061's have the advantage with size, they aren't as forgiving with location and mix. 

[Scooter123]

I have both rigs.  The 4061's gather dust.  99% of the time, it is the mk4 > NBox that gets the call. 

Don't get me wrong, the 4061's are beautiful sounding mikes, but and in a close location, like FOH or stage lip, they are perfect with a quiet crowd. 

All your NBox issues can be easily dealt with.  Big and Heavy:  I wear it in a shoulder holster, PM me and I'll give you the link for this rascal which is about $20.  Battery Life  I use rechargeables.  PM me for what I think is the best brand.  Self Wearing Issues  PM me for pictures to my rig, which is awfully close to Josephines, although we did not collaberate, we just sat their looking at eachother and said, "Wow, you do yours like I do."  Fixed Gain  Who cares?  I'll control gain on the recorder, usually awfully low, and boost it post.  Stepped gain is just one more knob to break or get tweeked while in a pocket.  The fewer adjustments I have to make in the field the better, as prying Security Guards and idiots next to me who like to talk at loud volume, "Wow, that doesn't look like a cell phone!  Are you recording?  Wow.  Hey Marge, look this guy is recording the concert!"Wires Nicky or a Cable guy can make some nice custom cables (actives and TRS) so there are no loose, or long, errant wires. No Lights  The NBox has no lights.  Other than a tight switch, which can not accidently flipped, once on, it stays on.  I would get the outboard connections as XLRs instead of RCA's though.   

[Big Perm]

go with the Nbox! DPA's are great, but i think the schoeps that you ALREADY HAVE will be more forgiving in the places you are describing. As for batteries, the PowerEX true 9.6v are fantastic! When at full charge the are around 11.0v.  The last 6 shows i have tested voltage after 3 1/2 hrs run time and all 4 batteries still register over 10v.  There is a very nice thread in which all of this is discussed in the remote power section.  I LOVE my Nbox and power is no longer an issue with these batteries.
adam

[edtyre]

Nbox all the way! I owned the 4061's and mma 6000 for a few months and made some really great tapes
especially outdoors. I must say that over 50% of the times i was disappointed when i got home and listened to my tape.

Since you already own the caps, its a no brainer.

[setboy]

If you can find a way to rig them up that you are happy with then go with the nbox.

[aaronji]

Are you interested in the DPAs mainly due to their size or are you also interested in getting some omnis?  The great majority of my taping is done in the "omni-zone" (small venues, good acoustics, well-behaved crowds) and I have gotten some great recordings with the 4060s > MMA6000.  The MMA6000 is well built and has 37.5 dB in gain.  And the mics are really small...

If I had the disposable income, though, I would really love to try out an nbox with a pair of MK2s (or maybe some MK21s)...Or some of the DPA compacts (but I digress)...

[su6oxone]

Since you already own the caps, its a no brainer.

Yeah, the Nbox seems to be the obvious choice. 

[udovdh]

Why didn't we mention the CMR option?   

[johnw]

The CMRs by themselves don't have any gain. To get variable gain, you need to use something like the littlebox. Also, the CMR housing is longer than the Nbox if size is important.

[udovdh]

The CMRs by themselves don't have any gain. To get variable gain, you need to use something like the littlebox. Also, the CMR housing is longer than the Nbox if size is important.

This puzzles me.
What gain do you need at 8 mV/Pa?
Also:
CMR is attached to the mic capsule. The nbox is out ouf sight.
The batterybox is smaller than the nbox.