Topic: Best low/mid priced cardioid?

[nicegrin]

Hi!

Some friends of mine asked me what the best options for mid priced (0-$700) (small!) cardioids are and I gave them a few suggestions but curious to know if I missed some options and also which one that is regarded to have the best sound quality...

These are the ones I come to think about...

*SP CMC-4U (based on the AT 853 capsule)
*SP CMC-8 C (based on the AT 943 capsule)
*Microphone madness MM HLSC-1 (based on the sennheiser MK40 capsule)
*Church audio (CA-11 or CA-14. CA-14 is bigger but better sounding I guess!).
*AKG CK91 capsules + home made cables
*Audix 1290 caps + Chris Church cables!
*DPA 4099 or 4080 (cards? anyone tried them?)

Anythings else? Which one is the winner?

/N.

[raymonda]

A used pair of AKG 460's with your flavor caps!

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

At the $700 range, there are TONS of options... 

Here are a few options in the YS, including the Audix' mics with cables:  http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=156720.0

Terry

[SmokinJoe]

This is liking asking us what kind of ice cream is best.  We can throw out opinions, but their OUR opinion. 

Tell your friend to listen to shows on the archive, dozens of them, and form his own opinion.  If you listen to a dozen AT853 tapes, and a dozen CA14 tapes, etc you will start to form an opinion.  Keep in mind that preamp, battery box, etc will factor into the sound equation as well.  I hear more "sizzle" with AT853's into my ST9100 than I do with my battery box.

[acidjack]

*SP CMC-4U (based on the AT 853 capsule)
*SP CMC-8 C (based on the AT 943 capsule)
*Microphone madness MM HLSC-1 (based on the sennheiser MK40 capsule)
*Church audio (CA-11 or CA-14. CA-14 is bigger but better sounding I guess!).
*AKG CK91 capsules + home made cables
*Audix 1290 caps + Chris Church cables!
*DPA 4099 or 4080 (cards? anyone tried them?)

Anythings else? Which one is the winner?

/N.

I've owned/used:

AT 853
AT 943
Audix 1280/Church Cables
AKG ck91 and 93

Sound-wise my preference would probably be:  AKG>AT853>Audix>AT943 out of those, with the caveat that situationally the Audix smoked all of them a few times (outdoors and toward the back of a bad room). The Audix have a mid/HF bump that adds presence and cleans up muddy rooms and also seems to enhance outdoor recordings, but from the actual sweet spot indoors I often thought they were awful compared to the others.  The ck9x series mics sound the most like "real mics" (i.e., full size mics, partly because they more or less are) but aren't terribly detailed; some find them a little muddy. Those homemade setups are also very finicky and hard to get repaired if busted.   

Out of all of them, I think the AT853s are the best combo of good sound, good value, versatility, and overall likelihood of making a good pull.  I actually ran the 943 bodies, for which I used those (smaller) omnis, which sounded great, then ran an adapter for the AT 853 cardiod caps and hyper caps.

I'd personally not recommend the AT853 hyper caps; I was not that happy with them, but I also don't tape in stadiums much.

[jbou]

I think the OP is specifically asking about low pro cards...

Keep in mind that preamp, battery box, etc will factor into the sound equation as well.  I hear more "sizzle" with AT853's into my ST9100 than I do with my battery box.

I'm curious, could you explain this a little more? I havn't used either enough to have noticed a difference.

[F.O.Bean]

Busman Audio BSC1/BSC2

[Humbug]

I think the OP is specifically asking about low pro cards...

Keep in mind that preamp, battery box, etc will factor into the sound equation as well.  I hear more "sizzle" with AT853's into my ST9100 than I do with my battery box.

I'm curious, could you explain this a little more? I havn't used either enough to have noticed a difference.

Not sure what the OP means by sizzle, but I regularly run AT853's into both a battery box, and a CA9100 preamp (both three wire), at the same gigs. I slightly prefer the sound when running the CA9100, but it's slightly more hassle to set up, and definitely more battery hungry than the battery box. Not sure if that's due to the mics (the set I use with the CA9100's are from 1998, the ones with the battery box are 5 years newer, but have lead a harder life..)

[newplanet7]

Gotta step in and say it's Cardioid not cardiod.

[SmokinJoe]

I think the OP is specifically asking about low pro cards...

Keep in mind that preamp, battery box, etc will factor into the sound equation as well.  I hear more "sizzle" with AT853's into my ST9100 than I do with my battery box.

I'm curious, could you explain this a little more? I havn't used either enough to have noticed a difference.

If I run the mics with the pre a dozen times, and run the mics with the battery box a dozen times, and then sit back and listen to them overall, I come to a conclusion there is a different flavor.  Seth came to the same opinion independently.  It's no different than we see swapping pres on big gear...

I presume it has to do with the impedances of the devices involved, and how much natural filtering results. I don't remember all the ins and outs, but it's been written about many times.