Faulty NT2-a? Short comparison with C414B-ULS and U89

J

Jema

Well-known member
I recently bought a used NT2-a becouse I was interested in it's low self-noise for
sound effects, VO and similar. When I got it I did a short test on speech
recording it on it's own and simultaneously with a C414B-ULS and a U89 that I
have access to. The NT2-a sounds pretty good I think, but the self-noise was
much higher in comparison. I wonder it's faulty (it has a faint smell around it,
not a good sign), so I hope anyone has some experience with it.
I tried looking for some other tests made on speech to compare, and
all I could find was one by Ty Ford where he speaks 6'' away and doesn't have
much silence. I used that as a reference for levels (he also had a test on a U89
that I put in as well, just to se the difference in room etc).

Here's a link to a zipfile with the clips,
recorded in 48kHz and 24bit. The only processing is a bit of level balancing, to
put everything at roughly the same level as the NT2-a test by Ty Ford (it's not
exact, but should be good enough to tell).
http://www.2shared.com/file/a96yhcGH/NT2-A_test_possibly_faulty_mic.html

Test 1 is a short comparison between
the different mics in a sound booth, all using a cardioid pattern and the
speaker being about 8'' (20cm) away. The speaker (myself, so excuse the swedish
and a little mouth-noise) is talking a bit softer than Ty Ford (I suspect he
also processed his a little), so this should be taken into
consideration.

Test 2 is the same setup with the NT2-a only, using both
cardioid and figure eight, and then a closer take 3'' away in omni.

Test
3 I tried to match Ty Fords test more closely, about 6'' away, and speaking a
bit louder. Figure eight and then cardioid.


If you have any questions
or want me to do something different with the files, just let me
know!
 
Hi. I don't have time to download your stuff and listen, but I have the NT2000, which is the same mic only with variable settings rather than switchable. The NT2A is a very quiet mic. Perhaps you were just picking up more because of the wide range of the mic? I have a shootout that includes the NT2000, and it's very quiet. There are also source files on the video info of you want to download. If it turns out you really do have an issue with the mic, contact Rode and tell them your concerns. They are very responsive, and will probably help you even if you don't have the 10 year warrantee. They know when each mic was made, and will help you. Just be courteous.

Here's my shootout. The song at the beginning was all the NT2000. And the key to which mic is which is at the very end of the video.
 
Thank you for your reply! Likewise, I don't have the time to judge your video right now, but I'll look at it as soon as possible. I will definately contact Rode and ask if they can help me out.
 
The C414B-XLS--with an X-- is a *very* quiet mic. In Sennheiser territory. The BULS should not be quieter than the Rode, but of course it depends on the preamp load--try the test with a high end preamp, if you have not already done that. The newer AT mics based on the 414 capsule are quiet. Rodes tend--not always, but tend--to be brighter, and so may seem noisier, depending on the source material.
 
To my ear, the Rode was much noisier than the other two in test 1. It also seemed noticeably noisy -- the worst performance overall -- in test 2. In test 3, it seemed much better, and I didn't notice the noise much. It's hard to judge about the Ford tests because there was so little silence, and he was working very close to the mics. But I did think the Rode sounded noisier -- as well as brighter -- than the Neumann. I did have to crank up my monitors to an unreasonably high level for voice in order to hear any of this, but for SFX or other work with quiet or distant sounds, it could be an issue.

I have no experience with this microphone, so I can't say whether it is typical performance, or if yours might be defective. One thing, though, is that once I've seen or heard something that casts doubt on whether a piece of equipment is working properly, I usually feel like I can never fully trust it again and tend to use it less and less. If you can swap the Rode or get it repaired, I think you will feel better about it.

- Greg
 
The C414 is one of the best mikes you'll ever use on anything, so it's no surprise if it beat-out the Rode. I like it (the AKG) better than the N. U87; obviously another classic and amazing (and expensive) microphone.

I wouldn't worry that the Rode may seem a little bit noisier in comparison; it's still an outstanding mike.
The "smell" might bother me a little bit though-- You haven't seen any smoke or anything?

GJ
 
Smith: Yes, that's what I think too - it's brighter and quite noisy in comparison. I know it's supposed to be brighter, but the noise just seems unusually high, regarding that it's spec states a much lower self-noise than the others, and it's known for being so quiet. They were all going through the preamps of a yamaha 01v (original, not 01v96), and required roughly the same level of gain. I first tried it through an Edirol R4 Pro, which has very quiet preamps, and that's when I instantly noticed the noise and did the other test.
I agree with the worrying bit - I don't know if I will ever stop doubting it's performance if I dont return it or get it fixed.

Juke: Nope, no smoke. It seems to work fine exept for the noise. I've sent a mail asking about it to the seller.
Please take a few minutes to listen to the file of the C414 and the NT2-a, and judge it. My concern is not that it's "a little bit noisier", but quite a lot I think.
 
OK, I did get a chance to listen, with this caveat-- Simple and volume limited Dell computer speakers with one-inch drivers.

With that in mind, the difference that I heard is marginal. The Rode is definitely brighter than the others (assuming no EQ and the same pre-amp). But I don't hear a lot of noise issues (within my limited playback ability at this time).

I wouldn't worry about it. If you really hate it, you could return or exchange it, or sell it. But it sounds fine; I'd start recording!

GJ
 
PS-- An AKG C414 and a Nuemann are very hard to beat. If you were/are using this in-studio only, I'd maybe recommend a tube condensor or a ribbon microphone, if you want something with less bite on the high end.

GJ
 
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