hyper cardiod mic (not oktava)

LuckyStudio 13

LuckyStudio 13

The Tapeless One
lookin to get a new hyper cardiod mic but willing to spend a bit more.

which mic will be an step up from the oktava (mk 12 with hyper capsule)?

thanks again
 
I've got the T.H.E. Hyper and the AKG 480b/ck63 hyper... the T.H.E. was around $600 I think... and the AKG was somewhere between $600-700 as I recall... and both of these mics are solid steps up from the Oktava.

If by spending "a bit more" you mean that you have a pretty serious budget... I'll tell you that I love both my upper-midrange hypers.

I've also handled a Schoeps mk41 a few times and that's about $1500... so it kind of depends on what you mean by spending money.

In my honest opinion the gap between the Oktava and the T.H.E. or AKG is larger then the gap between the AKG or T.H.E. and the Schoeps... but I'll also say that unless you mean you can break the $500 barrier for a hyper that you'll have a hard time beating the Oktava.

"A bit more" doesn't get you any improvement with any of the hypers I know of... not a bit more then $165... which is rock bottom for a professionally capable mic... but I'll be happy to sit back and learn something new if somebody can offer a suggestion... I'm not saying what you're looking for doesn't exist... just that I don't know of anything to suit that criteria.

This may show as an edit... because I just thought about it and your question is what led me to the T.H.E. mic in the first place. I really like the Oktava mics... they have a special something that is very flattering to many voices... but as any pros on the board will attest, you eventually find limitations and start to crave "a bit more" as you say... the problem is that sound is subjective (quantitative measurements aside... like flatness of response, or sensitivity)... so deciding what improvements are worth X amount of dollars is a very personal decision. If you put an Oktava, the T.H.E, and a Schoeps all side by side you'll be surprised at how similar the form factor is... they are all similar in physical stature. So if you buy an Oktava for $165 and then get the T.H.E. for $6XX you will hold them up and wonder why this one is 4X the price of that one... but if you could take the Oktava, give it the flattering character that everyone likes, take away the lower mid-bass blooming, crank up the detail, and also raise the sensitivity quite a bit... well that's what you get with the T.H.E. And at that point you're about halfway to the Schoeps... with the Schoeps you get a further refinement of all those desireable characteristics... plus a sense of "immediacy"... I hate terms like that because I used to be quite an audiophile and there are some strange terms that start to feel like psychological snake oil... but in some cases I just can't think of a better way to put it... if you've ever heard Martin Logan or Magnapan speakers then you know what immediacy sounds like (if you had time alone with them in a quiet room)... and this is a tough call... are these refinements worth doubling the price of a mid-range mic? Are the improvements on the midrange mic worth quadrupling the price of the Oktava? Will your video productions show any of these gains in an easily audible way considering the recording chain you're using? In my case I consider the AKG and the T.H.E. to be very good mics that are well worth the cost... but I'll be really surprised if the Oktava ever gets knocked off the top of the bang for the buck pyramid.
 
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Ck93?

Ck93?

Matt,
Where does the se300b/CK93 blueline AKG fall in line here? I ordered the CK93 because like this guy I wanted something better than Oktava (though I ended up ordering Oktava for backup and sheer curiosity). I'm now wondering if I should have gone with the ULS instead of the Blueline. Thoughts?
-Shawn
 
I remember in other forum, where Ty Ford recommended the AT 4053. Any one that can vouch for the AT 4053.

Would the AT 4053 (indoor) be a better match for the AT 4073a (outdoor)??
 
Sorry... I totally forgot about the ck93... that is a good hyper also... and that is probably the answer I should have given for an upgrade from the Oktava. I totally forgot about that mic. Maybe Jeremy will pop in and comment... he went with the blueline ck93 combo after I talked to him about AKG... but he also has the Oktava.

But honestly dude you don't want to get me going on the ULS line... I'm totally, 100% sold on that line of mics. I always wanted to like Sennheiser's ME line of mics for the modularity... but unfortunately I just don't like how the ME mics sound. The AKG Blueline is what the Sennheiser ME line SHOULD have been, but isn't... meaning the AKG Blueline is EASILY and audibly superior to the Sennheiser ME line... the ck93 in particular is a standout in the Blueline... so this is where you gotta' decide where you want to go with your mic kit.

Honestly, I'd put the ULS mics up against almost anything else. I think the T.H.E. hyper sounds sweeter then the AKG ck63 hyper, but what I absolutely love about the ULS line is that ALL the caps sound wonderful... so even though other really good mics may edge out a particular cap within the line... it doesn't matter because it's the beauty of modularity fully realized. I don't talk too much about this mic system because we have some guys on here that have mkh60, cs3, or other top end guns... and they don't want to hear me say that I think the AKG will nearly match (if not totally equal) what they get with their mic... no Schoeps owner wants to hear me brag up the ck63... and all the Oktava fans (a group I happen to also be a part of) want to hear an argument in favor of spending a LOT more on a mic system.

The thing is... if you KNOW that you'll want, and buy, several mics over a relatively short time (like say, 6 months) then the ULS is actually a pretty good value... the ck69 long/short gun is, I think less then $600 or so? But that is JUST for the cap... so unless you already have the 480b... which is around $4XX... then you're looking at a $1K+ shotgun... just like the other guns in that range... BUT, if you want a hyper and you already have the 480b for the ck63... then it's just a matter of a gun cap that's in the range of the 4073a... even though the system itself is performing on an MKH level.

For me it's fun getting fantastic results out of the Oktava... and it's the most fun talking about how people can get such good results for so cheap... so I hate to get into a discussion of $1K+ mics... and there's NO WAY I'm going to debate anybody on the sound quality of one top mic over another. If somebody with some other pricey mic thinks mine sounds poopy then they can think that and I don't care to argue... but lately I've had the good fortune to work with some major stuff and I am finally convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the AKG ULS system will always be a part of my kit... if you buy the 480b and then consider that $$$ gone... then you can have a $700 hyper for $250... or a $1K gun for $600... or a $1K LONG gun for FREE (with the ck69)... so once you start adding all the caps up... the whole system makes a lot of sense... but it's the first step that's a killer. RVACanada used to be the place to get the ULS at a freakin' bargain price... but I don't know where to send you now... and if you think you may just use the se300b/ck93 ONLY and never get the other caps then forget it... that hyper is very very good anyway.
 
the MBHO is also a very nice choice - about 700 for 500 capsul+preamp
very short mic , good choice of extra capsules , swivel and other acssesories .
the neuman 185 - 650us or 100+50 (800 for a b stock)-
And yes as matt did mention the akg uls is mostly the best bang for the buck you can find these days in the midle range - around 480--500 + 50 us shipping from europe .
 
MattinSTL said:
Sorry... I totally forgot about the ck93... that is a good hyper also... and that is probably the answer I should have given for an upgrade from the Oktava. I totally forgot about that mic. Maybe Jeremy will pop in and comment... he went with the blueline ck93 combo after I talked to him about AKG... but he also has the Oktava.
Click to expand...

If that wasn't an invitation to come and chime in then I don't know what is.

Regarding the BlueLine series... that is a tough call.

As Matt has witnessed, I have been up and down the road of searching for the perfect microphones for situations for a long time and ultimately have settled on certain tools that seem to fit my needs the best. The BlueLine I think is an excellent microphone combination in general but since I have not had the opportunity to sit down and do an A/B comparison with the BlueLine to the ULS I cannot compare those two.

In general the BL from AKG is a solidly built unit that offers reduced handling noise and wind suceptability but lacks that X factor of the Oktava that makes EVERY voice sound smooth.

At the end of the day I don't believe there is a better microphone for the money over the Oktava. This microphone has that strange characteristic that makes every voice sound just smooth and full. A microphone that costs as much as the Oktava shouldn't sound as good as it does, or it should cost 4x as much...

Then again, the Oktava isn't $170. It is $400! I only suggest using the Oktava in the KSSM and with a BBG. So maybe this mic isn't as cheap as everyone thinks, but ultimately it is my favorite tool in my arsenal of audio gear and the one microphone that I always reach for because it is so dynamic, sounds so good, and just does the job.

With my BlueLine experience I was looking for that microphone that could exceed the Oktava but in my opinion, and only my opinion, the Oktava sounds as good as anything else out there.

Better commercial for this little mic, and quoting a conversation I had with Matt last week... I rented a Scheops for a gig I was doing (because why would you buy one when you can rent, unless your Oleg) and in an A/B comparison if I was blind I would not be able to hear the difference. I'm not saying an Oktava is as good as a Schoeps, but I am an Oktava user for life because I believe in them and know how to work them.

Now compared with the Blue Line? The Blue Line has it's benefits, plus it is modular (read my posts, I get a hard on for modular mics) but at the end of the day I did sell my Blue Lines... I have added more Oktavas.
 
Jeremy... I should send the T.H.E. mic to you for a couple weeks... I totally agree about the crazy "x-factor" of the Oktavas... and now I want you to hear the x-factor to the power of x. ;-)

Oleg... what are you saying you can get with the ULS for $550 shipped from Europe? If you're saying that you can get the 480b with the ck63 cap then you must disclose from where... I'm having a hard time believing that... that is dirt cheap and I'd start suggesting people take a serious look at this mic even when we're talking budget mics. You would be talking $380 for the 480b and $220 for the cap I presume? That would be sick cheap.

Where can you get these prices?
 
twistedphabej said:
anybody heard of peluso cemc6? there aren't any comparisons online at all.
Click to expand...


I threw that one out a couple weeks ago, still waiting for someone to bite and try one. They have been getting very favorable reviews for studio recording, but nobody uses hyper caps for making music.
 
Jeremy Ordan said:
Then again, the Oktava isn't $170. It is $400! I only suggest using the Oktava in the KSSM and with a BBG.
Click to expand...

THis is exactly why i started asking this question, by the time you add the NECESSARY BBG and KSSM, suddently you can buy the AKG and AT4053.

I have the K-tek Zeppelin sized medium for my AT 4073a, and the mount is k-tek K-GPS. Is the mount and the blimp going to be too long for the oktava ??

What about the AT4053 or the AKG. If i can save some money by not buying BBG and KSSM, i be grateful.
 
Regardless of what mic you buy you will need at least a softie (same price as the BBG) and a shockmount (same price as the KSSM)

So...
 
Jeremy Ordan said:
Regardless of what mic you buy you will need at least a softie (same price as the BBG) and a shockmount (same price as the KSSM)
Click to expand...

Just got off the phone with K-Tek, I am getting the zeppelin for my At4073a and it would be cheaper if i can use the same zeppelin for my :Drogar-Love(DBG): new hyper cardiod.

Apparently the medium K-tek Zep(to fit AT4073a) comes with the k-gps but you do have the option to swap it with the KSM or KSSM. Is there a reason why the 2 point KSSM with soft rubber is better than the 4 point K-GPS for the oktava?

BTW, K-Tek Rules ! They provide a reasonable priced product with all sort customized options !
 
oleg said:
the akg uls is mostly the best bang for the buck you can find these days in the midle range - around 480--500 + 50 us shipping from europe .
Click to expand...

Oleg, please tell us where we can find this deal. at that price I'd add the hyper to my ULS colectection
 
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