Tube mic help!

[metanoiastudios]

Hey guys,

I am looking to buy a Tube mic for my collection, as well as a ribbon mic, but that's at a later time.

I have been reading good things about the M-Audio Sputnik, but I am also curious about the Advanced Audio tube mics. Obviously the Sputnik is multi-pattern, AND tube, and that's a big plus, as my only multi-pattern "workhorse" right now is my 414. I know it has been reviewed in a previous TapeOp, but I do not have it.

Would anyone know how both companies compare in terms to quality?, for the price, would it be a better option to just go with the Sputnik? Any other good tube mics I should be considering in the $500-$900 range?

Thanks!

[Recycled_Brains]

Just slightly over your budget, but it'd be worth your while to check out the Pearlman TM-2. I have a pair, and they're fantastic. Very useful in lots of applications.

[sad iron]

I have a CAD M9 and I like it. A lot. Check it out.

[0-it-hz]

I have the Sputnik. I think it rocks. For all the reviews comparing it to this or that famous mic It doesn't particularly sound like any of them.

It's kinda smushy in the upper mids but it has a nice open high end as well. It doesn't like really loud sources and will get crunchy on drums (in a good way) and guitar (in a bad way).

Look for a good one used because, frankly, I think the new price is too much money. But If you can find one for ~350$ used like mine than go for it!

[Recycled_Brains]

There's the Chameleon Labs LDC too. I read some positive things somewhere, but haven't tried it. It's in your budget.

[Blade]

You might check out the MXL V69.
I like mine, especially after changing the tube.

It doesn't sound like my Peluso 2247 LE, but if it did, then I wouldn't have spent $1800 on the big boy.

With the NOS tube (RCA), it really sounds old school.
Others have put in a Mullard and says it sounds really smooth and sweet.

Good luck with what you choose!

[idealfreedistribution]

I'm not going to give you the answer you want, but I think it's the truth: there isn't one "tube mic" sound. The suggestions listed above range from edgy and bright to rather dark. Remeber, there are solid state condensers, especially cheaper ones, that will do the same thing many tube mics can, and will often sound better. For the money that you're talking, you're getting in the range of really nice solid state stuff like some of the Gefell models. If you insist on going the tube route, what sound do you want, a brighter sound (in the C12 or ELAM style) or someting a bit darker or mid-forward (U47 types)? If you know that, then we can make better recommendations.

If I were you, I'd spend that money on a nice ribbon. There are great ribbons in that price range, and they will have a much different sound than the mics in your collection.

Craig

[river]

Avant CV 12, right at $500, 9 patterns. I bought one a few months back, put a GE 5 Star 6072A tube in it, fabulous.

[metanoiastudios]

I'm not going to give you the answer you want, but I think it's the truth: there isn't one "tube mic" sound. The suggestions listed above range from edgy and bright to rather dark. Remeber, there are solid state condensers, especially cheaper ones, that will do the same thing many tube mics can, and will often sound better. For the money that you're talking, you're getting in the range of really nice solid state stuff like some of the Gefell models. If you insist on going the tube route, what sound do you want, a brighter sound (in the C12 or ELAM style) or someting a bit darker or mid-forward (U47 types)? If you know that, then we can make better recommendations.

If I were you, I'd spend that money on a nice ribbon. There are great ribbons in that price range, and they will have a much different sound than the mics in your collection.

Craig

I'm seeking a bright sound with the obvious warm quality of a tube mic. It will mostly be used on vocals. I'm not going to get a ribbon because it provides a very different characteristic (I'm generalizing here, yes). That is on my next to-buy list, though. More than likely I'll get a Peluso ribbon mic.

I'm sure the Avantone, CAD and MXLs all sound decent in what they do, but is it really worth looking into a "chinese" tube mic? I don't know. To me, it makes more sense to simply spend the money on a relatively better mic right off the bat, than purchasing a cheaper mic and then upgrading at a later time.

[sad iron]

I don't know about now, but my CAD is American made. It's a quality piece of gear.

[idealfreedistribution]

I'm seeking a bright sound with the obvious warm quality of a tube mic. It will mostly be used on vocals. I'm not going to get a ribbon because it provides a very different characteristic (I'm generalizing here, yes). That is on my next to-buy list, though. More than likely I'll get a Peluso ribbon mic.

I'm sure the Avantone, CAD and MXLs all sound decent in what they do, but is it really worth looking into a "chinese" tube mic? I don't know. To me, it makes more sense to simply spend the money on a relatively better mic right off the bat, than purchasing a cheaper mic and then upgrading at a later time.

Again, for $900, a solid state condenser is going to do a better job for "bright with a warm quality" than most tube mics in that range. Often, intead of bright, you get sizzly. Tube warmth is a MYTH. There are great tube products that aren't "warm" at all. There are solid state products that sound incredibly warm (my N72 preamp).
I've heard the Avantone for example, both stock tube and NOS tube, and I hear a really thin mic. It's got a least 3 other major problems holding it back. Me and several others have taken cheaper versions of the same mic and replaced a few components to correct this issue. Can't speak for the CAD and MXL mics. Used, you might pick up a Peluso 2247 or p12 for $900 or a bit more, and I've heard nice recordings made with those that might capture the quality you're looking for.
In the end, if you're not trying the best mics you can afford and picking the one that sounds best to you, you're really missing an opportunity.

[evilaudio]

Mojave MA200!!! I got to use this baby a few times and it really sounds great. I had it up next to an Apex (forgot model #) and it was hilarious how much better it sounded. People say it's like a U47, so there you go. I wouldn't know about that, but I do know I liked it on everything I put through it. Do not mess around with anything else in this price range.

[GooberNumber9]

Tube warmth is a MYTH. There are great tube products that aren't "warm" at all. There are solid state products that sound incredibly warm (my N72 preamp).

Hear hear! The implementation is so much more important than the components in terms of an item's sound and performance.

If I were going to attribute significant sound quality differences to a component, it would definitely be a transformer vs. differential op-amp comparison.

[metanoiastudios]

GooberNumber9/idealfreedistribution

Well, humor me for a second here. Say I don't WANT warmth anymore. I want sizzle and whatever other qualities a tube mic may have. Are you saying a tube mic would not be worth having in anyone's locker if you are looking for a different characteristic than that which you would get in a condenser..? What else do you associate with tube mics, other than "sizzle"?

[river]

I've heard the Avantone for example, both stock tube and NOS tube, and I hear a really thin mic.

Just curious, what source material were you listening to/tracking? It's definitely a bright mic, but I've gotten plenty of low end on acoustic guitar with it, for instance. The NOS tube I put in mine was a recommendation from Ray Kennedy, producer here in Nashville who has used the CV12 on vocals for Taylor Swift (they all loved it). He also just did Ray Davies new record, curious to know if he used it anywhere on that project. The GE 6072A removed any and all hint of sizzle in the high end for me.