EV 660

[standup]

Just ordered one of these. Rebadged University Sound, but the distinctive chrome shape is clearly the same as EV's 660.

I can't resist cheap EV dynamics. I'm using more EV dynamics than any other single brand. 408, PL20, 868, pl95, etc.

Looks like the 660 doesn't have a lot of low end, down -5 dB at 100 hz, the chart ends at 60 hz.

I've got an re18 around here, and it looks like the peaks and dips are in different places, so hopefully they will be 2 distinct voices.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

That's a great mic. I have a pl6 which is the same mic with a different paint job. It's basically an RE15 variant with a transformer (the 15 is transformerless). It's got decent low end but not a ton of sub. I've used it as a kick mic before when I wanted thump more than boom and when the bass was going to take the lower frequencies.
It's great on toms too.
I've also used it as a vocal mic to great effect.

[digitaldrummer]

664 is a great mic too. vocals, guitar amps, drum crotch mic. I've recently seen a bunch of them in TV/Movies. not sure why. Probably because they are "satin chrome" and just scream "vintage".

[A.David.MacKinnon]

That one can also be surprisingly good on kick if you don't need a ton of sub. Works really well on country and 60's/70's R&B styles. I used it as a kick mic on a folk rock record that I tracked in the fall and am mixing this week. It's got great thump and attack and lets the bass take the low lows.

[vvv]

I have a cuppla 664's.

One is broken and kinda sounds like a distorted AM radio.

I like 'em both on vocals.

But also, 635a/PL5, n/d's, the 609 ... I love EV dynamics.

also: http://recordinghacks.com/reviews/tapeo ... voice-664/

[standup]

I think I read someone theorizing 660 and 664 were the same mic, with the 660 lacking the 90 degree hinge attachment thingy. But 664 has a fin, and 660 does not, so not sure about the veracity of that.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

The 660 and 664 have different implementations of the Veriable D thing. The 664 has the fin with a hole in the back. The 660 has the vent strip down the handle like the RE15.
The 664 also has a larger capsule.
The 660 really has more in common with an RE15 than a 664 (although they're all from the same family and share a sound). I believe it's the same capsule and venting structure in a different body. I've also been told it has a transformer but don't quote me on that.

[floid]

How does the 660 compare soundwise to the 664? (I know this a bit subjective, I've got 4x 664, 2x 665, 2x 666 and they all are a little different)

[A.David.MacKinnon]

It's got more bottom and the presence peak is higher. Its a little lumpier and bumpier but the general freq response is similar to the re15. Its sort of flat(ish) between 200 and 6-8k. The bass roll off starts around 200 (vs 100 on the RE15) but its somewhat gradual until 100. The presence peak is somewhere above 6-8k until around 12k (much like the re15). The 664 has a wide bump in the 3-5k range and another around 10k. The bass gradually rolls off from the upper mids on down and then drops more steeply in the 200 range.

In practice they all feel like brothers from the same family. Depending on the application I've swapped between re15, 664 and PL6 (660) without feeling massive changes.