I got a Revelation and found a new mic - Page 2

Bob Womack · #16 02-23-2017, 01:59 PM

Today I took the time to compare our excellent 1950s U47 at work to the Revelation. You can find an update with my results, HERE.

Bob

DupleMeter · #17 02-23-2017, 02:24 PM

okay - I totally shocked myself on the 2nd comparison. I chose Mic 2 for both!

Who wudda thunk

rockabilly69 · #18 02-23-2017, 03:53 PM

The gap is definately closing when it come to expensive vs low cost microphones these days, and these tests prove it!

Yamaha Man · #19 02-23-2017, 04:50 PM

I didn't hear any difference between the U-47 and the Revelation. Guitar Center has a Collector's Edition of the U-47 available for $3,599....so to get a mic that sounds pretty much identical to a $3,599 dollar mic for $399....that's like $.10 cents on the dollar...I hate to say it, but I'm going to have to scrape the money together and get one. Too good to pass up...

The U-47/Revelation test is a pretty powerful selling point. I bet it'll sound great thru my ART tube pre-amp and compressor...

************************************************** *****************************

I just checked Amazon and I had about $12.00 in reward points on my account, so I got it for $388......

Thanks for bringing this mic to our attention.

rockabilly69 · #20 02-23-2017, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Maniac

I didn't hear any difference between the U-47 and the Revelation. Guitar Center has a Collector's Edition of the U-47 available for $3,599....so to get a mic that sounds pretty much identical to a $3,599 dollar mic for $399....that's like $.10 cents on the dollar...I hate to say it, but I'm going to have to scrape the money together and get one. Too good to pass up...

The U-47/Revelation test is a pretty powerful selling point. I bet it'll sound great thru my ART tube pre-amp and compressor...

************************************************** *****************************

I just checked Amazon and I had about $12.00 in reward points on my account, so I got it for $388......

Thanks for bringing this mic to our attention.

The U47 @ $2599 is a solid state U47, real tube vintage U47s from the 50's like Bob Womacks sell for between 10 and 20 thousand dollars depending on condition.

Yamaha Man · #21 02-23-2017, 05:11 PM

Here's another interesting mic comparison I found between a Telefunken U-47, a Gemini II and a Revelation....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKhM_ghk4Sk

Yamaha Man · #22 02-23-2017, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

The U47 @ $2599 is a solid state U47, real tube vintage U47s from the 50's like Bob Womacks sell for between 10 and 20 thousand dollars depending on condition.

I noticed that, I was afraid to ask how much Bob's was worth ....

Bowie · #23 02-23-2017, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Maniac

I didn't hear any difference between the U-47 and the Revelation. Guitar Center has a Collector's Edition of the U-47 available for $3,599....so to get a mic that sounds pretty much identical to a $3,599 dollar mic for $399....that's like $.10 cents on the dollar...I hate to say it, but I'm going to have to scrape the money together and get one. Too good to pass up...

Keep in mind, listening to someone else's clips, you're listening to their mic placement. Placement is everything with a mic and it will always favor one over the other. Youtube is filled with clips of cheap mics "outperforming" expensive mics because it's easy to position them in a spot that favors one mic. I'm not saying the OP did that here so don't take it the wrong way. I just think it's a shame when people here a clip and make a judgement that the $700 mic is identical to a $4k one because it rarely works out that way when you have them both in-hand.

I know quite a few people with mics that cost over $5k and they aren't fools, or unaware of cheaper options. They would love to spend less if it didn't compromise quality. They also keep certain cheap mics because sometimes they just sound right on certain sources. You just have to try the mics in your studio and find if they meet your requirements.

Yamaha Man · #24 02-23-2017, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

nice. I always stayed clear of the MXL stuff...didn't realize they were competing that well in the high-end mic space.

BTW, I liked mic 1 for the voice better & mic 2 for the guitar better in your tests.

I have a bunch of MXL mics and I like them all. So buying the Revelation was an easy decision for me.

Yamaha Man · #25 02-23-2017, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowie

Keep in mind, listening to someone else's clips, you're listening to their mic placement. Placement is everything with a mic and it will always favor one over the other. Youtube is filled with clips of cheap mics "outperforming" expensive mics because it's easy to position them in a spot that favors one mic. I'm not saying the OP did that here so don't take it the wrong way. I just think it's a shame when people here a clip and make a judgement that the $700 mic is identical to a $4k one because it rarely works out that way when you have them both in-hand.

I know quite a few people with mics that cost over $5k and they aren't fools, or unaware of cheaper options. They would love to spend less if it didn't compromise quality. They also keep certain cheap mics because sometimes they just sound right on certain sources. You just have to try the mics in your studio and find if they meet your requirements.

Well my experience with You Tube clips and mic shoot outs has been very good. I get the mics home and find that the YOU Tube clips give a very fair idea of what to expect. For example the MXL Blizzard had a few clips and I was not disappointed with the mic at all, once I tried it out.

In my case, the expensive mics aren't available to me, so I have to make do with what falls within my budget. I'm stretching it to be able to buy a $399 mic.

Also in my case, the $199 Blizzard is plenty good enough for my needs but the Revelation will up my ante and only add to my mic locker. In the You Tube video I just posted above, the Revelation had a really nice bass sound that I really liked. Can't wait to get it now.

I will say this though, some mic tests are colored by pre-amps that really bring the mic to life. Most times the signal chain is NOT laid out for you to see. So if somebody is using a cheap mic thru a $2,000 pre-amp, that may give a false representation of what the mic will sound like thru your $99 interface.

Yamaha Man · #26 02-23-2017, 06:09 PM

Just a thought...Guitar Center has the Revelation marked at $952.

Bowie · #27 02-23-2017, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Maniac

Well my experience with You Tube clips and mic shoot outs has been very good. I get the mics home and find that the YOU Tube clips give a very fair idea of what to expect. For example the MXL Blizzard had a few clips and I was not disappointed with the mic at all, once I tried it out.

In my case, the expensive mics aren't available to me, so I have to make do with what falls within my budget. I'm stretching it to be able to buy a $399 mic.

Also in my case, the $199 Blizzard is plenty good enough for my needs but the Revelation will up my ante and only add to my mic locker. In the You Tube video I just posted above, the Revelation had a really nice bass sound that I really liked. Can't wait to get it now.

I will say this though, some mic tests are colored by pre-amps that really bring the mic to life. Most times the signal chain is NOT laid out for you to see. So if somebody is using a cheap mic thru a $2,000 pre-amp, that may give a false representation of what the mic will sound like thru your $99 interface.

That's great, and I encourage people to find what works for them in a price range that's comfortable, as there are plenty of wonderful options out there. I actually discourage "I've gotta have a better mic" mentality that people tend to get. It sounds like you're making good choices.

The "sounds identical to the $4k mic" comment is what I was addressing. It can sometimes seem like that in clips, but rarely ever works out that way when you have them both in-hand.

Yamaha Man · #28 02-23-2017, 06:27 PM

Well if it sounds better than the Blizzard, I'll be very happy. It should, and the You Tube video I posted, I loved the sound of the Revelation. Nice rich low end.

Yamaha Man · #29 02-23-2017, 06:38 PM

Well pro studio's have to have those $4-10,000 mics to impress their clients and because that's what the competition has. Us guys in the home studio's don't have that nonsense to deal with. We don't have to have top of the line industry standard gear. As long as it sounds good, that's all the matters.

Bowie · #30 02-23-2017, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Maniac

Well pro studio's have to have those $4-10,000 mics to impress their clients and because that's what the competition has. Us guys in the home studio's don't have that nonsense to deal with. We don't have to have top of the line industry standard gear.

No....
People like to say that just like to say that their Eastman is better than the $5k Martin they played. It's validation.

Pro studios also use SM57s on snares. They're just using what they feel is the best for the application.
There's a level of detail, richness, a sense of depth in those high-end mics that causes people to spend big money on them. When they can find a cheaper mic that does the same job, they're going to buy that. In my business, I've come to know hundreds of studio owners and I've never met any who were spending an extra $10k on image. They do it when they hear something special.

I don't every try to make people feel bad about owning cheaper gear but when I see the old, "there's no difference, it's money wasted" I tend to speak up. It's very dismissive of professional engineers who use quality tools for good reasons.