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-   -   Condenser mic - Marantz? (https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=510162)

jstroop 05-11-2018 07:06 PM

Condenser mic - Marantz?
 
I’ve started thinking about a home studio and have been browsing this forum for a while, searching for ideas. Today I noticed Woot has a Marantz MPM-2000 large diaphragm condenser mic for ~ $90. Any AGFers have experience with it? Any thoughts about Marantz equipment in general?

muscmp 05-11-2018 08:03 PM

i don't know where they are made but for that price, possibly chinese. that certainly doesn't mean they are bad. for that price, it would probably serve you well for an overall mic. seems they are in the a/v end of electronics now and have been bought and sold a few times.

it looks like the mics are sold by quite a few vendors so may be worth it to go to your big box store and try a couple out.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mara...hrome&ie=UTF-8

play music!

jstroop 05-11-2018 10:03 PM

Thanks, I was thinking that was a nice price, unless it’s a piece o’ junk. I tried to research it but didn’t find much except for a couple of YouTube reviews.

ChuckS 05-12-2018 08:14 AM

I’m not familiar with the mic you are looking at. You said you are starting a home studio, and I was wondering if you’ve considered usb mics versus a setup using an audio interface in combination with a mic(s). If you tell us your overall expectations and usage you might get more opinions.

jstroop 05-12-2018 08:37 AM

Fair enough. I would like to set up a computer based, singer-songwriter type home recording system. The recordings would be for sharing with friends and family, I have no desire to be on YouTube ... so quality matters but only up to a certain point. My preference for the chain would be condenser mic(s) -> audio interface -> PC Daw, tracking to external HD. I have a smallish budget, <$1,000, so I’m looking for the best cost-benefit ratios I can find.

As an aside, I will say that so far, the most helpful sites for my research have been AGF and Sweetwater.

Having said all this, my query was whether anyone on the forum has any experience with this specific mic, and whether they could give a thumbnail review. I suspect the specificity of my request has more to do with the number of replies than a lack of background information. But I appreciate your taking the time to comment. Thanks.

jim1960 05-12-2018 08:45 AM

You say you're "thinking about a home studio." What do you envision that home studio will look like and include? In most home studios (as I would define them), USB mics are going to have very limited usefulness.

I'm also curious as to why you're interested in that Marantz mic. You said you've been "browsing this forum for a while" and I don't think that mic has any reputation at all in this forum while there are other similar mics that have come up and about which there is much more information.

But to answer your questions, I have no experience with this microphone. Also, I've never seen any real love expressed for a Marantz microphone in this or any other forum. Since I read quite a bit here and in other forums, that implies that either this mic is a good mic that has flown under the radar or there are much better options out there for buyers of USB condensers. If I had to put money on which of those things were true, I'd bet on the latter and pass on this mic. I'm sure if you ask the question here, you'll get responses that will give you better options.

jstroop 05-12-2018 09:18 AM

Thanks for the suggestion.

ChuckS 05-12-2018 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jstroop (Post 5726532)
Fair enough. I would like to set up a computer based, singer-songwriter type home recording system. The recordings would be for sharing with friends and family, I have no desire to be on YouTube ... so quality matters but only up to a certain point. My preference for the chain would be condenser mic(s) -> audio interface -> PC Daw, tracking to external HD. I have a smallish budget, <$1,000, so I’m looking for the best cost-benefit ratios I can find.

As an aside, I will say that so far, the most helpful sites for my research have been AGF and Sweetwater.

Having said all this, my query was whether anyone on the forum has any experience with this specific mic, and whether they could give a thumbnail review. I suspect the specificity of my request has more to do with the number of replies than a lack of background information. But I appreciate your taking the time to comment. Thanks.

Well, since your preference is to use a mic(s) into an audio interface I wouldn't even consider the usb Marantz mic you asked about.

I've been impressed with the value of the Focusrite Scarlett audio interfaces; I used to use a 6i6 and my son uses a 2i4. If you go that route get a 2nd generation model.

Do you know how many channels you will be recording at once? Will you record vocal and guitar at same time? Will you be doing mono or stereo recording of your guitar? I can't make recommendations on vocal mics, but for a value based sdc for guitar you might consider the Line Audio CM3. I picked up a pair and they are very nice for $150 each. They are a wide cardioid pattern which may or may not be best for your use.

For a DAW I use Reaper. Really nice for $60.

jstroop 05-12-2018 10:14 AM

Marantz makes two versions of the MCM2000, a USB and the other kind. But frankly, now that I have read up on Line Audio and its consistently good product reviews, I think that option has a lot more appeal. And thanks, too, for the Scarlett 2i4 comments, it looks like the right answer for what I want to do.

Man, AGF is amazing.

Ty Ford 05-13-2018 08:15 AM

I know I've said this many times before here, but I was very impressed by the MXL MCA SP-1.

For $59 you can't go wrong and it sounds like a $500.00 mic.

https://bhpho.to/2yzv2Ii

Regards,

Ty Ford

rockabilly69 05-13-2018 02:20 PM

I remember reading some great reviews on this mic...

monoprice 600800

jstroop 05-13-2018 02:28 PM

Thank you both, I will check ‘em out.

Gordon Currie 05-14-2018 11:59 AM

+1 for the Line Audio. It is pretty flat which is good for acoustic guitar.

And listen to anything that Ty Ford says on microphones. He's been a knowledgeable source for mics and other recording equipment for decades.

I would expect the Marantz is a Chinese mic that they put their badge on. Very common and we are awash in decent (not great) mics these days. I think the MXL mics are worth looking at as I believe they are trying differentiate by better quality control.

Another suggestion is iSK. They are a Chinese manufacturer who are trying to differentiate from the crowd like MXL. Still super affordable. I have the Starlight (LDC) and the Pearl (SDC) and they are go-to mics for me for quick recording. The Pearl is ridiculously cheap at $29 but that has no relation to the quality:
https://www.iskproaudio.com

The thing about super cheap mics is that you may be happy at first, but as your ear becomes better you start noticing issues. For example, with cheap condensors, it is common to hear a grittiness, fogginess or tizziness in the upper mids/trebles, which disappears when you switch to a "step-up" mic. I have at least half a dozen cheap mics that I no longer use because of this.

robj144 05-19-2018 10:27 PM

I have one and it's pretty good. I paid $80 for mine and it's good for the price.

jstroop 05-21-2018 01:56 PM

Thanks to all
 
I appreciate everyone who chimed in here. Your ideas and suggestions were very helpful in my research and decision-making. As it turns out, I found an AKG P170 small diaphragm condenser mic bundled with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface for $200. So my quest is complete. For now.

KevWind 05-21-2018 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jstroop (Post 5735092)
I appreciate everyone who chimed in here. Your ideas and suggestions were very helpful in my research and decision-making. As it turns out, I found an AKG P170 small diaphragm condenser mic bundled with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface for $200. So my quest is complete. For now.

Sounds like a good start, BUT BEWARE audio recording also has a very real and present GAS factor..... And it is no mere coincidence that the biggest Audio recording Forum, is called GearSlutz.com :D

jim1960 05-21-2018 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind (Post 5735191)
Sounds like a good start, BUT BEWARE audio recording also has a very real and present GAS factor..... And it is no mere coincidence that the biggest Audio recording Forum, is called GearSlutz.com :D

I have no idea what you're talking about says the guy who just spent close to $3k on three outboard compressors and placed orders for another 76 clone and a 67 clone.

Whoa... my problem looks way worse when I write it down.

jstroop 05-21-2018 06:47 PM

Well, I’m just starting. You Top Hands need to give me time.

RJVB 06-17-2019 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robj144 (Post 5733701)
I have one and it's pretty good. I paid $80 for mine and it's good for the price.

Anyone else any experience nowadays?

I have started to look around a little bit for a microphone of this type, though I must admit that I have no idea of the advantages of the vertical design vs. a more traditional "point-and-shoot" design like the iSK Pearl mentioned above.

I currently have a set of button microphones with which I made one of those fix-on-your-spectacles (just in front of your ears) designs that were kind of popular among concert goers in the 90s. Extremely simple; the buttons are fixed with crimp tubing onto good quality coax cables of almost the same width, feeding into a tiny box that just hold a 9V battery and an RC filter. Gives a surprisingly precise stereo image even when I fix them with one of those "3rd hand" soldering aids but I have never tested its fidelity or SNR (stupid, back in the day I worked in a lab where I had access to the necessary equipment; I guess I was satisfied with the catalog specs for the buttons, now long lost).

Anyway, the Marantz is on the high end of what I'd want to spend (and the only brand I recognise when browsing on amazon) and I do have a simple USB iMic sound interface that will accept a "standard" mic (3.5" jack) so I don't really need to pay for the USB function. But in that case I'd prefer a model that will take a battery instead of an external power supply.

RGWelch 06-18-2019 11:56 AM

Wow, I just looked at the iSK Pearl specs, amazing low noise specs for such an inexpensive mic. I just bought a pair of sE7 matched mics, which I paid just under $200 for and the specs on noise are about the same. I don't know if the sound quality on the sE might be better over all, considering how much more I paid for them I hope so. But the price on those iSK mics is pocket change almost, don't see how how you can go too wrong at least trying them out.

As for other recommendations, I also got an MXL 770 and an AKG p420 large diaphragm mics. The quality difference between those two isn't very different to my ears, other's might hear more of a difference I'm sure. I think the MXL is a fantastic deal. I got the AKG because it has the different modes, figure-8 and omni, along with the regular cardiod. But side by side, I can't hear much difference in quality of sound between the MXL or AKG. I'm thinking it would take more $ to get significantly better sound quality. The AKG p220, cardiod only version, is about 2x the price of the MXL, so I'd get the MXL if the sound quality of the p220 is same as p420. That's my $0.2 worth if anyone is considering a large diaphragm mic.

As for the sE7 mics, I've only tested them once, but initial impressions are very good. They seemed like they might be about as good as I could get in that price range (got them on sale, $20 off). I was considering the AKG P170 and Lewitt LCT 040 models (both of which seem highly regarded), but I couldn't find the P170 in a matched pair configuration, and the Lewitt 040 doesn't have any att/high pass features. I wanted to get something I can hopefully be satisfied with for awhile, don't think my wife will be too happy with much more of my GAS, so I settled on the sE7. Only thing I can say about them at this point is they don't come with a carry case, so I'll be looking for something to keep them in. Probably go down to the sporting goods store and pickup a cheap case for it, so no big deal there.

RJVB 06-18-2019 03:55 PM

I saw the MXL 770 too - apparently it's a favourite of rappers, for some reason (not sure what to think of that :))

I also found the Eagletone CM60 (75€) which has a 1" aperture (apparently rare), a preamp with discrete (non-FET) elements and can be switched between cardioid and omni-directional:

Quote:


LE PRODUIT
——————
(+) Fabrication soignée et rendu noir mat intéressant (plus discret que les finitions alu)
(+) Large diaphragme statique 25,4 mm (1") quand certains modèles propose une petite capsule pour baisser les coûts
(+) Particularité rare : 2 directivité : Cardioïde ou Omnidirectionnel
(+) Composants de qualité : on notera la présence rare de condensateurs Tantale dans le circuit audio (composant nativement plus cher et plus performant que les electro-chimiques "bas de gamme")
(+) Contrairement aux spécification de la marque, qui annonce une "sortie symétrique sans transformateur", ce microphone possède bien un transformateur audio de sortie (et de symétrisation) = voir photos
(–) Aucune notice jointe, aucune fiche technique, aucune information sur la courbe de réponse en fréquence.

A L'USAGE
—————
(+) Ayant déjà de nombreux micros statique large capsule, celui-ci est très intéressant pour sa directivité Omnidirectionnel, sans imposer le support de multidirectivité (3 à 5 …ce qui rend le microphone plus cher)
(+) Son propre, plutôt équilibré (avec une bosse de présence dans l'aigu en mode Omni).
(+) J'aime bien le transfo. audio, qui apporte sa touche et son petit lissage des transitoires dans la sonorité (par rapport à un modèle par symétrisation FET)
(±) Bruit de fond un poil présent (22 dB) — comme souvent dans ce type de produit "premier prix" — mais non gênant si la source capturée a une bonne intensité sonore

CONCLUSIONS
———————
• Très probablement une version personnalisée pour Eagletone du modèle ALCTRON MC230, important fabricant Chinois située à Ningbo, et produisant des produits de bonne à très bonne qualité sous sa marque et pour rebranding sous différentes marques Européenne et américaine.
• Idéal si vous cherchez un microphone Statique large capsule avec directivité Omnidirectionnel sans crever votre budget, par ex: pour faire une reprise d'ambiance (room) Drums !
• En mode Cardioïde (Voix, instrument), il offre aussi une belle sonorité propre et non agressive, si vous n'avez pas à trop monter le gain.

But Amazon also served up 1 or 2 interesting and much cheaper choices from Neewer, esp. the NW-8000, which comes with a 3.5 jack -> XLR cable allowing it to be used with a dedicated phantom power supply (as long as your sound card gives a true 5V on the mic connector). Not saying you get the same quality, just that it can come in handy and may even be good enough for a while (5V does seem to be the low limit for phantom power)

RGWelch 06-18-2019 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJVB (Post 6089642)
I saw the MXL 770 too - apparently it's a favourite of rappers, for some reason (not sure what to think of that :))
......

I suspect it's because of it's price...seems like it's the best quality large diaphragm mic for well under $100.

Also, you can readily upgrade the electronics in the MXL. The AT2020 for instance is one that isn't easy to upgrade the internals. Not that it isn't better maybe to just upgrade the whole mic if you want better sound, rather than spend money trying to make a cheap mic better. But apparently, a lot of people are into doing that, and I would wonder if the rappers are typical among them? That's just a guess, though, I have no knowledge whether they tend to play around with equipment like that, but I just suspect they might. Maybe it's because it would fit in with the whole scene of modifying cars with upgrades and tricked out parts. Maybe you can put a set of spinning hubcaps on an MXL??

RJVB 06-19-2019 02:32 AM

You're probably right. Back in the day when I made the above mentioned "stealth" stereo mic (with the help of an electronics guy in my lab!) I had been looking at ordering a similar one made by a small company. That same electronics guy told me I'd be wasting my money, that we could make something essentially identical by just buying the components, because "everyone uses the same [button] mic elements anyway". You pay for having them matched, you pay for the nicely packaged electronics and for the housing, and the manufacturer takes a margin off all that. I already knew that argument from an uncle who worked for Philips in their German TV division: add a 10 cent component and that will increase the MSRP with at least 10 marks.
Indeed, I payed an incomparably lower price for the handful of components, in the end (the most expensive being the quality cables and the little plastic box, IIRC).

So yeah, it's probably true that it'll be easy to replace an electronics circuit inside a nice packaging with a quality transducer element (the actual mic). Much of those electronics might even be superfluous (and thus get in the way) if you're connecting the mic to quality studio equiment(?)

Rudy4 06-20-2019 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jstroop (Post 5735092)
I appreciate everyone who chimed in here. Your ideas and suggestions were very helpful in my research and decision-making. As it turns out, I found an AKG P170 small diaphragm condenser mic bundled with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface for $200. So my quest is complete. For now.

The AKG P170 is a mic I recommend all the time. I have a bunch of different mics, some costing many times the price of the P170 and recorded the same acoustic guitar phrase and the same vocal phrase with each mic in a DAW project so I could toggle back and forth and select what suited a specific idea quickly. The P170 sounds very close to higher priced SDCs and comes pretty close to a few of the $300 LDCs I own.

I was a bit shocked at how well it compared to many other mics.

RJVB 06-21-2019 04:09 AM

Apparently I had a psychocological need to spend some money :), I ordered a T.Bone SC600 from Thomann which seems almost identical to the Eagletone I mentioned above (incl. the cardoid/omni switch) but has a much lower self/intrinsic noise level. Thanks to Thomann for putting up succinct and useful information helping me chose ... and being competitive in price with A**zon too!

I'm still debating whether I'll get just a USB-powered phantom voltage supply (Tonor, about 17€) or go wild and get an ART Tube MP (49€).

Not that I think I'll ever be doing it, but the idea of having an omnidirectional-or-cardioc mic to combine with my existing "headspace" stereo mic kind of tickled the tinkerer in me :)

RGWelch 06-22-2019 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudy4 (Post 6091547)
The AKG P170 is a mic I recommend all the time. I have a bunch of different mics, some costing many times the price of the P170 and recorded the same acoustic guitar phrase and the same vocal phrase with each mic in a DAW project so I could toggle back and forth and select what suited a specific idea quickly. The P170 sounds very close to higher priced SDCs and comes pretty close to a few of the $300 LDCs I own.

I was a bit shocked at how well it compared to many other mics.

I was planning on getting the P170, but I couldn't find a matched pair of them. I don't know if AKG just doesn't offer that in this model, maybe they want you to getting a higher model mic if your going to get matched pair? The sE7 was pretty much the same price, but came in a matched configuration. From what I can tell, they hopefully have similar quality sound, but I can't find as many reviews of the sE products. The sE7 does have a little better rating for noise than P170, but that probably doesn't matter a whole lot when you have any ambient noise t contend with, which is normally the case for me.

Rudy4 06-23-2019 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RGWelch (Post 6093215)
I was planning on getting the P170, but I couldn't find a matched pair of them. I don't know if AKG just doesn't offer that in this model, maybe they want you to getting a higher model mic if your going to get matched pair? The sE7 was pretty much the same price, but came in a matched configuration. From what I can tell, they hopefully have similar quality sound, but I can't find as many reviews of the sE products. The sE7 does have a little better rating for noise than P170, but that probably doesn't matter a whole lot when you have any ambient noise t contend with, which is normally the case for me.

They used to sell matched sets, but discontinued them a few years back. I think that most people looking for matched sets are going to want something higher up the food chain. The 170s are a very good mic, especially if you are looking for high quality, consistent sound at a entry level price.

The web is full of after-market upgrade kits and services for less expensive mics. The owner of the "Recording Hacks" website started producing his own line of mics that are based on the upgraded capsules and electronic components. I have one of his Roswell Mini K47 mics and think it's really quite good if you're looking for a LDC that's reasonably priced and doesn't have the hyped high end that's part of the majority of Chinese LDC offerings.

Gordon Currie 06-23-2019 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RGWelch (Post 6089476)
Wow, I just looked at the iSK Pearl specs, amazing low noise specs for such an inexpensive mic.

I have a Pearl (SDC) as well as a Starlight (LDC). iSK makes some very nice neutral/flat/accurate mikes for pretty low prices. They don't have a 'sound' or a particular 'character' but they are really clean.

For the price, I'd get a half dozen :lol:


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