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Post by Drew @ UA on Feb 17, 2022 7:07:04 GMT -6
So... 187 = U195? There's GOTTA be a FAT switch still! Right?  Thanks, Chris Yes. And the Fat switch is there!! David also added it to the 167. |
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Post by Drew @ UA on Feb 17, 2022 7:09:17 GMT -6
Good to hear from you Drew. I get the need for being positive and diplomatic regarding the new SD-1. But since it's blatantly obvious it's copying the SM-7B, my question is does the SD-1 improve on the sound of the SM-7b or not. If it isn't demonstrably better I can't see any reason to buy it. I can get an SM-7b for $340 any day. I could use an SM-7b sometimes and would be glad to save a little money and buy the SD-1. I like the white color better, but that's not enough to make me get one. It's not a clone and doesn't sound the same. IMO, it sounds better, with a more open top. But of course mics are incredibly subjective. Check it out and decide for yourself. It's obviously aimed at a budget conscious segment @ $299. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2022 7:12:21 GMT -6
Good to hear from you Drew. I get the need for being positive and diplomatic regarding the new SD-1. But since it's blatantly obvious it's copying the SM-7B, my question is does the SD-1 improve on the sound of the SM-7b or not. If it isn't demonstrably better I can't see any reason to buy it. I can get an SM-7b for $340 any day. I could use an SM-7b sometimes and would be glad to save a little money and buy the SD-1. I like the white color better, but that's not enough to make me get one. It's not a clone and doesn't sound the same. IMO, it sounds better, with a more open top. But of course mics are incredibly subjective. Check it out and decide for yourself. It's obviously aimed at a budget conscious segment @ $299. There we go Drew, let it out  .. Awesome then, really looking forward to trying out the "UA" Bock 167 later this year.! |
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 17, 2022 8:29:16 GMT -6
It's not a clone and doesn't sound the same. IMO, it sounds better, with a more open top. But of course mics are incredibly subjective. Check it out and decide for yourself. It's obviously aimed at a budget conscious segment @ $299. Thanks Drew. I sense an undertone that many people have regarding less expensive mics. It seems to me to imply you can only get so much from a mic at $299. I think that is completely the wrong way to see it. "Budget conscious" seems a bit condescending if you think about it. Of course a $3000 mic should offer first class sound quality, but $300 isn't chump change. For $300 I can get 2 SM 57's and 1 SM58, I can get a pro mic stand, or a decent Yamaha acoustic guitar. More importantly, $300 gets me halfway to some great mics. The $600 Lewitt 640 is incredible, sounds like a 414 with a better low end, Lewitt also has some very good mics between $200 and $300. $300 toward a used Soyuz 0-13 SDC at $450 gets you a world class SDC. My point is it makes no sense to spend good money if a product is a compromise. None of the products I mentioned are compromises, they stand on their own. The new UAD SD-1 has to be subjectively better than an SM7b or it's money not well spent. I hope it is, I'd like to buy one. |
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Post by drbill on Feb 17, 2022 9:35:48 GMT -6
Over on another site, about 14-15 years ago, I shot out a $110 TNC ACM1200 (Apex 460) against a vintage M49, a famous tech modded -(but then modded again) - vintage U47 which was a FAVORITE at the rental company, a Gefell UM70 and a vintage U87. Guess what... The M49 won! Chris Nope. It did fare well though.....  |
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Post by Vincent R. on Feb 17, 2022 9:40:29 GMT -6
Nope. It did fare well though..... I had a TNC ACM1200. Its amazing how often that one stood out next to other mics, even if it was a bit bright. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Feb 17, 2022 9:41:27 GMT -6
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Post by christophert on Feb 17, 2022 9:42:26 GMT -6
So who will now service Bock mic's ?
Will David still service Lucas CS4 & CS1 mic's ?
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Post by nick8801 on Feb 17, 2022 10:01:22 GMT -6
And the old Violet company had a kidney shaped one as well!
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Post by Drew @ UA on Feb 17, 2022 10:41:20 GMT -6
It's not a clone and doesn't sound the same. IMO, it sounds better, with a more open top. But of course mics are incredibly subjective. Check it out and decide for yourself. It's obviously aimed at a budget conscious segment @ $299. Thanks Drew. I sense an undertone that many people have regarding less expensive mics. It seems to me to imply you can only get so much from a mic at $299. I think that is completely the wrong way to see it. "Budget conscious" seems a bit condescending if you think about it. Of course a $3000 mic should offer first class sound quality, but $300 isn't chump change. For $300 I can get 2 SM 57's and 1 SM58, I can get a pro mic stand, or a decent Yamaha acoustic guitar. More importantly, $300 gets me halfway to some great mics. The $600 Lewitt 640 is incredible, sounds like a 414 with a better low end, Lewitt also has some very good mics between $200 and $300. $300 toward a used Soyuz 0-13 SDC at $450 gets you a world class SDC. My point is it makes no sense to spend good money if a product is a compromise. None of the products I mentioned are compromises, they stand on their own. The new UAD SD-1 has to be subjectively better than an SM7b or it's money not well spent. I hope it is, I'd like to buy one. Be sure to let us know how we did once you try. |
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Post by Drew @ UA on Feb 17, 2022 10:43:37 GMT -6
So who will now service Bock mic's ? Will David still service Lucas CS4 & CS1 mic's ? We took over service of Bock as soon as we acquired the company 1.5 years ago. Support can answer specific questions. I am not speaking for David, but perhaps part of his desire to sell the company was to be out from under this and many other business demands and get back to the work he loves? |
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Post by nick8801 on Feb 17, 2022 10:47:05 GMT -6
Sounds really nice here. I really like those volt preamps. Had one for a few days. The DA just didn't cut it for me, but I really did enjoy the front end. I did find the pres had a bit of a softening effect which is cool for brighter sources. |
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Post by tkaitkai on Feb 17, 2022 11:38:35 GMT -6
The SD-1 does sound really, really good in that VK clip. Definitely has the SM7 thing going on. But yeah, it would kind of be a tough sell when an actual SM7 is only $100 more. And the idea that it's basically just a modded T-Bone mic is a little off-putting.
Still, I wouldn't be opposed to trying one out.
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Post by Guitar on Feb 17, 2022 11:44:42 GMT -6
Based on that video... I'll stick to the SM7B
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Post by bossanova on Feb 17, 2022 13:19:36 GMT -6
Over on another site, about 14-15 years ago, I shot out a $110 TNC ACM1200 (Apex 460) against a vintage M49, a famous tech modded -(but then modded again) - vintage U47 which was a FAVORITE at the rental company, a Gefell UM70 and a vintage U87. Guess what...... heh heh Inexpensive mics are much better than they were 20 years ago. How much better and what's worth more (or less) - in the ears of the beholders. In a blind test like I did above, there were a LOT of surprises, and a bunch of unbelievers and quite a few angry people who got mad at me. Go figure.... I know,,,,,, LOL oh man, I LOVE that stuff. When you force people to reckon with their own biases and what they actually like. Brilliant! btw Apex 460 is one of my favorite mics of all time. I mod the hell out of them and end up with 251, C12, and 67-ish mics that I'm proud to use. You basically change every single part and it's not the Apex 460 at all anymore, really, but they're brilliant platforms for this type of work. One of my favorite GS threads, and a benchmark for bias testing, is the famous Art Tube MP vs Great River blind shootout. (Recap: a user provided recordings of the same song with each preamp, different takes, and the $50 Art MP was soundly winning before the reveal.) There were high-end devotees who outright accused the OP of deliberately rigging the recordings to make the cheaper pre sound better and make them look foolish. They couldn’t accept that they actually preferred a preamp that was less than 1/20th the cost of its more prestigious rival while touting how much warmer and more expensive it sounded. |
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Post by chessparov on Feb 17, 2022 15:27:01 GMT -6
Didn't Bock do a mic with a rectangular capsule not too long ago? Pretty sure Audio Technica has the rectangular capsule. Bock’s was elliptical. I wonder if that ever... Worked out? Chris |
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Post by chessparov on Feb 17, 2022 15:38:20 GMT -6
If I go to NAMM, will give the SD-1, the ultimate test. Like the key jangle on steroids. The dreaded (but not Reggae) "Alvin" test. Listen below if you dare! Chris *No Chipmunks were harmed in the making of this. |
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Post by reddirt on Feb 17, 2022 17:32:39 GMT -6
A couple of comments re what has been said further up the page. That kind of very 'easy' voice on the VK video will sound good on most mics and will barely show up flaws so tells me not much.
I had the Art MP and have the Great River for at least 10 years now - in one instance a preference to the MP might have ruled but IME there's no real comparison so don't get too excited folks!
Just my opinion and $.0175 worth
Cheers, Ross
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Post by jeremygillespie on Feb 17, 2022 18:55:16 GMT -6
Over on another site, about 14-15 years ago, I shot out a $110 TNC ACM1200 (Apex 460) against a vintage M49, a famous tech modded -(but then modded again) - vintage U47 which was a FAVORITE at the rental company, a Gefell UM70 and a vintage U87. Guess what...... heh heh Inexpensive mics are much better than they were 20 years ago. How much better and what's worth more (or less) - in the ears of the beholders. In a blind test like I did above, there were a LOT of surprises, and a bunch of unbelievers and quite a few angry people who got mad at me. Go figure.... I know,,,,,, LOL oh man, I LOVE that stuff. When you force people to reckon with their own biases and what they actually like. Brilliant! btw Apex 460 is one of my favorite mics of all time. I mod the hell out of them and end up with 251, C12, and 67-ish mics that I'm proud to use. You basically change every single part and it's not the Apex 460 at all anymore, really, but they're brilliant platforms for this type of work. Telefunken USA really like the 460 as well hahah |
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Post by howie on Feb 17, 2022 19:49:43 GMT -6
FWIW: I don't really trust one shot taste tests, for example, in tea or coffee or cheese: so tasting the stuff over a period time. Which ones do I get a happier feeling when I about to have them again? Truer test. I remember years ago buying Hazelnut coffee beans - smelled really good in the store. I liked the first cup or two, but after that Nada. ... I threw out the rest of the bag - scoured the grinder to remove all traces of that coffee. Familiarity did not make my heart grow fonder.
On the other hand, could not stand cilantro - was not familiar with it before I lived in Chicago (1983-1997) - and began to eat a lot of Mexican and Thai food - like all the other students. Sometime about 1988 I found I could tolerate it - even enjoy it!
What does it have to do with microphones and mic pres...?
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 17, 2022 23:05:34 GMT -6
It does have something to do with it. I used to beta test high end cables in the late 80's/early 90's. It often took a while, like a week or a month to notice the effects certain cables had, but once noticed, that was all I could hear. Kind of like a mustard spot on a $150 tie, that's all you noticed and it just ruined the whole thing.
There were some very good mics I've had in the $1,000 - $2,500 range. They were all capable of being used in a pro recording. I noticed certain things early on, but after I really got to know them, I kept wanting the things I felt the mic was missing and sold them all. I couldn't talk myself into keeping them.
My first impressions are usually on the money, but you can learn a mic too, and sometimes one you don't absolutely love does one or two things particularly well, so you use it for that if you can afford to keep it. They can occasionally be an acquired taste.
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Post by thehightenor on Feb 18, 2022 6:01:23 GMT -6
Good to hear from you Drew. I get the need for being positive and diplomatic regarding the new SD-1. But since it's blatantly obvious it's copying the SM-7B, my question is does the SD-1 improve on the sound of the SM-7b or not. If it isn't demonstrably better I can't see any reason to buy it. I can get an SM-7b for $340 any day. I could use an SM-7b sometimes and would be glad to save a little money and buy the SD-1. I like the white color better, but that's not enough to make me get one. It's not a clone and doesn't sound the same. IMO, it sounds better, with a more open top. But of course mics are incredibly subjective. Check it out and decide for yourself. It's obviously aimed at a budget conscious segment @ $299. "SM7-b" .... "more open top" Not two thoughts I expect to read in the same sentence. |
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Post by Drew @ UA on Feb 18, 2022 6:04:24 GMT -6
It's not a clone and doesn't sound the same. IMO, it sounds better, with a more open top. But of course mics are incredibly subjective. Check it out and decide for yourself. It's obviously aimed at a budget conscious segment @ $299. "SM7-b" .... "more open top" Not two thoughts I expect to read in the same sentence. As mentioned, mics are very subjective. To me, SM7s have a slightly closed in, sort of muted upper topend. SD-1 does not. Hope this helps. |
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Post by thehightenor on Feb 18, 2022 6:22:35 GMT -6
"SM7-b" .... "more open top" Not two thoughts I expect to read in the same sentence. As mentioned, mics are very subjective. To me, SM7s have a slightly closed in, sort of muted upper topend. SD-1 does not. Hope this helps. That's the nice thing about the SM7b it's not subjective. It's frequency response is what makes it what it is .... and so darn useful. The SD-1 is a new tool and may indeed be useful in it's own right (I'm sure it is) - but it's not a replacement for a SM7b as it's not an SM7B (obvious really) Hope this helps PS You can put me down for a UA/Bock 251 !! Lovely thing that mic - looks very pretty too - definitely on my demo and wish list. |
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Post by chessparov on Feb 18, 2022 6:33:29 GMT -6
I was thinking of this after ward.
Chris
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.. Awesome then, really looking forward to trying out the "UA" Bock 167 later this year.!
