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Post by svart on Jan 16, 2014 14:00:02 GMT -6
I think I'll do the breakdown and repair in this thread for those who are interested. Might be easy fixes, or they could be trash. Who knows? Get out your popcorn and see if I got a deal or lost money.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 16, 2014 14:18:56 GMT -6
How much?
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Post by svart on Jan 16, 2014 14:48:10 GMT -6
480$ for the pair. Had some paypal balance, so only 400$ out of pocket for a pair, one black, one nickel.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 16, 2014 14:50:24 GMT -6
Sounds great. Hopefully it's just a bad joint somewhere.
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Post by svart on Jan 16, 2014 14:57:06 GMT -6
Hope so. The seller replied to a last minute question to someone, that one of the mics seemed to work intermittently when the cable was wiggled hard. The second mic would sometimes work after a loud sound. Both sound like bad solder joints, possibly a bad cap. I'm really interested in shooting these out against my MK012's, which I love.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 16, 2014 15:12:10 GMT -6
Completely different sound. 012's have a bit of a dark vibe to them. 184 are really clear. I really like them through a Millennia pre for clean/clear detailed sound. Love them on acoustic and overheads.
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Post by svart on Jan 16, 2014 15:47:57 GMT -6
The MK012 definitely are darker and have a sort-of thick veil over the sound. It's not muddy but it's not quite defined either. Hard to put a finger on a word that defines the sound. Laid back? I don't usually use SDCs as overheads, but I did on this last recording I'm working on just for the fun of it and to see how it worked out. So far it's fine, just different. I'd love to try the KM184 and see what more traditional overheads SDCs sound like.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 16, 2014 15:58:39 GMT -6
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Post by jazznoise on Jan 16, 2014 16:34:18 GMT -6
Great! And I'd love to see this journaled, of course. Think of it as your contribution to our post scarcity information society.
They're also very good on acoustic guitar and mandolin.
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Post by tonycamphd on Jan 16, 2014 19:07:57 GMT -6
Very cool svart! Looking forward to ur thread progress. What do you and joc recommend the mk 12 for capturing?
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Post by svart on Jan 16, 2014 21:17:19 GMT -6
I use mine on overheads(sometimes), room mics and acoustic guitar. I've also used them on woodwinds with good results. SDCs are less prone to bass mode issues in rooms so they capture more "authentic" sound as room mics and close mics for instruments. I like them because they are kinda dark. They never get shrill or brittle sounding at all.
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Post by svart on Jan 21, 2014 19:17:00 GMT -6
Ok, so the mics came today. Neither worked. They had mismatched screws and the nickel colored one had the screw stuck in the mic, which took some work to get out. The insides are different from each other. They are both km184 version 3, but the nickel one has a second pcb soldered to the bottom of the first acting as a shield, with copper fingers to ground it. The black one doesn't have this. The nickel one also has a tiny pcb linking the xlr to the main pcb while the black one doesn't. The tiny xlr pcb has ferrite beads on it for RF immunity.. it's also 10k higher in serial number too. I guess they found these had an RFI problem at some point.
Anyway, I'm very surprised how cheaply these are made. The body is brass but the pcb is barely supported by the xlr connector and some foam. That's it. It's no wonder these broke.
Anyway, a couple bad solder joints at the xlr was all.
They sound great. A little cut at 400hz and that's all they need.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 21, 2014 19:39:04 GMT -6
Glad to hear it was a simple fix. Great sounding mics.
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Post by mulmany on Jan 21, 2014 19:49:12 GMT -6
Ok, so the mics came today. Neither worked. They had mismatched screws and the nickel colored one had the screw stuck in the mic, which took some work to get out. The insides are different from each other. They are both km184 version 3, but the nickel one has a second pcb soldered to the bottom of the first acting as a shield, with copper fingers to ground it. The black one doesn't have this. The nickel one also has a tiny pcb linking the xlr to the main pcb while the black one doesn't. The tiny xlr pcb has ferrite beads on it for RF immunity.. it's also 10k higher in serial number too. I guess they found these had an RFI problem at some point. Anyway, I'm very surprised how cheaply these are made. The body is brass but the pcb is barely supported by the xlr connector and some foam. That's it. It's no wonder these broke. Anyway, a couple bad solder joints at the xlr was all. They sound great. A little cut at 400hz and that's all they need. Nice! You really lucked out on that one. |
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Post by svart on Jan 21, 2014 20:39:24 GMT -6
The sound is much more hi-fi sounding than the MK012s, and obviously the mics are "faster" than the Oktavas as well. It's pretty obvious on the transients. Honestly I still can't get over how cheaply these are made. The innards are pretty sparse. I'd bet the BOM on these is less than 100$..
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Post by watchtower on Jan 22, 2014 9:06:05 GMT -6
Wow just a couple solder joint fixes and they work as new? Awesome. Despite what everyone says, in all the shootouts I've heard online, I always find the KM184 sounds extremely close to a KM84, and certainly closer to it than any other mic. They do use the same capsule, after all. I'd love a pair.
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Post by svart on Jan 22, 2014 9:34:28 GMT -6
I was about to comment on the haters. I really don't see why folks hate on the KM184 that much. These sound great. I understand that the KM84 is a staple of studio use, but as you say, the difference isn't that great. I've heard a few myself and besides the fact that no two KM84 sound quite the same, the difference in sound between them and other mics isn't as great as others claim.
And yes, the KM184 does have a bit of that same KM84 sound, as would be expected through the same capsule and same general body design. The 184 seems to lack a little in the mids compared to an 84, but mine will probably live as overheads anyway, so it's not that big of a deal since I cut some of those mids to keep the mud out anyway.
I don't think the hate is justified, honestly. At least in what I've read, the haters are those who have KM84's and either want the prices to keep shooting up, or are just finding something to stroke their egos over, OR they are the mic modders who con people into sending them cheap 100$ mics and spending hundreds of dollars to install 2$ worth of parts to get a slightly less cheap sounding mic, which they then try to compare to 1000$ mics.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 22, 2014 9:37:28 GMT -6
I was about to comment on the haters. I really don't see why folks hate on the KM184 that much. These sound great. I understand that the KM84 is a staple of studio use, but as you say, the difference isn't that great. I've heard a few myself and besides the fact that no two KM84 sound quite the same, the difference in sound between them and other mics isn't as great as others claim. And yes, the KM184 does have a bit of that same KM84 sound, as would be expected through the same capsule and same general body design. The 184 seems to lack a little in the mids compared to an 84, but mine will probably live as overheads anyway, so it's not that big of a deal since I cut some of those mids to keep the mud out anyway. I don't think the hate is justified, honestly. At least in what I've read, the haters are those who have KM84's and either want the prices to keep shooting up, or are just finding something to stroke their egos over. The haters are on the other site. Bunch of bandwagon hoppers. I bet a bunch of the people who "hate" them haven't even tried them, and are just parroting what they read. |
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Post by svart on Jan 22, 2014 9:42:03 GMT -6
I was about to comment on the haters. I really don't see why folks hate on the KM184 that much. These sound great. I understand that the KM84 is a staple of studio use, but as you say, the difference isn't that great. I've heard a few myself and besides the fact that no two KM84 sound quite the same, the difference in sound between them and other mics isn't as great as others claim. And yes, the KM184 does have a bit of that same KM84 sound, as would be expected through the same capsule and same general body design. The 184 seems to lack a little in the mids compared to an 84, but mine will probably live as overheads anyway, so it's not that big of a deal since I cut some of those mids to keep the mud out anyway. I don't think the hate is justified, honestly. At least in what I've read, the haters are those who have KM84's and either want the prices to keep shooting up, or are just finding something to stroke their egos over. The haters are on the other site. Bunch of bandwagon hoppers. I bet a bunch of the people who "hate" them haven't even tried them, and are just parroting what they read. This +1000. Those are the same people who have convinced themselves they are much more important than they are. |
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Post by svart on Jan 22, 2014 9:43:00 GMT -6
Are Fletcher and co. still over there, what looks like to me, rebadging MXL603's and calling them KM84 killers?
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Post by watchtower on Jan 22, 2014 11:17:09 GMT -6
Haha, yeah from what I understand that mic was never designed to be a KM84. Just marketed that way.
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