Can you tell the difference between a $100 and $400 condenser mic?

[Lammchop93]

I have been using an Audio-Technica AT2020 for the last year or so, and thought it was a great value for the money. I had a sweetwater giftcard laying around and decided to pickup a Warm Audio WA-14 after hearing so many great clips of the AKG C414 that it is based on.

I recorded a loop with my G&L Kiloton5 going into my Reeves 225 and matching 1x15 cab. Each mic was placed center of the cone about 2" away from the grille cloth. The recording was mic signal only.

Can you tell which mic is the $400 Warm Audio? The track below has one mic at the beginning, then after a pause, the loop is played again with the other mic.

I will reveal the answer in 24 hours

 

[bholder]

Sure I can, but only by the sound the engineer makes when I drop it! lolz

 

[Aloe]

well, they do sound differently, I can hear it even on my bad laptop's speakers. but you meant to ask 'which sounds best', right? it isn't determined by price, you can easily get a several grand mic that will sound bad for a specific source.

I didn't have experience with Warm Audio, but had an AKG-214, based on this experience, I'd say, first is Warm Audio, second is AT. because the first one has more heft in low end, a slight mid-scoop and harsh highs and second is notably brighter (the reason, why I don't own an AT and got an AKG back then: I consider them too bright).

 

[seamonkey]

One can see and hear all these mics at:
Audio Test Kitchen | Compare the sound of 300 microphones
When you look at the frequency plots you'll see where they differ, then you can equate that to sound difference.

Still a little mic placement difference can make a huge difference in the recorded sound. And a little tweak of EQ could level out the differences. YMMV

 

[silky smoove]

Still a little mic placement difference can make a huge difference in the recorded sound.

I find this to be even more important than mic selection when comparing two of the same types of mic (i.e. LDC to LDC, or ribbon to ribbon, etc.). Even tiny movements or changes in the axial relationship of the capsule and the source can yield significant differences. This increases exponentially when stereo mic'ing is what's needed thus making phase an additional consideration.

 

[Aloe]

I will reveal the answer in 24 hours

tick-tock, eh?

 

[Lammchop93]

You are right!

the first sound sample is the Warm audio wa-14 and the second is the at2020.

I agree that the WA-15 has more fullness to it all around, and certainly more low end. I don’t find any harshness to the highs, but my hearing is also probably not as good as it should be.

 

[tothemax]

It also depends on what you are listening for, I like the crisper tone of the second clip. Both are as good as I ever get. Nice comparison...

 

[Standalone]

first mic sounded markedly better on the track through some nice vintage klipsch. mp3 and bluetooth, tho.

 

[Standalone]

You are right!

the first sound sample is the Warm audio wa-14 and the second is the at2020.

I agree that the WA-15 has more fullness to it all around, and certainly more low end. I don’t find any harshness to the highs, but my hearing is also probably not as good as it should be.

the WA was much much better to my ears. i will put it on the list to pick up. thabks for the demo.

 

[DirkP]

I would like to say that it is hard to tell the difference in mics after a certain priceclass, say: a Neumann TLM 103 and comparable mics and way more expensive mics that are >= 2.000,-. They sound different, all mics sound different, but which one sounds better?

The cheaper mics have mostly problems in the high-end, that is not of much importance when recording bass. It would be far easier to recognize when recording vocals. Many cheaper mics (<= 200-300,-) have brittle high frequencies.

This said, Audio Technica is known for quality products, even at low prices.
Billie Eilish recorded "Ocean Eyes" with an AT-2020. This is a million seller.

The Audio-Technica AT2020 is also used for recording, providing a solid all-around performance. Her brother, Finneas said on Sound on Sound "Billie's vocals for 'Ocean Eyes' were recorded with the 2020, which sounds great. It's not quite as good as the Neumann, but I have never found a microphone that I like more than the 2020 that's less expensive than the Neumann. The 2020 is a really good starter microphone."

What Mic Does Billie Eilish Use? - Its About Music

After about 3 decades of experience and owning a lot of good mics from Sennheiser, Beyer, Heil, Octavia, Rhode, Shure and Neumann (none of the really expensive ones), my conclusion is: some mics are really trash or leave a lot to desire. But apart from this: 89% of the times, when a recording sounds bad it is the room or lack of room treatment, the mic position or the performance. Most of the times, it is not the mic.
In a bad room, a 3.000,- mic - recording every detail it is confronted with - will sound even worse than a 50,- crap mic.