"Powell" wrote in message
...

"Agent 86" wrote

Do you believe the Apogee Mini-Me will be
a universal fit with all/most special use mics?

It should be a pretty good fit with all/most any
kind of mic, but that doesn't mean you'll never
find a preamp that works better with a given
microphone. While there are exceptions, a good
preamp should work acceptably with most any
mic you throw at it.

"It should be""a good preamp"... well, yes and no.
That's a metaphor just like saying 'straight wire
with gain'... that's the theory.

One of Robert's design goals included reconstituting
audiophile fidelity as a system qualification. My
inquiry concerned the apparent reversal in the use of
common audio equipment review
methodologies/protocols to achieve his audiophile
fidelity goal. It's not often that one falls into anything
"good" employing/using the shotgun method.


Powell, you're right, of course. The situation I'm in requires that I go out
and experiment on "customers", albeit not for remuneration. That's how I'll
learn. But I cannot summon these people just to try out gear. I have to have
enough to actually provide them with some kind of a service. Many or most of
the Chinese mikes are serviceable, or actually, very good knock-offs of
German brands with well known performance characteristics and long history
of use. There are actually two classes of condenser microphones:
1. Small diaphram condenser, where the diaphram is less than or equal to
20mm in diameter, which are unimpressive looking little tubes. These are the
mikes said to be of use for accurate reproduction, widely used in classical
distance miking, as well as spot miking musical instruments. These are
plentiful, cheap, very good, and almost interchangeable.

2. Large diaphram condenser, where the diaphram is 25mm in diameter or
greater. These are the recording professional's equivalent to vinyl. They
are chosen for distinctive sound modifying characteristics. Every one of
them sounds different. They are the most common choice for vocals, but some
are used for instrumental work as well. Because the off axis frequency
response is ragged, they are not technically perfect. When the microphone is
placed close to the sound source, it exhibits "proximity effect", which
results in a bass boost. Many of these microphones use tubes and/or
transformers for further coloration.

In response to your question, it is mainly with respect to the choice of
large diaphram condenser mikes that the specifications are almost useless.
Some of these devices are famous in and of themselves, such as the Neumann
U87, but only by the sound.

With respect to the rest of the chain, there is, of course, a school of
thought complimentary to the hifi "high end", in the form of exotic preamps,
some using transformers and tubes. Some are very quiet. Some are noisy and
distinctive. Auxilary pieces, such as tube compressors, are frequently
patched in. However, none of this stuff is convenient to carry around.
Furthermore, the current prevailing opinion of professionals, as opposed to
the "project studio" crowd, the inexpensive stuff, under $1K, that has such
an allure, and has a tube, is not neutral. In contrast to audiophile
thinking, professionals seem to want "clean", or "neutral", as opposed to
"subjectively good." You may have followed a previous thread, in which I
asked for opinions about the ART DMPAII:
http://www.stratcollector.com/scn/re...al_Outs.h tml
To an audiophile, this might seem a very attractive piece. It has a tube. It
has a switch that enables a mode of "tubey" sound. The pros trashed me for
it. The simple fact that it has a mode of deliberate distortion was
offensive to them. Ultimately, in respect of their collective wisdom, I
dropped it from consideration. At least it's 12 lbs I don't have to carry

Professionals seem to think about equipment choices differently from
audiophiles. One aspect that I particularly admire is the lack of concern
for appearance. You can sell a mic preamp to the pro crowd in a ****ty
plastic box with wiggly connectors on the back for $500,
http://www.fmraudio.com/RNP8380.htm. It just has to sound accurate.