sleeping giant awoken

by **tunetown** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:08 pm

nIC, I got a pair of Tube Pencil Condensors with flight case, power supply and shock mount for $170.00. Beat that....!!!! They are for the 310 which came well recommended. A Large diaphram tube condensor in flight case, shock mount and power supply for $110. Add $75 for Oliver Archut transformer upgrade and that's a useable mic?? for under $200. This mic was also well recommended from the last GB.

My only fear was the 2 untried preamps. At $175 each I am prepared to throw that away. But hey, it's not like any of us haven't wasted money on stuff we bought before.

We'll do a blind test at your next listening session and see how they stack up. Mine are in transit.

It's ok nIC, no lives were lost in this group buy...... :-)

P

by **Aearth** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:20 pm

Actually Chris I don't have money to burn, I have money I don't care to waste.
I 'm a bit different to you guys, I rent my gear our so I need gear that people can recognize and are proved items of choice by most studios. I must say that my gear is out most of the time.
Stupid was one of 3 choices, one was brave and the other naive. If you have done your homework then that's cool, but if you follow the hype, then pay the consequences if any..... hope it's good. I'm saying I would rather buy one mistake than a box full of trouble.
I'm guilty of buying lemons, we all are.

nIC

by **TimS** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:22 pm

I just checked - my mics have left LA as well today.. beauty!!

by **SteveL** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:36 pm

TimS wrote:I just checked - my mics have left LA as well today.. beauty!!

hmmmm.......still waiting for mine to show that they are even ready for shipping (one mic one pre).

Steve.

by **Aearth** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:36 pm

Anyway I hope it all works out for you guys.

nIC

Selling a Neumann U87 for $100

NOT

by **TimS** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:53 pm

Aearth wrote:Actually Chris I don't have money to burn, I have money I don't care to waste.
I 'm a bit different to you guys, I rent my gear our so I need gear that people can recognize and are proved items of choice by most studios. I must say that my gear is out most of the time.
Stupid was one of 3 choices, one was brave and the other naive. If you have done your homework then that's cool, but if you follow the hype, then pay the consequences if any..... hope it's good. I'm saying I would rather buy one mistake than a box full of trouble.
I'm guilty of buying lemons, we all are.

nIC

I understand what you mean, but you are in equipment rental specifically - most of us are not. Totally different kettle of fish.
For the quality of gear you have, I would EXPECT it to be out all the time (to at least pay for itself!!).
I've not seen anyone comment on any of your equipment purchases saying they were worthless or the like - you have some seriously lovely gear and make many of us have gear envy. who knows..
I think labelling GB'ers as stupid, brave or naive in the one sentence is a little harsh really.
Everyone has their own budget, boundaries and bravado..

by **Chris H** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:00 pm

tunetown wrote:
It's ok nIC, no lives were lost in this group buy...... :-)

P

To my knowledge, no animals were maimed, tortured or killed, in this group buy,..... nor battery hens laid....dunno about the gay whales....

by **tunetown** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:23 pm

and think about all that money the Chinese workers earned during the manufacturing.....

Ummmm

;-)

by **TimS** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:38 pm

Chris H wrote:
tunetown wrote:
It's ok nIC, no lives were lost in this group buy...... :-)

P

To my knowledge, no animals were maimed, tortured or killed, in this group buy,..... nor battery hens laid....dunno about the gay whales....

how about gay penguins...

by **heathen** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:43 pm

tunetown wrote:
It's ok nIC, no lives were lost in this group buy...... :-)

P

No one has swiched any of this stuff on yet. :) No pets or children in the room while warming them up for the first few months, buy a mining canary just in case.

Oh yeah and don't sleep in tents made in China either, I'm serious, or use petfood made in China so and so on.

You really could do you're own group buys for the mics anyway, just do little searching for chinese condenser mics and........ there are lots and you can just buy direct from the wholesaler, say 10 at a time, they would be here in a week too, just takes a little wheeling and dealing.

by **Aearth** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:45 pm

Lead content in paint hmmmmm. Hope there is no milk products in the Wonder gear.

by **heathen** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:48 pm

Aearth wrote:Lead content in paint hmmmmm.

Mmmm dioxins and lead, yummy.

by **heathen** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:51 pm

Actually since I had a food ellergy to chinese chilli sauce I've had 2 similar reactions each time I eat chinese food now. I've never had a food allergy before that.

by **Chris H** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 6:37 pm

TimS wrote:
Chris H wrote:
tunetown wrote:
It's ok nIC, no lives were lost in this group buy...... :-)

P

To my knowledge, no animals were maimed, tortured or killed, in this group buy,..... nor battery hens laid....dunno about the gay whales....

how about gay penguins...

The gay penguins .... ok....:

Zoo ditches gay penguin plan
A German zoo has abandoned a plan to break up homosexual penguin couples after protests from gay rights groups. - The Age Online.
www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/02/16/1 ... 50655.html

by **heathen** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 11:03 pm

Chris H wrote:
TimS wrote:
Chris H wrote:
tunetown wrote:
It's ok nIC, no lives were lost in this group buy...... :-)

P

To my knowledge, no animals were maimed, tortured or killed, in this group buy,..... nor battery hens laid....dunno about the gay whales....

how about gay penguins...

The gay penguins .... ok....:

Zoo ditches gay penguin plan
A German zoo has abandoned a plan to break up homosexual penguin couples after protests from gay rights groups. - The Age Online.
www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/02/16/1 ... 50655.html

Now thats bent. Seriously.

by **TimS** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:24 am

I know - it was on the news in a few places!!
bizarre!!

by **Chris H** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:46 pm

A Few Pics:

TNC_1200

TNC_4

TNC_310

TNC_3

by **TimS** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:26 pm

chinese porn.... hehehe
looks good Chris..

by **NYMo** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 3:30 pm

Hi there,

I've still got 3 red no's !
(but no mics..just pres)

Cheers
N
Y
M
O

by **rob** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:04 pm

the twists and turns of a forum discussion really are quite amazing at times. Its like reading a novel where the plot changes every page.
From spreading the enthusiasm of a ready deal on cheap mics to a tale of long distance love and mourning. A scolding word from nic to gay penguins.

My interest in this discussion has only been passing 'till date and I have never bothered to check this group buy concept and the products being offered.

Then tonight I see some photos of these mics and i'll be buggered but that looks awfully like a copy of a Royer down the bottom there.

Imagine developing a unique product: all the time, risk, investment, and sense of achievement. Then some fucker in China purloins all your work and spits out an inferior copy and other fuckers in the west promote and turn a buck from it.

Still, maybe it is no different from gettting together with your mates in the garage and saying "hey lets form a cover band; we'll play Abba songs and dress like Abba and make shit loads of money"

Although, perhaps they'd be no slave labour involved

who knows....the world baffles me

Rob

by **rick** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:15 am

i am with you rob except your references might need some work :)

its good thing abba were trying to copy the phil spector sound and got famous dispite themselves when they were not really chasing it so they did not care about the copying they did !

and royer mics look very much like b&O ribbon mics from the 60s that they are copied off ! (i had two originals for a short time )
and that copying seems to have been dropped from public knowledge

chinese worker problems aside (and its hard to put it aside) i think this thread is a small micro view of exactly why the
global money pit finally went off the boil this year:)

this time next year or the next i very much doubt we will see this kind of thing coming out of china anymore and if the americans ever get capitalism back on track (yeah thats a bit "if" too) then buying working usable mics for 5 cents a pop will be a story to tell your grandkids about !

i reckon you guys should use them enjoy them and when they break use you diy skills to make something else out of them - but remember to pay yourself at least what the guy that made them got paid the first time around :)

by **rob** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:29 am

good to see someone else is up early and thinking. Morning Rick! :)

Rob

by **heathen** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:49 pm

Wait till India starts producing mics, will be some real flava there. :)

"Hmmmm what sound do we want for todays session"? The "Sichuan sizzler or the bombay buzzer".

by **Chris H** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:46 pm

Nothing like a good hot indian curry "afterburner".......
ok the mics....
just found one quallty control issue so far... the 5 pin female mic lead plug on one power supply for the 310 has the holes screwed up so they won't accept the male plug......maybe a chinese factory workers cryptic comment expressing his frustration at their governments one child policy... ha!

Will solder a replacement later today. All mics work ok, so will do a few recordings later today and will have them up against a bunch of other mics for a good listen during the week at the shed. We will have up a 70's Neumann u 87, a Rode K2, and an AT 4060 against the 1200.
* A neuman km 85, a rode NT5 up with th ACM-310
* an RCA 44BX, and a Coles STC 4033 using the ribbon only up against the ATC 3 & 4.

by **Aearth** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:46 pm

I'm a bit worried if I make a comment, Tim may single me out again, then I'll bite and then we go again. So we will wait and see if all the Chinese- take- away works as expected.

nIC

by **Ausrock** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:55 pm

It's been interesting reading :-)

Disregarding the possible "Chinese labour issues" and any perceived "similarities in appearances" of these mics, one thing the "critics" seem to be overlooking, is that the GB gear is being pitched at the home/small project studio recordists.........it's unlikely that Royer would lose sales because of these "copies" as the vast majority of GB participants wouldn't have the budget to buy a Royer.

A couple of people around are aware that I've been offered the opportunity and assistance to run a GB should I choose...........the ideas being bounced around are that there would be no shipping via the US, probably no money (or very little) up front, a warranty that actually has some merit, etc., etc.

by **heathen** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:16 pm

Someone should at least rebadge them.

Names like.

The Chopstick, perfect for high hats.
The Dim Sim, for that nice rounded kick sound.
The Noodle ribbon mic.

by **heathen** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:29 pm

Ausrock wrote:It's been interesting reading :-)

Disregarding the possible "Chinese labour issues" and any perceived "similarities in appearances" of these mics, one thing the "critics" seem to be overlooking, is that the GB gear is being pitched at the home/small project studio recordists.........it's unlikely that Royer would lose sales because of these "copies" as the vast majority of GB participants wouldn't have the budget to buy a Royer.

A couple of people around are aware that I've been offered the opportunity and assistance to run a GB should I choose...........the ideas being bounced around are that there would be no shipping via the US, probably no money (or very little) up front, a warranty that actually has some merit, etc., etc.

I actually was going to do the same thing about 2 years back, I have a mate in Hong Kong shipping all sorts of chinese stuff globally, from PA's to mics and other gear. Actually hav'nt spoken since the global financial crisis.

Anyone really can do this, actually if I did a group buy everyone would have had the gear in 2 weeks max after order completion. When buying takeaway you want good service. :)

I just stopped thinking about it, bringing here more crap to make my job harder for myself. I was imagining hearing things like: Geez that Avalon eq and API comp make my cheap mic sound like at least a hundred bucks. :(

by **NYMo** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:23 am

Hi there,

I hear they may be doing 1176 and other compressor copies next !

Cheers

N
Y
M
O

by **TimS** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:04 am

Aearth wrote:I'm a bit worried if I make a comment, Tim may single me out again, then I'll bite and then we go again. So we will wait and see if all the Chinese- take- away works as expected.

nIC

WHAT?? Singled you out!! I dont think so.
Re-read the thread nIC - I was just replying to your comments where you said Group Buyers were "pretty brave, naive or stupid".
I had no hesitation on outlaying a small amount to 'try' these group buy mics..
Sure, other guys wanted more, but thats was their choice.. Mine was 2 tube mics, thats all.

sleeping giant awoken

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