Here's your new Royer

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 3:14 am

On of the local (Swedish) distributers have their own generic (Chinese) microphone brand (called TSM), they have a Royer knock-off in their line that looks just like the Stellar shown here.. Their about $230 (+ sales tax), and the quality is "you get what you pay for"..

As I wanted to dip my toes into ribbon water, I checked out 6 mikes in two diffrent stores and only one had a ribon that was'nt jinxed and sounded bad (through my FF800).. I'm not in the habit of bashing Chinese stuff, but with the kind of price point their aiming for, quality do not seem to register very high on the top 10 list of importance, but given their development ratio I'm sure they'll conquer that aspect too!

Anyway, I ended up trading som unused stuff for a second hand Royer R-122 instead... Very Happy

..and it does not have a machanical buzz!

/ptr

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 5:06 am

ptr wrote:

On of the local (Swedish) distributers have their own generic (Chinese) microphone brand (called TSM), they have a Royer knock-off in their line that looks just like the Stellar shown here..

It is probably the same microphone. I know of two different equipment distributors/importers who have been approached at trade shows (AES, NAMM, etc.) by Chinese businessmen offering them the opportunity to have their own brand of mic. A catalogue is shown, and (I'm reliably informed) that in it are many of the cheap microphones currently on sale around the world - even brands who pride themselves on being made in the USA or wherever but who have miraculously come out of nowhere and didn't exist a few years ago. (Does anyone *really* believe that these previously unheard of 'manufacturers' have invested in all the technology and research required to make their own microphones, only to sell them for $199?!?!)

One of the importers told me he was offered his own brand of microphone for just $30 each provided he ordered 1000 or more. All he had to do was pick the desired combination of diaphragm, electronics and body, place an order for 1000 or more, and give them his logo and any other artwork for etching into the microphone body. Selling those microphones at a 'bargain' price of $199 each means a potential return of $199,000 for a $30,000 investment. That's an irresistable deal; no wonder there are so many cheap and cheerful microphone brands cropping up everywhere.

I'm not sick of bashing Chinese microphones because *most* of them are crap, and the reality is that crap is crap no matter how you polish it or justify its price. And the more of it they sell, the more they will continue to sell until they dominate the market and squeeze the quality manufacturers out.

And then we'll only be able to buy crap...

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 7:59 am

And the more of it they sell, the more they will continue to sell until they dominate the market and squeeze the quality manufacturers out.

And then we'll only be able to buy crap...

Sorry, but I don't believe that for one second. It's no different than the mentality here in the states that says: "No one will be able to find a good job because of all the illegal immigrants."

BULL. Quality is quality, and end-users at the top of the profession knows the difference. What are you afraid of, if you know and understand the difference? Let the knock-offs have their fun, make their short-term killings, and sell to the kids and newbies who don't want to commit to a $3k Neumann or Royer. It's no different than a knock-off $150 Fender Strat or Gibson SG look-alike.

If they ARE crap (and most of them probably are), they won't last long with the true professionals, and they'll drive up the value of the truly GOOD microphones you already own, not to mention the vintage stuff everyone collects. Thats' not ever going to change. It's survival of the fittest, at both ends of the spectrum: cheap and expendable (which will always sell) vs. expensive and worth the cost (which will also always sell).

Do you really think there will ever be any shortage of "Good" microphone manufacturers someday? Come on, be serious here. There's never been a better time to buy great microphones from companies all over the world. Look at all the boutique manufacturers and restorers in the USA alone. Wes Dooley is doing fine, (he told me so at AES) so is DPA, Geffel and many others, and they DON"T want to sell to more clients than they can handle without sacrificing quality. In reality, they can hardly work fast enough to fill the orders they already have.

Sure, everyone is feeling the pinch of foreign-made stuff for a lot less $, but that's true for every market. Just about every product you can name has an overseas counterpart being made for a lot less. (Gee, whom do we REALLY have to blame for this situation, eh?) It's sad but true, in most cases, it's even cheaper to design it here, SHIP THE MATERIALS over there and have it assembled there, then shipped back, instead of making it here. Hard to believe but it's cheaper doing it that way.

It's not always right and it shouldn't be happening in some cases (No OSHA standards, pollution, lead paint in kids toys, etc.) but that isn't happening because of making microphones per se, so I really don't see the harm in a lot of entry level microphones coming out of the East for those that aren't going to have the cash or long-term interest in the really GOOD stuff.

It only makes the mics one already has worth more in the long run, if you stop to think about it.

Of course, I understand how frustrating it must feel if a $300 stereo ribbon coming out of the Far East sounds THISCLOSE to the $1200 or $2400 ribbon one bought a few years back stateside. I'd too would probably reconsider my purchases next time around.

To the victor go the spoils, ya know, no matter where the thing is made: by an elite, highly skilled team in the EU, or an equally meticulous, but perhaps starving Asian man working 80 hrs a week just to survive. I wonder who actually is doing a better job in the long run. I know that's an unfair comparison (like apples and oranges) but each product - the high or the low end stuff - has it's place in the grand scheme of things.

Caveat emptor, ya'll.

This topic sponsored by: