MXL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they make excellent microphones

Look out for those Guitar Center "guys" ... most don't have a clue and cannot offer any real insight. They are "sales specialists" not gear freaks ...

I personally don't care for either of those mics. In this price range, I recommend the Studio Projects C4's ...

The C4's come as a "matched pair" with both omni and cardioid capsules and shock mount mic clips housed in a very nice flight case.. for about $500.. anything else comparable will cost twice as much.

The C4's also have been getting great reviews. I wrote one myself!

[="http://www.recording.org/e-mag/article_110.shtml"]PMI 3 'fer![/]="http://www.recordin…"]PMI 3 'fer![/]

But don't take my word for it ....

Check this link ..

[[url=http://="http://www.oade.com…"]Tapers Link[/]="http://www.oade.com…"]Tapers Link[/]

... it is a collection of comments from concert "tapers" and is completely independent .. no magazine reviews or comments from people who received their review pieces on loan from the manufacturers or a "gear pimp". These guys all bought theirs ... see what they say ...

I agree about most GC guys.

And, actually, the C4s are going for around $319.

Out of the two mentioned in the original post, I prefer the Oktava. The MXL 603 is a little harsh on Acoustic guitar and drum overheads, IMO. I haven't used the C4s, so I can't comment on them.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I've been using an AKG C1000 and mixing it in with direct out of my Taylor acoustic (which has the mic/piezo onboard blender). But Now I'm upgrading equipment and want to try a pair of mics for a different, and hopefully better sound.

I have both MC012 and the MXL603s. To me they sound very similar. The Marshall is a tad brighter and has a wider cardioid pattern. Both sound very good on my Webber OM. The bonus for the MC012 is it comes with a 10db pad, and you can order an omni cap for an addtional $64 from the Soundroom.

Mic to mic consistency is an issue with the Octavas ... there is no denying this. Just go to GC and audition 4 of the same thing ... each one will sound different. Bad QC ... The ones at The Sound Room (where Shelltones purchased his) are matched better because SR staff does this ... but they charge more than other retailers like GC for this extra service (worth it btw) .

The MXL's also have QC problems, failure in the field and bad build quality ... for everyone who says they like them, there is someone else complaining about them failing or falling apart.

Studio Projects matches pairs and does a very extensive Quality Control check on all their mics prior to shipping them out from their US facility.

They may cost a bit more but IMO, it is worth it.

Octava products have had such a high return/failure rate on mics, shockmounts and power supplies that Guitar Center has dropped them as a vendor. Once inventory is dried up, no more. Look for Marshall mics to take their place.

Cedar Flat Fats wrote: Mic to mic consistency is an issue with the Octavas ... there is no denying this. Just go to GC and audition 4 of the same thing ... each one will sound different. Bad QC ... The ones at The Sound Room (where Shelltones purchased his) are matched better because SR staff does this ... but they charge more than other retailers like GC for this extra service (worth it btw) ...

Just to clarify, I did purchase the Oktava at GC. But before I did, I looked at one in the store and rejected it because it looked used and dirty. Then I took two others home. One had bad threads on the preamp body. The other had bad threads on the pad. Luckily, by mixing and matching the caps, pads and preamp bodies, I made one that closely matched (to my ears and preamp gain settings) my MXL603s.

So what you say about build quality is true. It's a tad risky to buy them from GC.

I did purchase the omni cap from the Soundroom, however.

Cedar Flat Fats wrote: In this price range, I recommend the Studio Projects C4's ...

I second that. Great mics.