Brian,
I have never used the Rode NT5s... I usually steer clear of all the lower end stuff when it comes to mics and pres, however I was motivated to hear the SP line because of all the interest geneated here at RO regarding their products and because it became eveident to me that some people simply can't / won't pony up and pay the big bucks that good gear costs. I wanted to be able to comment from expierence rather than conjecture. I have to say that for the most part I was very suprised at how good the Studio Projects mics sound. I personally don't see how they do it other than they must ahve a very narrow profit margin. Is it a Neumann or an AKG? No. Does it sound good? Yes.. a different color, that's all..

Are the C3/C4 series considered "budget" mics?

Originally posted by bgavin:
Are the C3/C4 series considered "budget" mics?

Yes, I would say so. At $400 "street" for a matched pair in a custom hard case with shock mounts.

I love my NT5's! :) They are not Neumann KM184's, but they sound great on acoustic guitar, and as drum OH's when I cannot borrow the AKG414's!

After reading this review of Rode NT1000 and NTK, my opinion of Rode in general was raised significantly.

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://prorec.com/p…"]Link to Rode Review[/]="http://prorec.com/p…"]Link to Rode Review[/]

The hardware engineer in me is significantly impressed with the construction quality. I figure if he puts this much effort into the mechanics, he also put effort into the electronic design.

The NT5 look appealing for SDC, in their price range. Are they useful for SDC applications, harsh, overly bright or ??

The NT5's are great!They are not harsh, and if fact, they can be a bit on the dark side. I read somewhere that if you give them a bit of a boost (3 dB) at 12K, they sound very similar to a KM184. Don't know if I believe that, and actually don't really care, but the point is that they are not at all harsh! Smooth baby!

Dbl, I've been following your cheer-leading on the NT5 pair with interest. I did note that you said they got skunked by a pair of AKG. Considering the price differential, I'd hope the AKG would be a marked improvement.

I've been thinking I need a pair of SDC, and have been seriously impressed by the build quality of the LD Rodes. Dunno about the SD ones.

But.. I'm thinking I might be better off with an SDC pair that can change between cardioid to omni. Even worse is, I have a negative bias against electret mics. Including the SM81.

This restricts the field to Oktava, AKG, Audio-Technica, and Studio Projects in the affordable range. Restricting the selection to high sensitivity mics, this leaves the AT4049, AT4051, C480B, and finally the C4 as the least sensitive of this group.

I'd like to have a pair of C480B, but that ain't gonna happen for a duffer recorder like me.