What is wrong with CAD gear or my ears?

[Divo]

I was in at a local dealer today and tried out about eight different vocal mics for my studio. Audio technica, Rode, Shure, Studio projects and CAD. All of the models I tried ranged between $1100 and $1300 Ausbucks list price and to be honest the two mics that stood out as sounding clean and reasonably warm were the ATM3060 and the CAD M9. Out of the two the Audio technica seemed to be a little brighter but not by much. Both mics sounded very nice indeed but I honestly thought the CAD was a touch less coloured. Could the listening environment in the store really make that much difference if you are using nearfields to test?

So why is it that nobody really use them? Is it a marketing lapse or Is there a build quality issue? I don't get it, they sound so much smoother and less metalic / farty than the Rode NTK and are right up there with the AT Mics. Even the little GXL 1200 is a great mic for the money ($179.00 Ausbucks ).

Please Kurt, try em out and give us an honest opinion, you know what to listen and look for and you have a lot more experience than most of us. I need to know if my ears are playing tricks on me. Could it be that I just have very different taste to other people?

 

[Kurt Foster]

Divo,
Conneaut Audio Devices makes some wild weird gear. I think what has hurt them more than anything is the higher end mics are priced within a few hundred dollars of what a person could get a Neumann for. And they run on phantom powered rechargeable batteries with their operation time limited to 6 or 7 hours at a time. I think the CAD is quite a bit more expensive than the ATM, isn’t it? I still can’t believe what you guys are paying for mics in Australia. Way more than what we are paying in the States. There has got to be a way to help you get a break on the prices. Kurt

 

[tmix]

I have a couple of the Cad E-100s I use all the time. I really like them a lot. I originally tried one out a friend of mine had and it was the first mic that sounded very flattering to my voice. Since then I have bought 2. They are technically a mid sized diaphram like an AT-4033, they have a fuller mid frequency sound than my 4033.They sound great on percussion and drums (where they are permanently parked).
They operate on phantom power with a battery in line to absorb peak voltage use, the mics can also be used via the battery alone (no phantom) for about 6 hours which works well for field recording.
I am not sure if their newer offerings work the same way, but I like mine!

 

[vinniesrs]

Is AKG that expensive down under? What about sennheiser? Consider c-414b-uls or c-414 tlII, maybe a sennheiser 421?, how about the Neumann tlm-193. Studio projects?
A.T. makes good stuff too. I provide these as alternatives to the cad. If you are just starting out, versatility is best.

cheers! :c:

 

[Divo]

Yeh, AKG And Sens are really crappy value for money in OZ. Price differences between Cad, Rode, AT and higher end gear is pretty huge down here. It's a real bummer when I hear you guys talking about gear that I either have never seen here, or simply can't get because of the rediculous prices locally. Oh well, I guess I will just have to wait and save for a while.

 

[Kurt Foster]

Divo,
I am amazed when I hear the prices that some things are going for in Australia.. Is this because of an import tariff? Or is the cost of shipping there? As I have stated before, there has got to be a way to get you guys access to gear at a better price. It seems like in some cases, you are paying almost twice list price for much of this stuff. You need to get a friend to make your purchases and then ship them to you.

 

[Divo]

The import duties are what kills it for us, and then manufacturers here cash in on the fact that the imports are so expensive by price matching and increasing margins. The only way to get cheap gear is to have someone buy it overseas and ship it over as a second hand piece so the duties are eliminated. Same for cars and other big ticket items. The other thing that can be a bit of a pain is the power supply difference from 110 v to 240 v. Some stuff has a supply switch but not all.

Big pain in the butt .......