Once again Michael - sorry for the delay.

I can't say I've done a side by side, but I am VERY familiar with both mics. Both are VERY good microphones and would be useful in almost ANY situation.

Here's my comparison -

The SCX-1c would be far more like the KM84. A warm, full sounding mic (some might argue "dull" as it doesn't have much of a presence peak. I don't recall what the plot says, but from experience I can tell you, it's not bright in the slightest.)

The Josephson is going to be closer to a Neumann KM184 (bad choice - I hate this mic for many things, but in comparison the to 84, it's a brighter mic. If I had to choose between the 184 and the Josephson, I would almost ALWAYS go with the Josephson.)

Between the two - I would say:

Strings (including orchestral and plucked) SCX-1 would be my first choice.

Woodwinds - Josephson

Brass - neither, but would probably prefer Josephson

Percussion -
Kit - Josephson
Mallets - Audix
Timp - Audix
Snare - Josephson
Cymbals/Tam Tam - Josephson

Piano - draw - both will get you a very good sound

Voice (if I had to) - Josephson (Actually, this could work very well in an operatic situation).

If you're seriously interested in the Audix stuff, contact me off line. I don't want to advertise here, so I won't. (Since I haven't paid for that service. Perhaps one day I will...) 8-)

J.

Thanks Jeremy.

I'm looking for a smoother replacement for my KM184s, so your advice is greatly appreciated. The Audix (or Josephsons) would be used mostly as instrumental/choral spots in acoustic music applications when using a subcard/omni main pair (MK21/QTC1/future MK2S). On rarer occasion, as a stereo main pr on smaller ensembles or in crappy venues. Of course, I'd love the MK4 caps, but for what I'd use them for I think I can get by quite well for much less $$ for one of the mics I asked about.

I have an earlier message from you last summer re. your Audix dealership. Lastly, some minor SCX-1c questions:

Are they finnicky at all wrt pres? (I'm using Benchmark these days).
Do they come in factory-matched pairs?
What kind of protective packaging/box do they come in?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike -

Good questions. I honestly do not recall if they come in factory matched pairs or not. I'll check my literature, but I don't think they do (the SCX-25s do, but they are completely different beasts!)

As for pres - no, I haven't noticed any problems with a myriad of pres. So long as the input impedence is greater than 1k ohm, you should be fine. I've used them with Trues, Millennias, Grace, Summits and Aphex pres and never had any issues - they generally sound rather consistent.

They come in a cheesy "Cherry" box which is lined with velveteen wrapped foam. It's more than adequate for protecting the mic. It's not the kind of woodwork you get on Schoeps or Neumann, but if you need a box, it certainly does the trick and doesn't look half bad either.

One other note - don't take my comment comparing the Josephsons to the 184s as a negative regarding the Josephsons. In all facets, the Josephsons (IMO) are a better mic than the Neumann. The Neumanns, to me, have a "sizzle" to them, which I do NOT find appealing. Where the Josephsons do have a brighter top end, there is none of the "sizzle" that I find so apparent in the 184s. Furthermore, this brightness can easily be tamed with a gentle Q cut in the higher frequencies (say .3 Q at around 5-7kHz with a cut maxing out at maybe -1.2 dB - less would work many times too). I haven't had the same luck out of the 184. Any cut that I have to do to tame them results in a dull, lackluster sound.

I don't mean to sound so harsh to the Neumanns, but I do generally feel that many of their mics (particularly their newer "pocket-book-friendly" mics) are simply decent sounding mics, priced way too high and expecting their name to sell the mic for them. I fear others will follow suit (everytime Schoeps and Sennheiser introduce a new "revolutionary" model, I'm terrified they're going to "Jump the Shark" too. So far, I'm pleased to say it does not appear that this has been the case. The "xt" was a close one - at least it's met with mixed opinion, not almost entirely bad like such cases as the TLM 103 and the 184s)

Sorry to ramble.
J.