even before i watch, i've had a set of these on my list as problem solvers and answers to questions no one has yet asked. So now I will watch and see if my suppositions are supported.
For me, listening through a pair of monitors, those AKGs sounded muddy as hell! I've got two pairs of CO2s, and am planning to buy three more pairs for use as drum mics, they're exactly what I'm looking for. I'm not crapping over AKG either, as I have an old Perception 400 which I absolutely love, and would never be without. I don't have very expensive gear at the moment, but what I do have, I've had for years, and I know it and love it, and we all work well together, lol! I also have a Samson Q7 stage mic which I've never tested... I want to though, but the dust on the case is getting to around an inch thick now, lol! I was sold it on the understanding that it's pretty close to an SM58, way back when I couldn't even afford to hold an SM58, lol!
I have had these things on my monitor for the past few months...lol Sorry I jumped schedule...your receptionist still hasnt gotten back to me with your shooting schedule
@@DarkCornerStudios It’s just insane that of all days and all weeks, 20 years after the release, you review them a day before me. The gods must be smiling on Samson or something. Or the gods hate me because now I’m thinking I’m going to push it so it doesn’t seem like some kind of blitzkrieg of coverage.
It's always a wonderful thing to listen to the same mic reviewed by multiple reliable reviewers. Different voices, positions, distances, purposes, frequencies and so on. For those who are considering C02 seriously, they will be more than glad to watch and compare both videos again and again.
Nice review. You could also try to take a look at a pair of C-2's from Behringer, they're even cheaper (if they're not all sold out :)), got my pair for about $70, self noise 19db(A), 150db max spl, I use them for a variety of applications, for vocal in a stereo configuration for solo folk (guitar is preamped and goes straight to mixer), and boy I say I'm more content performing live with them than SM58's that I have, for recording compared to a C-1 (yes I know I'm a low budget hog, can't even afford an NTfrom Rhode) they give class for vocal, crisp clear and at the same time warm (not muffled). Cheerios!
The only con to me is the noise floor. Sure, these mics have less low end and there’s less warmth, but sometimes (actually, quite a lot of times) a bright sound with less low end is exactly what I want from an acoustic guitar. I remember when I was just searching the internet for acoustic guitars. I can’t help myself. It’s an addiction. Then one day I listened to a great sounding guitar, but what blew me away more than anything was the sound quality of the recording itself. And so I asked the content creator what mics he used and what he used to edit the sound, assuming he was going to mention a freaking expensive mic, using a tube mic pre for a bit of that pleasant saturation, then added a small amount of compression and maybe even eq…. Well, he answered and me and told me that he only used a single Samson C02 and nothing else. He kept everything flat, didn’t add a single thing in the box. And he was almost ashamed to admit it!!!!! Now in all honesty, I had never heard of this microphone before and I didn’t really know the brand, so at that moment it could still be an expensive mic. I had no idea. So I did what I always do when I find something I feel excited about. I wanted to know the price. And I couldn’t believe it!!! Now look, I have 7 or 8 really great acoustic guitars and some of them I love because of the warmth and the woody tone. When I want to capture the quality of that sound I wouldn’t use anything even remotely similar to a C02. But when I want to hear a strumming part that needs to be heard without it becoming too boomy, the C02 is the first mic I think of. And just to be clear, I’m not a professional and I don’t own microphones that cost more than my monthly income. I don’t want to imply that there aren’t better microphones that can do a similar job, but even better (without the ridiculous noise floor for instance). But I never wanted these mics because they’re cheap. I wanted them because I genuinely think they sound perfect for what I want in certain situations. 😊🧡
The C02's are pretty decent for the price point. I got a pair with the dk 707 drum mic kit. They get the job done but seem to lack some qualities that I want. Great for point source and or shotgun mic, but kinda weak for rooms and too thin for recording drums. I would say for a little extra money, I'd pick up the Lewitt LCT 140 AIR as I find they have a much better top end IMO
its like pepper and salt, you can always add more after, the akg sound is warmer out of the box, if you want bass, but sometimes that can sound muffled and dull.
The p170 is more than 10x better. So much smoother, more balanced across the spectrum. Sounds closer like it’s more in phase with itself. Definitely worth every penny. Thanks for preventing me from becoming a cheap Charlie!
Thanks for the video. I have the AKGs and the Samsons. User tip - avoid the Samsons. As this video shows, they're too noisy for halfway serious work. Mine are kept for emergencies only... and by emergencies, I mean an imminent nuclear missile attack when it doesn't matter WHAT you use. 😉 The AKGs are fine for the price (they used to be even cheaper than they are currently). They're not super-great, but they're more than good enough for tighter budgets. Cheers.
Great video! Your audio is so good man! Do you have an overhead shotgun or lav mic ? If so, would you consider doing a video setup ? Thank man. Much love from Spain 🇪🇸
Aiden I'm looking for some advice on how to mic up a violin for a street performer. The musician that I want to work with already has a violin pickup, but I don't think I can take a line level from his amp to my Zoom H6. I think I could do it with my Sound Devices MixPre-3. However, if I was just to mic him would I be best to use my Sennheiser MKE600, SM57, SM58 or the AK6 170? Maybe some combination of a couple different microphones? I have up to six inputs on my Zoom H6 or three on my Sound Devices MixPre3. Not that I have a clue on how I should do the post processing. Keep in mind I'm talking about shooting him outdoors.
This is a good one. I would pass that kind of stuff off to @dylanlalonde See if he responds here...or I will make sure to bring it up during the livestream this week!
Audio guys remind me of ego-inflated wine connoisseurs. There's ample documentation of wine snobs making fools of themselves with blind taste tests. Audiophiles are no different: they talk a good game but in the end, they can seldom tell the difference between mid range gear and high end gear. Oh, I've heard all of the justifications and excuses, "It's a matter of training your ear" and "You're not going to hear the difference on TH-cam." Ha ha. It's funny stuff.
Lol...the bitterness dripping from this. It's actually true. Training your ear is much like wine tasting. And yes...people can hear the difference. My producer was able to hear the difference over laptop speakers. Just because you can't hear something doesn't mean it isn't there. Dighton for the side of ignorance and throwing around ego based insults just makes you sound sour.
even before i watch, i've had a set of these on my list as problem solvers and answers to questions no one has yet asked. So now I will watch and see if my suppositions are supported.
For me, listening through a pair of monitors, those AKGs sounded muddy as hell! I've got two pairs of CO2s, and am planning to buy three more pairs for use as drum mics, they're exactly what I'm looking for. I'm not crapping over AKG either, as I have an old Perception 400 which I absolutely love, and would never be without. I don't have very expensive gear at the moment, but what I do have, I've had for years, and I know it and love it, and we all work well together, lol! I also have a Samson Q7 stage mic which I've never tested... I want to though, but the dust on the case is getting to around an inch thick now, lol! I was sold it on the understanding that it's pretty close to an SM58, way back when I couldn't even afford to hold an SM58, lol!
DUDE ARE YOU F***ING KIDDING ME!? I am reviewing these damn things tomorrow!? What are the freaking odds!?
I have had these things on my monitor for the past few months...lol
Sorry I jumped schedule...your receptionist still hasnt gotten back to me with your shooting schedule
@@DarkCornerStudios It’s just insane that of all days and all weeks, 20 years after the release, you review them a day before me. The gods must be smiling on Samson or something. Or the gods hate me because now I’m thinking I’m going to push it so it doesn’t seem like some kind of blitzkrieg of coverage.
Ah...I do remember you mentioning this in your members video.
So this one is on me.
I am sorry buddy...no malice intended WHATSOEVER.
It's always a wonderful thing to listen to the same mic reviewed by multiple reliable reviewers. Different voices, positions, distances, purposes, frequencies and so on. For those who are considering C02 seriously, they will be more than glad to watch and compare both videos again and again.
Nice review. You could also try to take a look at a pair of C-2's from Behringer, they're even cheaper (if they're not all sold out :)), got my pair for about $70, self noise 19db(A), 150db max spl, I use them for a variety of applications, for vocal in a stereo configuration for solo folk (guitar is preamped and goes straight to mixer), and boy I say I'm more content performing live with them than SM58's that I have, for recording compared to a C-1 (yes I know I'm a low budget hog, can't even afford an NTfrom Rhode) they give class for vocal, crisp clear and at the same time warm (not muffled). Cheerios!
The only con to me is the noise floor. Sure, these mics have less low end and there’s less warmth, but sometimes (actually, quite a lot of times) a bright sound with less low end is exactly what I want from an acoustic guitar.
I remember when I was just searching the internet for acoustic guitars. I can’t help myself. It’s an addiction. Then one day I listened to a great sounding guitar, but what blew me away more than anything was the sound quality of the recording itself. And so I asked the content creator what mics he used and what he used to edit the sound, assuming he was going to mention a freaking expensive mic, using a tube mic pre for a bit of that pleasant saturation, then added a small amount of compression and maybe even eq…. Well, he answered and me and told me that he only used a single Samson C02 and nothing else. He kept everything flat, didn’t add a single thing in the box. And he was almost ashamed to admit it!!!!!
Now in all honesty, I had never heard of this microphone before and I didn’t really know the brand, so at that moment it could still be an expensive mic. I had no idea. So I did what I always do when I find something I feel excited about. I wanted to know the price. And I couldn’t believe it!!!
Now look, I have 7 or 8 really great acoustic guitars and some of them I love because of the warmth and the woody tone. When I want to capture the quality of that sound I wouldn’t use anything even remotely similar to a C02. But when I want to hear a strumming part that needs to be heard without it becoming too boomy, the C02 is the first mic I think of. And just to be clear, I’m not a professional and I don’t own microphones that cost more than my monthly income. I don’t want to imply that there aren’t better microphones that can do a similar job, but even better (without the ridiculous noise floor for instance). But I never wanted these mics because they’re cheap. I wanted them because I genuinely think they sound perfect for what I want in certain situations. 😊🧡
I tried these side-by-side with the Behringer c2 mics and the sE8 mics. The Samsons were the worst, with the Behringers having a pretty decent sound.
Still have to grab the Behringers...I should get those soon
I’ve had a pair for three years…..and they are excellent!
The C02's are pretty decent for the price point. I got a pair with the dk 707 drum mic kit.
They get the job done but seem to lack some qualities that I want. Great for point source and or shotgun mic, but kinda weak for rooms and too thin for recording drums.
I would say for a little extra money, I'd pick up the Lewitt LCT 140 AIR as I find they have a much better top end IMO
its like pepper and salt, you can always add more after, the akg sound is warmer out of the box, if you want bass, but sometimes that can sound muffled and dull.
The p170 is more than 10x better. So much smoother, more balanced across the spectrum. Sounds closer like it’s more in phase with itself. Definitely worth every penny.
Thanks for preventing me from becoming a cheap Charlie!
Can you mic a guitar amp with these usefully?
If anyone is thinking of getting something more expensive than these the mxl cr21 seems to be good they also have 18db noise
Co2 has no low end but could be handy for acoustics in a dense mix.
Good day sir will you ever do a combo pack for podcast/ streaming (mic, swing arm, mixer etc) from budget to top tier ?
Thanks for the video. I have the AKGs and the Samsons. User tip - avoid the Samsons. As this video shows, they're too noisy for halfway serious work. Mine are kept for emergencies only... and by emergencies, I mean an imminent nuclear missile attack when it doesn't matter WHAT you use. 😉 The AKGs are fine for the price (they used to be even cheaper than they are currently). They're not super-great, but they're more than good enough for tighter budgets. Cheers.
Cheers!
I'm not a person to be taken seriously, but want to do half serious work.
Maybe do a video explaining what all of the specs actually mean.
Great video! Your audio is so good man! Do you have an overhead shotgun or lav mic ? If so, would you consider doing a video setup ? Thank man. Much love from Spain 🇪🇸
The audio for this video was done with the Samson CO2 from overhead!
Aiden I'm looking for some advice on how to mic up a violin for a street performer. The musician that I want to work with already has a violin pickup, but I don't think I can take a line level from his amp to my Zoom H6. I think I could do it with my Sound Devices MixPre-3. However, if I was just to mic him would I be best to use my Sennheiser MKE600, SM57, SM58 or the AK6 170? Maybe some combination of a couple different microphones? I have up to six inputs on my Zoom H6 or three on my Sound Devices MixPre3. Not that I have a clue on how I should do the post processing.
Keep in mind I'm talking about shooting him outdoors.
This is a good one.
I would pass that kind of stuff off to @dylanlalonde
See if he responds here...or I will make sure to bring it up during the livestream this week!
yah, AKG all the way, the warmth is so worth it....
I have a pair and the noise ruined many takes for me and switched out the mics. Waisted time.
Between this and sennheiser e614, which is better?
Some Samson stuff can be funny. Some are fine and some are not. You can find better ones out there even the MXL ones are pretty good.
Move the co2's 2 inch's closer to the sound hole and they are much closer. I have them but dont use them. But they aren't bad. Noisy
Audio guys remind me of ego-inflated wine connoisseurs. There's ample documentation of wine snobs making fools of themselves with blind taste tests. Audiophiles are no different: they talk a good game but in the end, they can seldom tell the difference between mid range gear and high end gear. Oh, I've heard all of the justifications and excuses, "It's a matter of training your ear" and "You're not going to hear the difference on TH-cam." Ha ha. It's funny stuff.
Lol...the bitterness dripping from this.
It's actually true.
Training your ear is much like wine tasting.
And yes...people can hear the difference.
My producer was able to hear the difference over laptop speakers.
Just because you can't hear something doesn't mean it isn't there.
Dighton for the side of ignorance and throwing around ego based insults just makes you sound sour.
Very thin