Thank you all, I´ll try to get on my hands a 4011 and a CMC6 with MK22 and MK4 and run some tests. Right now I lean towards the CMC6 MK22 a little bit more, but I´ll try to test them.

why would you choose the cmc 5 amp over the cmc 6?

.... i thought the cmc6 is the new improved version of the cmc5 but the cmc5 costs new 1/3 more then the cmc 6

is there anything the cmc 6 can do, that the cmc 5 can't ... except producing more self noise?

The CMC5 uses discrete circuitry. The CMC6 does not. In the end, the circuit is simpler and more direct in the CMC5. That also make the CMC5 slightly more expensive to make than the CMC6.

thanks for the explanation ... what i don't get...does they have any noticeable differences in sound?

there is a oppurtunity to get my hands on some cheap refurbished cmc5 with new mk4 capsule

Yes, there’s a difference in sound. The CMC5 is better because the CMC6 has a filter in the signal path that shouldn’t be there. Yes, the noise floor is lower in the CMC6, but the CMC5 sounds better overall. And the CMC5 was no slouch on self noise so that shouldn’t be an issue.

Is that filter still there in CMC 1? How would you compare CMC 5 and CMC 1 sonically? CMC 5 still sonically better than CMC 1?

Those were DPA 4011’s I would think. I toured with Paco for over a decade and he owned and used 4011’s.

Wow that’s cool

We have about 35 Schoeps bodies and more than 40 capsules...
I doubt that anybody is able to hear a difference between the CMC 5 / 6 and 1. The difference between the CMC 6 XT (which is a high frequency version of the CMC 6) is audible... at least for me. But the other ones are quite exchangeable. By the way: The CMC5 has also a high pass filter. it's just a little different. The CMC 3 and CMC 5 have a 30 Hz 6 dB Filter while the CMC 6 and CMC 1 have 12 dB Filter at 20 Hz. The CMC 1 and CMC 6 are far more robust towards RFI, which is really helpful in live situations...

I play classical guitar -- Does anyone know how to get a hold of matched pair DPA 4011 for the lowest cost??

Thomann music has the ST4011A pair set for 2999 now. Why you prefer 4011 over the Schoeps?

Because when I compared it blindly to the Schoeps, I distinctly appreciated the DPA 4011 as the sound I wanted to achieve out of a microphone. Here is one comparison video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VXfN8UdiyA

I also have a DPA 4099 microphone for live performance and really like the sound of the microphone. That's my unbiased opinion after A/B listening.

Relevant: I also loved dealing with the company, DPA, who went above and beyond when I asked questions and made special requests; they are in my top 5 companies of the best I've dealt with over the years by far. They made a good impression on me.

Interesting. I liked the MK 22 more in that video. Compared to MK 22, the 4011A seems kind of mid scooped which can give you the impression it has a tight sound (whatever that means). Sure it has a little more top end but the mid scooped part of it ultimately makes it have less definition, at least to my ears. I'm sure it can make a fantastic drum mic though.

I don't doubt what you hear. However, the DPA 4011A is the sound I'm after and to me sounded amazing compared to the Schoeps

there wasn't much of a point to compare the mk-22's with the 4011's in the first place...

...and unless mics get eq'd to measure the same, it's mostly easy to tell one from the other - anyway, my preference depends on situation.

Listening to it with SonarWorks ReferenceID's calibration for my headphones, I think the difference you may hear is that the Schoepps is slightly louder than the 4011A in the recording. Looking back at the 4011A's frequency response curve, it could also be that the 4011A was 180 degrees off axis when recorded somehow? I'm not sure how to explain what you heard, but I did like the 4011A better!

It's okay if you like the 4011A better. It's a lovely sounding microphone. I like it too.

It would be technically more correct to compare the MK 22 with a DPA 4015 (both are sub-cardioids). To my ears, they're sonically rather different, with the MK 22's offering a more tailored response and the 4015's being flatter. There are good uses for each. Still, if you like the way the DPA 4011's sound on your instrument, then the decision is already made.

There's no getting around the fact that both the DPA and Schoeps choices are costly. If these mics are beyond budget, there are some recently-introduced 2000-series DPA's that can be had for about 50% less than their high-end siblings.

• DPA 2012's are fixed-capsule cardioid SDC's in a rugged package intended for stage use.
• DPA 2015's are their wide-cardioid counterparts.

DPA is promoting these mics hard at the moment and there should be demo pairs available if you work through their dealer network.

David L. Rick

Interesting, I wasn't aware of this. How do the DPA 2012's compare with the DPA 4011's sonically to you?

It's on my "to do list" to directly compare the 2015 to my 4015, if only because I felt silly for using a $2k mic on an outdoor stage last Saturday. (The rig owner was running Harbinger mains, for cripes sake, meaning my personal stage mic was worth more than the entire PA!) I've just been too busy to phone up the sales office and arrange a demo.

David

Fair enough! I look forward to when you can share your opinion, which appears to be much more informed than my one