ACOUSTIC GUITAR MIC SHOOTOUT! Neumann KM184 - Shure SM81 - AKG 451 - Shure KSM137 - Rode NT5

[@tim9house]

Which mic did you prefer in this video? Comment below...also let us know if you use something different for your recording.

[@nickgoogle4525]

Schoeps for sure. The Neumann would be great, if it would not have that bump in the highs. 😞 I've bought the "new classic" (possibly -- we'll see if it turns out that way) Austrian Audio CC8, which I find better than the KM184.

[@tim9house]

Schoeps is hard to beat if you have the dough

[@danielgaudet6114]

In this video, I preferred the Schoeps CMC 6 and the Shure SM137, but most of the mikes were fine (maybe the NT5 wasn't quite up to the other ones). One of my favorite SDC that I use for acoustic guitar is the Sennheiser MKH 40. I also own a few KM 184 and I prefer the sound of the MKH 40 for acoustic guitars.

[@NuclearDeathWalk]

@@nickgoogle4525 2 dB rise from 4k on up is too much for you?

[@ludomirsteinbruck9376]

Hi Tim what guitar is this?

[@pearsonart]

Agreed on the old C451E. Prefer it to most modern condensers. For period recordings, I like vintage dynamics like the EV re10-18 and the D series AKGs.

[@bkt6025]

Ksm 137- love the color it gives

[@lenseligman9791]

Very helpful. Just bought a pair of Shure SM81s based on this. I'm currently using Rode NT5s, and this sounds like it will be a nice upgrade for my recorded acoustic guitar tone.

[@tim9house]

Glad it was helpful!

[@oinkooink]

It won't be.

[@JohnGauge790]

137 has a great frequency response with smooth transients that don’t sound brittle.

[@tim9house]

Agr Ed, thanks for the feedback

[@soundknight]

0:58 AKG 451 1:13 1:31 Shure KSM 137 1:46 2:03 Rode NT5 2:16 2:33 Shure SM81 2:50 3:10 Neumann KM184 3:23 I didn't want it to win but... The Neumann

[@tim9house]

Thanks Brian. Yep I bought the Neumann 🙂

[@soundknight]

@@tim9house how does it behave live? Do you wish you had something with more bite or cut through a mix or is it just as devilishly good live as it is in the studio?

[@tim9house]

@@soundknight I’ve mainly used it in recording situations.

[@gunjabeans]

You just can't go wrong with Neumann mics, but you forgot Schoeps @3:44 and @3:58

[@tim9house]

@@gunjabeans ??

[@vincenteoppolo9025]

I own KM 184's and AKG 451's...for Dreadnaught body I like the AKG 451's ...add's some air and opens the highs...but the KM 184 sure does sound old school down home

[@chrisbjornnmusic]

That 452 dang

[@57Techboy]

They all have their own distinct character, for me KM 184 then CM6 for their balance then AKG 451, SM 81 and NT5 for their brilliance and finally the SM 137 for it's warmth

[@tim9house]

Yes they do - thanks!

[@MatthewBarelick]

Agreed 💯

[@shred5]

Man, this is incredibly helpful as I've been condenser shopping. It helps that you're a good player and get the most out of your guitar. Most of these sound great in their own right. The AKG has the best highs and a really nice mellow sound but I prefer the warmer sound of the Shure's and the KM 184. The KSM 137 overall sounds great but was maybe a little too boomy at times. The Rode NT5 wasn't the best in any particular sound area but has a nice balance and is definitely the winner in overall value no doubt. The SM81 or KM 184 are the best balanced and my vote is honestly a tossup. The KM184 has great low end, just enough where it's not too boomy but the lows actually sound deeper on the SM81 and the SM81 has slightly better highs. I am heavily leaning towards the SM81 now. It's more in my price range (unless I go for an Ear Trumpet Labs Louise or Josephine which I can record vocals and a guitar with.

[@rasm0225]

Unbelievably helpful. Exactly what I need to evaluate. Thank you!

[@tim9house]

Glad it was helpful for you

[@jimbotski]

Love the Neumann and the AKG which felt like it had the most glue

[@tim9house]

Both are great

[@riz69]

they all sound good to me,I use ksm 137 because many pros suggested them to me.and their used by the chicago symphony and a good price

[@tolstoipie]

This is a well done and useful video. Thank you for doing this and sharing it.

[@tim9house]

Appreciate the kind words, thanks for watching!

[@spikeafrican8797]

I love both the 451 and the 184 for most acoustics. The 184 is a versatile go to for for so many airy sounds, loud and soft. If I had to pick just one... a pair of km184s covers alot of ground!

[@tim9house]

Agreed!

[@gunjabeans]

The new 451 “B” doesn't sound bad but the vintage 451E’s and 451EB’s have transformers in them and sound absolutely incredible if you can find a pair in good working condition.

[@ertatta]

Schoeps prove why they are THE reference standard when it comes to SDC’s. They are magic and do it all! The 137’s are surprisingly nice and don’t seem to impose any distracting colorations or artifacts.

[@tim9house]

Agreed on all of that . Thanks for your thoughts

[@kencarr6004]

Thank you for the good review. I think it helps to get a better idea of the sound quality of the mic when the strings are allowed to ring out clearly without damping or palm muting the strings.

[@JRandallS]

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the SM81. I have the Neumann 184, but would definitely use the SM81 for another color.

[@shred5]

It's a tossup for me between these two. The KM184 has more lows and low mids but the SM81 has deeper sounding bass and better highs imo

[@marcell.3058]

Thank you so much for this excellent review and comparison! Your presentation should stand as a model, very well structured and getting straight to the essence, very helpful. It helped me to eventually make my choice (listening on good headphones): As somebody already said before, the Shure KSM 137 and the Schoeps are top and sound quite similar, while in my perception the KSM 137 even has a "sweeter" response on the low strings (this becomes more apparent in your other comparison between KSM 137 and Rode NT5). So thank you once again and I wish you much success with your channel, to which I have just subscribed, of course! Best regards from Switzerland.

[@tim9house]

Wow thanks so much, glad this was helpful for you!

[@compucorder64]

It would depend on the application, but generally the Schoeps were the most natural. But the KM184 sounded great too. Then after that, the SM81. The KSM137 would be nice for a softer track, folk, Elliott Smith style singer songwriter material, soft fingerpicking or where you wanted the guitar less prominent. Was not a big fan of the 451 or NT5, found them light in the bass and low-mids, and overly bright, almost flinty. I only really like the 451 mixed with SM57 for snare, or other applications where you wanted to add brightness. Like maybe on closed mic on a dark hi-hat or ride, when paired with Coles 4038 ribbons on overhead. The 451 might be nice on a cedar top nylon guitar too, especially if positioned quite close and it was played in softer songs, Bossa Nova etc..

[@hhectorlector]

great comparison

[@CraigHlavka]

exactly what I needed, thanks yo

[@tim9house]

Thanks for watching

[@CraigHlavka]

@@tim9house I'm having a really hard time deciding if I should save money with the sm81 or if I should pay a extra and get the km184. Singer Songwriter, so acoustic is a big component of my music. sm81 isn't bad. Just can't decide!

[@tim9house]

@@CraigHlavka I ended up getting the 184 and im pretty happy with it. Although, honestly the KSM137 i liked a bit more than the SM81 due to the volume drop on the 81. Thats a great route to go as well for a bit less money. Hope that helps

[@CraigHlavka]

@@tim9house yea man! helps a bunch. I couldn't help myself though, I went for the 184 last week after finding one local for a decent price. I still feel tempted to compare it with a 137 first hand, and see if I can "get away with" going the "cheaper" route :) I'm sure both are high quality, is what I'm saying.

[@CraigHlavka]

@@tim9house ..and it's cool to hear your decision to keep the 184.

[@underthelightstudio]

#0:58 AKG 451 #1:13 #1:31 Shure KSM 137 #1:46 #2:03 Rode NT5 #2:16 #2:33 Shure SM81 #2:50 #3:10 Neumann KM184 #3:23

[@christianlacheze3323]

Excellent, many thanks, just the video I needed to select a mic. The Neumann will do it for me, as the Schoeps, whilst better ( to my ears), is too pricey for me

[@chrisschut4533]

Great Video! Love the 137 and the 184 :)

[@nightchef57]

They all sound good to me, although the NT5 is not in the same league as the others. My favorites were the Schoeps and the KSM137. They sounded quite similar to me-natural, unhyped, nice detail-but the Schoeps is just a hair more open (as it should be for that price). After that, I’d say the 451, the SM81 and the KM184 were all different flavors of “not perfect, but plenty good enough.”

[@adamfrandsen]

KSM 137 was, as far as I know, modeled after the Schoeps - best bang for your buck for sure

[@tim9house]

Didn’t know that, it’s a great sounding mic 👍 thanks for the info

[@DuusMusic]

Shure ksm137 absolutely the winner in my book! Great… Now I gotta get me one of those.. 🙃

[@tim9house]

That’s a good one!

[@JohnGauge790]

Agree

[@luist.3664]

it's nice to hear my lovely fleetwood's lanslide...and so i like rode and shure...

[@tim9house]

Awesome, thanks for watching

[@screew708]

For me it would be 1. shoeps 2. Neumann KM184 3. shure KSM137 4. shure SM81 5. AKB 451 6. Rode NT5

[@precisionsoundworksstudio]

Awesome demo. Well done, Tim. To my ears, the KM184 and the CMC6 sound very close. I am currently awaiting delivery of a matched pair of KM184s. Should be here tomorrow!

[@tim9house]

Thanks, yes both great mics. Enjoy your 184s!

[@precisionsoundworksstudio]

@@tim9house Thanks for the reply… I’ve been liking them a lot!

[@SimonSchuett]

Thanks for the comparison! I preferred the AKG 451, because it felt most percussive. The Schoeps and Neumann were also wonderful. SM81 came next for me. Which one did you prefer?

[@tim9house]

Yes I agree with all those, schoeps and neumann were pretty hard to beat. But I honestly thought they were all really good 😊. Thanks for watching

[@worldgonewrong2049]

KSM 137 in this shoot out.

[@tim9house]

It’s surprisingly good!

[@hamiltonburger4574]

I realize this is an old review, but does it make any difference when recording an acoustic nylon string in terms of mic preference? In other words, would my top pick for steel string translate to my top pick for nylon?

[@jme92685]

The sm81 sounds a little dry. I know it’s supposed to but I’m going with the km184.

[@tim9house]

That’s the one I bought after this video :)

[@perryomodeizorini6952]

Great comparison. Thank you for taking the time to record and post it. I have a Shure SM81 and I'm pretty happy with it. Very natural sounding mic on acoustics. But after watching your video I think my Gibson Southern Jumbo and J45, being not that bright and mid-focused instruments, may benefit from the KM184. Have you tried it on a different guitar?

[@tim9house]

Yes I’ve used a 184 a number of times on recording sessions. Always liked the results on each guitar. That said, this was my first time with the sm81 and it’s a good mic!

[@francismontocchio9910]

Isn’t the Schoeps just a mic preamp and holder hit the capsule? Which capsule did you use?

[@michaelpye83]

Hi just wondering if you can explain a bit about the signal chain you use? such as preamp and conversion! Also is the AKG C451 the modern B version or vintage? Many thanks in advance 😊

[@tim9house]

@stereointellect4192 could give you more details on the preamp and that particular mic :) thanks for watching

[@michaelpye83]

Hi thanks for the response! Could you also tell which guitar you was recording and if you remember where the mic was pointing, ie 12th fret or more towards the body? Many thanks once again 😊

[@JazzKatzs]

Rode and Neumann

[@nasseralmakseed9029]

Neumann km 184 is the best ,then I really like the : Shure Sm 81

[@tim9house]

Good choices :)

[@7CTAC]

On this guitar 137 sounded best to me not pre eq’ed not harsh just realistic

[@miguelpessanha]

451 - My favourite, gives you everything you need in the mix. A bit scooped and airy but not harsh. KSM137 - Most balance and real. Focused mids. KM84 - Less low end than the previous, more focused on the high mids. SM81 - Flatter than the KSM with more extended low end, but the biggest difference you hear is in the transients. It has a transformer, and unlike the others which have very fast transient response, it makes the transients more subdued / smeared, softer feel. Might work well in situations where you want to soften the transients like spoken word, brass, not so much for acoustic guitar on busy mixes where you need the sound of that pick attack. Rode NT5 - Not in the same league, a bit harsher and tougher in the high mids. What was your favourite?

[@MrPhilosofly]

yepp, get what you pay for. G'damn it. By the way this guitar is what, a Larrivee D-05?

[@tim9house]

Larrivee D-09 Walnut

[@mostyles328]

I hate that I can tell so much difference. Nooo, I couldn't just like the cheaper ones. The Schoeps and Neumann definitely stand out!

[@tim9house]

Agreed

[@Somebodysomewhere2]

schoeps just has something

[@tim9house]

Yes great mic!

[@matthewblake2258]

km184

[@tim9house]

@@matthewblake2258 that’s what I ended up buying

[@matthewblake2258]

@@tim9house awesome :)

[@SergeUnplugged]

Line audio cm4 all day long 😉

[@knd1986]

Schoeps CMC-6 sounds the best among all of those

[@benabbottguitar]

2:18 2:51

[@josiasgaspar6233]

in my opinion Km 184 won. 😁

[@tim9house]

A fav of mine as well

[@torocruz1192]

I am not even going to listen. Because no one can tell these mics apart on a blind test. No one had since the 70’s 😂✌🏽

[@tim9house]

😅 ok

[@josephrhodes2896]

Too much talking and no level matching between mics makes this kinda useless.

[@kites4121]

The KM184 is too sweet in the highs... The 451 is too salty in the bass. The SM81 and KSM137 are sour in the mids. And the NT5's are spicy but lack substance.

[@kites4121]

But in all seriousness, thanks for the great video. They all sounded good. To me, this video goes to show that the specific brand/model of SDC barely matters in comparison to other considerations such as the mic archetype, polar pattern, and placement.

[@tim9house]

Thanks for watching, and the feedback.

[@philcohen9848]

You must be fun at parties!

[@tim9house]

How’d you know 😂

[@fejneerg]

All great mics, but the acoustic guitar you have is doing most of the work. The KM184 has the best midrange, but all are quite usable.