Owner Opinions on Oktava Mics

[lexicon5]

I can get a killer deal on the MK-319 w/shockmount. Even at the advertised price of $199.99, it looks like a good deal but I want to know if anybody here actually owns one and what you think.

Thanks

[Ben Jenssen]

I’ve owned a couple of the small diaphragm 012 Oktavas for two years.
They sound wonderful, I use them all the time for OHeads, acc.guitar and so on.

But, it seems to me the problem is reliability. One of them broke just a few months after I bought them. I got it replaced of course. The other, you must be very careful if you change the head, or it will brake. Things like that.

But soundwise, their excellent.

[encephalon]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Ben Jenssen:
But, it seems to me the problem is reliability. One of them broke just a few months after I bought them. I got it replaced of course. The other, you must be very careful if you change the head, or it will brake. Things like that.

But soundwise, their excellent.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I own 2 MK-319's and 2 MK-012's. I have been a huge fan of Oktava Mics. I just finished a Christmas CD where I used the 319's to record everything: Cello, violin, harp (used both for stereo overhead - sounds amazing - and you know how hard it is to mic a harp - but I'm married to a harpist, so I've had some experience), guitar, vocals, uilleann pipes, and low whistle.

While Eric Rigler was in my studio (he provided the pipes and whistles - and I'm sure you all know who he is. . .) he told me that on more than one major motion picture the 319's were used to record his pipes.

These are truely great mics. In fact, I swore by them as some of the best - until I bought my Studio Projects C-1. This thing simply kicks ass on vocals. I haven't used it to record anything else yet, but from what I hear, it's simply amazing.

I love the Oktavas, and recommend them to everyone. The shockmount is a bit weak (my elastic broke in one day), but then I use the Sabra shockmount/pop filter combo anyway. For the price, they are a must-have.

I take really good care of my gear, so I haven't had any reliability problems, but I've heard that you need to treat them with kid gloves (which I do - with all my gear).

Hope this helps.

-encephalon
Lush Music

[marcoustic]

Hi!

I can´t say anything about the MK-319 but I have a pair of MK-012s and they´re brilliant.
I use them for overheads, acoustic guitars, ambience micing for any kind of instrument...

just love em

Markus

[msunj]

I also am a big fan of the Octava mics. The 012s sound amazing for overheads. For the price they are hard to beat. My have worked fine, no problems.

[NannerPuddin']

I have a 319 and a MC-012. Both are excellent mics. Definitely recommended.

NP

[Didier de Roos]

The Oktava MK012 are fabulous mics: smooth and not aggressive, detailed...In short, everything you would ever want from top-quality condensers, with an incredible price-performance ratio. But I second what the other guys said: they're quite fragile, and the reliability could be improved.

Didier

[picturemaker]

Some good and bad news about these microphones. Firstly, I own a MK-319 which was purchased from Guitar Center $199. I thought this was the microphone I had been reading such great reviews on. Not so! There seems to be a great degree of variability in quality from the factory in Russia. The microphone I bought is not the sonic wonder I was led to believe especially after putting it up against a U87, and a 414. It has alot of midrange hot spots. I also hear what sound like microphonics from the capsule; tinny sounding at certain frequencies. Anyway, if you want the microphone you have been reading about go to www.oktava.com . These people get the first pick of these microphones from the factory. They test them thoroughly and only sell the cream of the crop, the rest end up at Guitar Center. You might pay a little more for the microphone but at least you are guaranteed that it has been hand picked over the rest of the lot. Best of luck!

[Impala]

MC 012's saved life in our studio. We have a temporary external isolation problem which causes noise leakage. I took one 012 for testing and used it for o.head. It also resulted so nice in situations which U87 picked up everything else inc. the instrument. It's a nice smal diaphgram.

[executivos]

I had an okatava 319 for a while...It was an exceptional value, but then again I tested it. If you're getting it from guitar center, ask them to get out every one they have in stock and plug the first 2 in...decide which one is better. Take the bad out out, plugin the next one...go through all of the mics.

Find the best one and you'll be ok, or buy it from the company that tests and repairs them.

For the same price (and I mean the same guitar center price) get the studioprojects c1. No Quality assurance issues. Sounds much much better and includes an aluminum flight case, shock mount and foam windscreen.