I think that I am going to end up going with the OPR U87 1:1 Clone. It’s more expensive, but the capsule is german and it sounds like this guy at Open Plan Recording really takes pride in his builds, and to be honest, I just don’t want to mess with a kit.
My opinion is, I like both worlds. Of course I support the DIY community hands down because I am a technician, but what about those who can't or don't own the equipment to build one? Dachman is for the novice and DIY is for advanced :).
Hello, i really like your video and your attitude. IMO what would justify such a kit and approach is truly great result. If this thing somehow really sums all the experience and knowledge and bring something like truly as good as it can get clone in that price range then IMO its great achievement and service. Lately I have been listening to many other company clones and so far nothing has satisfied me. So if this one gets it closer ... well my respect and thanx. But does it ???
Lousy review as it is 1) merely a high school level unboxing, and 2) criticizes the kit provider for producing a kit from DIY ideas , and 3) fails to demo the product - dissing the kit without quantifying or substantiating any fault or issue, and without accounting for the cost of designing and manufacturing a large microphone body, manufacturing the circuit boards, gathering the individual circuit components, producing and printing the user guide, cost of making the lined storage box, packaging and quality checking the kit, and other costs of production. Those costs are significant and add up to serious folding money. Consider, too, the added value of convenience in receiving all parts at once, saving the builder from separately ordering all that stuff, himself. The narrator fails to mention or consider the value of the seller's time and knowledge putting it all together, and assuming liability for warranty claims. The video is chronically flawed because it fails to demonstrate how the finished microphone sounds - providing no clue whether it 1) sounds good or not, and/or 2) sounds anything like its namesake. The narrator complains the seller charges a fee for producing a complete kit, fails to demo the result - rendering it pretty much a simple unboxing. Sadly disappointing. I wonder if the narrator could produce as nice a product for substantially lower cost ... probably not and make a profit. Just saying ... disappointed. JT
I haven’t tried a GTZ87 myself yet, is it any good? I have no clue which components they use, but I heard it is much noisier than a real U87. Also, it has one polar pattern (i.e. cardioid) only, no high pass filter, no -10dB switch. So you can’t really compare it to the DA87i. Anyway, there are lots of U87 clones out there, some of which even sell for way less than the GTZ87. But I guess you’d have to actually try one to make up your mind.
The owner of Dachman is actually quite honest about the origin of parts if you ask him. He posts on GroupDIY. Very different from how companies like Maiku and Peluso where they give you some BS about how their capsules are superior to the Chinese ones because they allegedly skin them themselves.
i feel like all this lust and nostalgia for past gear is non innovative and holds creativity back. the clone world contributes to non inventive and non creative ways, and just builds up noymann's reputation at the end of the week. its all getting so redundant and boring! teaches people to not create new designs and ideas. art is movement!
I thought this was gonna be a great video until I realized you never posted any sound samples or comparisons to the real thing. I have a U87 and I was curious to hear the shootout from you, just as others were in the comments. I never leave comments like these but it’s a bummer you didn’t add what really matters - how it sounds. At the end of the day, we’re supposed to use these mics to make music or content. You did do a great job with how you put together the video, so I don’t wanna take away from that. But a microphone video with “first impressions” that don’t include any sound samples is misleading. After all, what is a microphone supposed to do? I hope you’re making something valuable with your mics.
O som destes clones de u-87 sao identicos ao u-87 original. Eu tenho uma capsula da china de 50 dorales, e um circuito marchal mxl , e o som já é identico. Mas o meu microfone , nao tem figura 8 , nem omini, somente funciona parte da frente , cardioide.. Agora , imagina essa empresa PIEZZO , que faz melhor que original.
LET ME GET THIS RIGHT you want to hear samples gone thru several stages of digital processing, including mp3 squish, to listen to in headphones or 3" table top speakers to make a critical judgement on how to spend money for your next golden eared critics? All righty then go ahead on bro. It should sound great on far dx am radio so I'm told.
@@raymota4515 you can hear the difference in tonality between two microphones on youtube. its actually extremely easy, depending on the mic. sure there's compression and processing, but you know they start with a source right? besides, anything you MAKE with the microphone will probably also be digitally processed, including mp3 squish, and be listened to on youtube with headphones or 3" table top speakers. so its actually the perfect scenario to hear a comparison
Based on my time and skillset I'd prefer supporting the DIY scene as much as possible. That being said I do believe there's a space for each option to exist.
It's a wonderful vdo you have given & would be beneficial to many creative ppl, who are ready to put in efforts to make his own creation, many thanks to you for encouraging right ppl by showing the easy way. 👌👌
I think that this looks like a great kit for me. I am not a beginner diy, but I think it is too much to choose components individually. You seem to know a lot about this subject, so to me, your recomendation is important, and you speak nicely of the kit. To me, Dachman seems to have put a lot of effort to make the kit easy to assemble, you get a case for the microphone, and that deserves a lot of praise. On the other hand, you have the experienced diy people, and I believe a lot of them would not touch this kit for any price - because they want to choose their specific components, because they know their components will sound muuuuuuuuch better than the kit. And that is the joy of diy. Some prefer the kit, and some prefer to choose everything by them selves. BTW the real world is full of examples of people that had success with marketing something they did not invent themselves. Xerox invented the computer mouse, but Steve Jobs saw the potential!! And he could have lost, if the mouse was not well received. And thanks to you for sharing this interesting review, I really enjoyed it - all of it, including your personal opinions. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I have never build a microphone, but would sure like to. As an amateur musician and a beginner in microphone building, to me a kit is a perfect place to start. And I am sure the more knowledge one gets, the more you want to choose specific parts, so you do not buy a kit. And I am super sceptical about old gear sounding superior to new gear, there is a lot of BS to drive up prices.
Definitely do the build and a shoot out. The thing about the kit is you get everything all at once and instructions for its specific build. The downside of diy is that ordering can be frustrating, all parts may not be available etc.. Paying a somewhat higher price to get a complete kit that you can just build has some efficiencies.
Great video. I'm thinking about buying a kit like this. I am wondering what higher quality capsules may be available for this kit? Peluso is the only one I have found on eBay. I normally use a C414, but after a few amp mods and pedal builds I am ready to tackle something like this. Thanks!
One thing I think this video does, apart from showing what this compressor is capable of, is that it wonderfully demonstrates how compression can do as much harm as it does good. At the very beginning when you have a fast attack and slow release, the transients are being killed and all of the life, energy and space is sucked out of the mix. After you bring the attack time from .1 to 1, and move get a faster release, the opposite effect happens. Suddenly this already good sounding mix is really brought to life! Of course fast attack is necessary for a lot of things, but I mean to say, using a great compressor incorrectly can be worse than not using one at all.
The devil's in the details. What the German engineers at Neumann know versus everyone else building clones makes the real thing what it is. Yes, you can clone the circuit and use the same components, and you'll get close. But the capsule and headbasket contain secrets that others can only observe but not understand. You can bet that legendary German engineering has gone into every component of their product with a fine toothed comb. I think it would be fun to build this mic, but I have no illusions of it being an exact clone copy of the original. If Dakman Audio can source the components and produce a nice kit, more power to them. As long as they are not doing anything illegal, and in fact offering truthful statements where they got inspiration from, where's the beef? Some like to source their own materials to save money and make experiments, and that's cool too. Personally, I'd rather find my own capsule, but I'm pretty sure he has other choices as well now. So far, I've not seen a perfect copy of the U87 anywhere, so if you want to have the best you'll have to get your hands on the original and pay the premium price.
Hi! It' a Great project to start the day. Specially, if the components are cheap. We have a lot of this on our local Web site shop, direct from China. I think every thing, know is made in China specially the New Covid virus. lol.. hahaha.. kidding only. Happy New Year. Thanks for sharing & info.
so its December about 9 plus months since this video was released have you built it yet or are to busy slammiing entrepreneurs or their ambition, ideas and marketing?
Never meant to slam anyone. Sorry if it comes across like this. I just wanted to make this review as detailed as possible, so I’m comparing the kit to a real vintage U87, listing pros and cons, and mentioning a few alternatives. Isn’t this what a good product review should be about?
To me, it is pretty cool for the absolute newbie and a fun stepping off point. The "Vintage" rabbit hole goes deep and it cost a great deal for a trip down and back up. Cheers!
Everything is from China now days, and everything is shit, doesnt matter how much you spend, new = shit, china = shit doesnt matter how much you tweak and twich a circuit, if it`s chinese it`s going to show in the mixdown for sure, try boost microphone highs 7+ DB on any EXPENSIVE chinese mic and you will notice when blood coming out of your ears, even Shure Sm7b is not even the same mic anymore.
