Miktek C5 (Matched Pair) Reviews

4.7/5.0 based on 5 customer reviews

Sweetwater Advice

Bart Good

I recently used the Mikteck C5 matched pair to mic my acoustic guitar. Wow, what an incredible sound! The "hype" is well-deserved with these mics. They've set a new standard for me, and it will be hard to use anything else on acoustic guitars from now on.

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Customer Reviews

David Vignola
from CT
May 2, 2012Music Background:
Musician, Audio Engineer

A Wonderful Mic to Have in Your Tool Kit

I was looking for a mic to capture acoustic guitar that was transparent and with proper mic placement, sounded like the instrument does when your physically standing in the room while it's being played. I have tired AKG C100's, Rhode NT1-A and a couple of other lower priced mic's but they all have a darkness to them that didn't pick up the true sound of the guitar and needed a lot of EQ to make them sound decent, but was always falling short of a great acoustic guitar tone.

I called to speak to my sales re (AJ Peterson), who by the way has been extremely helpful to me over the last couple of years as I been setting up my studio....Thank you A.J.!

He had suggested going with the Miktek C5. He said he was really impressed on how well and transparent these mic's were and that he not only had great success using them on acoustic instruments but also using them on drums as overhead mics. So I thought, These could be a really nice pair of mic's that can be used on several different sources with great success.

I first tired these on acoustic guitar. We were playing a Taylor 900 series 6-string and also recorded a Taylor 355 12 string. Set up the mic about 6"-8" away from the body pointed at the 12th fret on a 45 degree angle....pretty typical mic technique right?

We were blown away on how well these mic's sounded. When listening back to the recording in the control room we were amazed on how transparent the Miktek were and if you were to close your eyes you would think the person was in the room playing the guitar right in front of you. No EQ really needed, just roll off a little bottom end.

We tried a few different mic positions and the result was the same. It was impossible to make this mic sound bad. If you want different tones, just move the mic and the Miktek's will accurately reflect the true tone of the guitar.

I have not tried these on drums or electric guitar yet but I have read other reviews where people have and had great results so I am looking forward to that! I would say if your looking for a good mid priced mic that can be used on several sources and sound great, the give the Miktek's a try. For the money you really can't beat them.

Ian Carlson
from Minneapolis, MN
November 4, 2010Music Background:
Studio Owner

Sell your 184s.

Fantastic acoustic guitar microphone, but money in the bank on overheads, a stereo pair over a string quartet, and almost anything acoustic. Not brittle, but very sharp. A/Bed them against a 184, an SM81, a 414, a C451B, and an NT-5 on acoustic guitar through an Avid 192 & an API 512c preamp, and the C5 is the clear cut winner. A fantastic microphone investment for casual users AND professionals.

Sean
from Pac NW
November 22, 2012Music Background:
Recording Artist, Singer/Songwriter

EQ? No need....

I only have 2 words to say about this matched pair....... Accurate and detailed. These mics pick up the slightest nuances of sound and player. Hands down the best stereo pair I've ever played in front of. Sorry Nuemann. Ya got beat. I took a chance on these hoping that I wouldn't be disappointed. They by far exceeded my expectations. I might buy another pair just to hang on my wall. I gave them a 4.5 because one of the miktek badges on the side of the barrel is loose. A simple aesthetic issue that does not effect performance but is nevertheless annoying.

Said Saba
from Lima Peru
August 12, 2011Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Pro Musician

great great great

excellent design, excellent presentation (talking about the matched pair) nice stereo bar, nice clips and shock mounts!!
EXCELLENT MIC QUALITY!! REALLY FLAT!

Gary Gidak
from Phoenix, AZ
June 14, 2011Music Background:
Pro Musician, Songwriter, Recording Engineer, Producer

Excellent Microphones

I purchased the match set of C5 mics on the advice of my sales engineer. I had no previous experience with Miktek, and was hesitant to spend the money on something with which I was unfamiliar. What a great buy!

I recently recorded my Taylor 414ce acoustic using the C5, and a Great River, 500 series preamp, and I couldn't believe the sound. The tone was excellent, and "airy", and the low end "boom" I usually get with larger diaphragm mics was exceptionally diminished, which created a more round, clean tone. The high end is well pronounced without being harsh, and the mids are nice and smooth. I would compare these mics to any mic costing twice as much, plus they're made in the US! Finally I have a matched pair of great mics, that capture the sound of my acoustic guitar with incredible fidelity.

inSync Review

Sweetwater
9-08-2010

You can never have too many great mics! Fortunately, great new companies, such as Nashville-based Miktek, are keeping us well supplied with excellent transducers. For this "Hands On," I reviewed the C5MP, a matched pair of small-diaphragm condenser microphones. The mics arrived in a rugged aluminum road-type case, with both shockmounts and stand mounts as well as windscreens and a cool stereo mounting bar. The mics themselves are encased in a beautiful wooden presentation case inside the road case.

The C5 is fitted with Miktek's MK5a 1/2" cardioid capsule, an AMI T5 transformer, and hand-selected transistors that are designed for super-linear response for critical recording applications. Though the capsule has a 5-micron evaporated-gold diaphragm, the C5 will handle high SPLs, so you can use a pair for everything from the stereo miking of delicate acoustic instruments to use as stereo overheads on hard-pounded drums. The target tonality for the mics is the response of vintage studio-standard small-diaphragm models: sweet, full sound and excellent detail and dynamics, but without the hype that some modern mics exhibit. Each mic comes with a graph of its specific frequency response captured during final testing after assembly in Nashville.

I put the C5 pair to work in front of my handmade classical guitar. I was very pleased with the results. That particular guitar is capable of extremely wide dynamic range, and it offers thick, powerful midrange bolstered by full low end and delicate top end. Few microphones I've tried really capture all that the instrument is able to put out. The C5 pair handled everything with casual aplomb. The dynamics were faithfully translated, and the tonality of the instrument - including the delicate upper harmonic structure - was right there, captured through a Millennia preamp to DSD on a TASCAM DV-RA1000 HD.

The C5 is clearly a standout microphone, and with a matched pair, you can get fabulous results. Miktek may be a new company, but clearly they know what they're doing. Don't hesitate - a pair of these beauties in your mic locker will find constant use!