the t.bone SCT 800

In fact, I bought this microphone after reading a lot of reviews on the web. I have since before some "normal" transistor-powered studio microphones, but was interested in experimenting with a tube driven mic. I also read that some users felt that they would put in a better tube and therefore I also bought a spare tube, Sovtek 12 AX7EH.

You become quite impressed when the microphone and accessories come in a very lavish small bag. SCT 800 looks incredibly luxurious out with his royal blue color on the body and golden top, heavy and solid. I rigged up SCT 800 with suspension and Popkiller (as Thomann sent with the purchase), and joined the special cable that is 7-pin and is powered by an adapter. Tube mics should ideally be on for a while before using them. Some think they should be on one hour before!

What strikes one immediately is that SCT 800 is not as sensitive as a transistor-powered mic. You can scream and you can whisper and the meter stays within the same level. Another thing is that the S-sounds not so intrusive and the sound is really airy and warm. The microphone is also quite warm of the tube, but not getting burned or such.

I must say that the sound is very good and is particularly suitable for vocal that will be prominent. You get a little tune with EQ because the character is a little different. After a few hours I shut down and let the microphone to cool down before I started to unscrew the microphone to test the second Sovtek tube. The same procedure and waited for about 30 minutes to warm up before I started testing.

Clearly the STC 800 sounds better, if possible with a Sovtek tube. Sound is crunchy and the bass will not be as pronounced. Of course, the difference is not huge, but there are clear shades indeed. In other words, I let the Sovtek tube remain in place and the Chinese tube may be spare tubes. Thomann has a lot of tubes to choose from and some are very expensive. It is possible that STC 800 would be even better with more expensive tubes, but myself I would not spend a lot of money on testing. I'm very happy with the sound I have in my STC 800.

Overall, I can say that I worked a lot of different studios and even with different tube microphones. I would say that STC 800 with its human price well match the expensive tube from well known manufacturers, and perhaps in many cases sounds much better.

Very similar to the famous Apex 460, the SCT 800 is a fixed cardioid single diapraghm condensor tube microphone. With a very hot output Cathode Follower style output, it's perfect for those working on relatively high noise pre-amps. While I'm not one of these people convinced by the wonders of 'Tube Sound', it certainly impresses people.

The frequency response is quite good with robust low end and a mild 3K boost - the main reason I chose it was t.Bone's graph, showing a high end roll off. While 'dark' isn't everyone's cup of tea, I hate the 'Rode' effect of modern cheap condensers and felt this was the only one that would not having me fighting the microphone.

The off axis sound is quite good, with relatively even colouration, so singers moving around isn't a major issue. The capsule resonance seems to be around 3K, so sounds from the sides and rear have the usual mid range scoop sound inherent to any mic that that isn't Dual Diaphraghm or Ribbon based. This should make it fine for overhead duties, or even techniques like AB or ORTF.

My only complaint would be that the output is extremely high, and there's no presence of any overdrive from the valve stage in the microphone before you'll be clipping your desk or interface. Low distortion is a strange complaint for most, but I'd like the *option* to clip. Changing the tube doesn't make quite the difference most claim, though an EHX 12AX7 did improve the noise floor and tighten the low end. 12AT7 seemed to do the same, and dropped the gain, but I felt it thinned the low end too much.

In summary it's a great vocal mic, but also works extremely well for acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums or any instrument where you want 'the big picture' and the low end that a Large Diapraghm Condensor provides.