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MXL Genesis?

E

Emmett1057

MXL has a new flagship mic. Considering the price of most MXL mics, this one is very high (about $600). It's a tube mic fitted with a hand-selected Mullard 12AT7. I'm reading things that say that it sounds very, very close to a U47. Normally I would call it hogwash out of the gate...But for that price compared to their other mics, there might be something to it. I read one review that said the reviewer was retiring his Lawson FET 47s in favor of a pair of Genesis mics. I've never made it a secret that I don't like MXL because I think the build quality is sketchy and QC is awful. But with a mic that costs 3-5 times as much as a typical MXL, they might be able to ramp up the build quality and QC and truly present a high quality mic at an extremely reasonable price. I must admit, I'm intrigued. And some of the folks saying that it sounds like a U47 are well educated and have nicely tuned ears. I've heard dozens of people say the MXL 2001 sounds like a U87, but anyone who has ever used a U87 knows that isn't true and you'll never hear a professional compare the two. In this case (compared by people who know), the general consensus seems to be that, while this mic may not actually sound like a vintage U47, it sounds every bit as good as the other clones, which cost considerably more than $600.

Anyone tried one? Anyone want to after reading this?

Emmett
 
Genesis Exodus

Emmett said:
Anyone tried one? Anyone want to after reading this?

Emmett
Click to expand...

You buyin'? Can I get on your Christmas list?

Man, I can't believe you're throwing this one out on the weekend before Christmas. Who's got any money left?

-Rox
 
Looks like it is damn near the same as the MXL 960. I knew that was a good mic. Seems to be a different build quality from the other MXL mics..especially the one big bugaboo I have with the build of the wire mesh screen of the capsule. It is not tight..on many MXL models it is like course window screeneing and it "resonates" You can actually hear the wires of the screen vibrating with close talk situations. Not so with the 960.

The MXL 960 is virtually the same body cosmetically as the genisis except the gold plated basket, and the sick RED paint job, and used a 12AT7 tube. On all of our MXL960s I replaced the Chinese tube with a NOS ECC83 Telefunken tube, and that made it actually sound a lot like a really good tube mic. I would be really interested in seeing the insides of that mic, and comparing it to the inside of the 960. Looks real close to me from the outside.

So far no tribute mic or re-creation has come close to a general sound of a U47 except the Wagner 47..now a very pricey mic..and the terrific Peluso 2247LE. BUT remember that these days IF you can find a real Telefunken/Neumann U47 that sounds great..it will be nearly imposssible to find another one that sounds like it. They ALL sound different..so there really isn't any way a mic can sound like a U47..becasue a U47 doesn't even sound like one any more.

Oh and try finding a real honest-to-God VF14 tube anywhere. Last one I bought from a fellow in California cost me 1600.00 (FOR ONE TUBE) and it was not new..Although it was very good it had been used and taken out of service in the 80's..Even Gunter Wagner is using the EF14, and John Peluso uses a personally tested and selected Telefunken EF12 steeltube in his mics. These days for the money, the Peluso mics are really a good deal.

Let's see if we can get MXL to release an internal photo of the Genesis.
 
Jeff is right about the 960. Just changing the tube made a HUGE difference in mine. I have to admit I was skeptical about tubes having unique sounds but it is true. Guitar players have been telling me that for years. I once put all new tubes in a client's Fender Amp, and he complained that he could no longer get "his sound" out of the amp. Luckily, the trash can hadn't been emptied, and I was able to reunite him with his old tubes, most of which checked "bad." Still, they did “sound good.”

Maybe the Genesis really is a hot-rodded 960 with a hand-selected tube. Most of this stuff originates from Beijing 797 Audio. www.797audio.com My observation is that Marshall, who is responsible for the MXL brand has fairly good quality control, unlike a lot of importers of these devices.
 
The Genesis replaced the 960...So I wouldn't be shocked if there's some similar technology involved. My guess is that they had the 960 pretty good and someone figured out how to modify it to the point that it could really shine. I'd bet it has a similar circuit design, but probably higher quality wiring, higher QC, hand selected capsules and tubes, etc.

797 also does Studio Projects and many other manufacturers. The problem with MXL in the past has been very poor QC on the cheaper mics and low consistency on the better mics. I'd bet two 960s could sound very different...Enough that it would be hard to mae a good stereo pair. The reason the U87 is so expensive is that the QC is so high, you can easily match a pair. I would think the Genesis would move this mic in that direction.

The 990, on the other hand, sounds VERY different from one mic to the next. It has a history of failing under normal use as well...But there are those that have had great luck. It's a crapshoot and that has been my general experience with MXL. Maybe the Genesis will change that reputation. I love Studio Projects...Although they use the same capsules as MXL, they're hand selected and sound more consistent.

And then there's the casing. The housing makes a lot more difference than most people realize. That's one reason I like Audio-Technica...They have superbly designed housing. Maybe MXL hit a winner on this case design and refined it for this mic.

Emmett
 
Jeff Laurence said:
Looks like it is damn near the same as the MXL 960. I knew that was a good mic. Seems to be a different build quality from the other MXL mics..especially the one big bugaboo I have with the build of the wire mesh screen of the capsule. It is not tight..on many MXL models it is like course window screeneing and it "resonates" You can actually hear the wires of the screen vibrating with close talk situations. Not so with the 960.

The MXL 960 is virtually the same body cosmetically as the genisis except the gold plated basket, and the sick RED paint job, and used a 12AT7 tube. On all of our MXL960s I replaced the Chinese tube with a NOS ECC83 Telefunken tube, and that made it actually sound a lot like a really good tube mic. I would be really interested in seeing the insides of that mic, and comparing it to the inside of the 960. Looks real close to me from the outside.

So far no tribute mic or re-creation has come close to a general sound of a U47 except the Wagner 47..now a very pricey mic..and the terrific Peluso 2247LE. BUT remember that these days IF you can find a real Telefunken/Neumann U47 that sounds great..it will be nearly imposssible to find another one that sounds like it. They ALL sound different..so there really isn't any way a mic can sound like a U47..becasue a U47 doesn't even sound like one any more.

Oh and try finding a real honest-to-God VF14 tube anywhere. Last one I bought from a fellow in California cost me 1600.00 (FOR ONE TUBE) and it was not new..Although it was very good it had been used and taken out of service in the 80's..Even Gunter Wagner is using the EF14, and John Peluso uses a personally tested and selected Telefunken EF12 steeltube in his mics. These days for the money, the Peluso mics are really a good deal.

Let's see if we can get MXL to release an internal photo of the Genesis.
Click to expand...


Hi Jeff
I just bought the 960 and the tube you suggested for it. Is it me or is this mic really noisy? Methinks I don't have the tube seated well enough or something. I mean it's REALLY noisy. Just wanted to check to see if it's something I did...or that's just the mic.
 
Chuck..I found a bad batch of tubes with that very same issue. If you put the original Chinese tube back doies the self-noice go away? I had found about three Telefunken tubes that were loaded with noise. It's a dice roll on that front. If you can find a Siemens tube those work well I am told. I have two working 960's with the NOS Telefunken tubes, and I love them..quiet and BIG sounding..but not without a coouple of trial and error replacements.

Hey thanks for the holiday card BTW..nice of you to drop one to us!
 
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