the t.bone SC 140 Stereo Set

OK, I bought these because I actually needed a single extra small capsule condenser for my home studio. I originally bought The sontronics STC-1, but I had a faulty one, and I also didn't like the general quality of that product, so I opted for a refund.

So, I'd just bought another t.bone mic, the MB75 Beta, and was AMAZED at the quality and sound, so i thought I'd take a chance on these, and hopefully get two mics for less than the price of one.

I'll try not to repeat too much what other people have said, but these mics come in a sturdy case with all the accessories you need to get them mounted and running. The mounting parts are of an acceptable quality, but they're not of the highest quality, but no problems so-far, they do their job.

The mics themselves on inspection are made very well. The switches for instance are nice and affirmative, unlike on the aforementioned sontronics. The construction in general is apparently faultless. Like the MB75 BETA, nothing to suggest anything about it is cheap.

In use they have extremely good rear and side rejection, better than my AKG C1000 (v1). So great for situations where you have an untreated room or fear of feedback. They also have more apparent volume in the channel for the same amount of gain.

Sound wise, they offer a good palette. i would say the AKG C1000 probably has more subtlety, but the SC 140 is somehow 'punchier' and more even for certain applications, if such a thing can be said. I would say that this mic is very suited to applications with complex competing frequencies, like percussion and percussive sounds like strummed guitar.

I record a lot of hurdy gurdy music, and you have in that instrument a constant battle between melody and percussion from the buzzing bridge. Very difficult to get something your happy with with printed this instrument. This mic gives a really nice directional, even response. I used this combined with a tailpiece mounted AKG C418 for a little extra 'support' the melody, and got one of the best sounding recordings I've ever achieved

With more 'common' instruments such as acoustic guitar/percussion etc. Perfectly good. Be happy to use this any time.

So I've concentrated my ratings on the mic itself and not the mounting parts as they are all extra to me. Exceptional value for money.

So now I'm thinking of more t.bone mics to play with. At this price I can afford quite a few! Probably will be now looking a the t.bone Ovid system as my old C418 was actually the weak link in the chain, by being relatively noisy compared to the SC140.

The world of microphones is like a minefield of options and data. Some people devote their lives to them, I'm just a casual user who needs as close to the best at an affordable cost. Sure we'd all like Neumann 184 stereo pair sets, but have other plans for the thousand euros they cost. The specification for the T.bone SC 140 is quite near, and the mics come at 1/10th of the cost.

I have not tested these mics to destruction, so I won't go quoting published data about them. I've also used 184's, though gratefully, also not to destruction. The 140's have a high specification for SPL (sound pressure level, i.e. how hard the wind can blow at them (!) without 'cracking') so they're quite suitable for percussion recording. I recorded congas with them, with the mics angled to each conga, and got very acceptable and regular results. Also, the frequency response speficied for the 140's would suggest that it 'captures' some of the high frequency characteristics such as found in acoustic guitar well.

Summarily, I've found the 140's to be durable enough to work with drums, and with sufficient finesse to get the harmonic content of string instruments well. The 140's come with a shockmount for each, and those shockmounts may be each mounted directly to a micStand, or both onto the little bridge supplied which for the 2 then only requires 1 micStand. There were spare elastic mountings in the box when received.

All the items were received in a foam padded protective not insubstantial case, into which each of the items fitted very well. There is also a pair of little wind-socks in the case, for outdoor use.

Quality established, if you know how they do it for the money, please do tell me.

I have been nicely surprised by theses mic's. They were bought for recording (primarily) acoustic guitar. They do a fine job particularly if used x/y as this allows mono without phase problems. As a spaced pair they sound great but like all other mic's don't mono too well. They seem to catch the top guitar strings in a warm way without that fizzy spiky stuff you can so easily get. The bottom end is warm without boom. I also used them on a full band recording (bass, electric guitar, harmonica, vocals) as overheads on the drums. Again a nice crisp sound that could either be used with lower frequencies rolled-off for cymbals, or as a full range recording. On mandolin they are very good, fiddle a bit bright but may be very good at a little distance in the right room. Not much good for vocals - the large LDC win every time. I haven't tried these on guitar cab but again suspect that there are better options.

The mic's feel chunky and of good quality. The clips are a little awkward as they a bit too tight but at least your mic's don't end up on the floor. The clip threads are only plastic a feel as they may easily cross-thread. The same applies to the crossbar which is all plastic including the thread. The roll-off switches are useful but I tend to use the pad on drums only and the HPF on the mixer.

All in all worth every penny. I guess you would have to spend quite a bit more to get significantly better. A keeper.

Purchased these to replace my Rode NT5 matched pair lost in transit, and Oktava SD pair also AWOL.. I found these to be comparable in performance and specs.
Excellent for room mics recording solo acoustic intruments and ensembles in large spaces.
A great feature is the -10db and 20db cut switchable and 75/150 low cut comes in handy for loud situations, and for X/Y axis recording can achive a perfect stereo image, or can be used individually to spot-mic.. With a pop -filter, these mics also work for close vocal, field record with a ZOOM.
Excellent for drum overheads in studio and live settings, and also the Steve Albini technique of laying the on the floor or flat surface off stands as room mics that will behave like boundry microphones.

At this price, shipping with T-Bar mount and a study solid alloy case and wind socks, this is an excellent solution for a stereo pair of very transparent small diaphragm condensers that sound great and can be used in many different situations in the field, studio and live and respond well to a little tube pre-amp on input.

Conclusion: Robust build, 9 out of 10 for quality and price.

Look, you can't go wrong.

I use these with UAD Apollo preamps.
I find these very quiet. I was going to get the Rode NT55 matched pair but needed other things too so went the cheaper option.
Used them for first time today on an acoustic in stereo.
I set the two apollo preamp gains at 50% with nothing connected and had a listen, no noise. Plugged these in and switched the phantom (muting the headphone outs) them had another listen. To my ears I perceived no added hiss or self noise. Sat down with the acoustic in front of them about 3/4 of a foot away and was getting good strong signal and good detail.
Right, other mics may have slightly more hi mid- hi detail but sometimes you choose a mic 'cause of what it is leaving out.
I can't fault these. My main thing with studio mics is that the are bloody quiet with damn all self noise. This comes into it's own when recording quiet sources at distance when you need to apply a bit of gain.
Looking at the spec on paper these have lower self noise than the Rodes from memory, nearly certain when I checked the specs on both. Even if you upgrade later these will always be useful.
I would have no hesitation using these on a solo finger picking acoustic in a vox and guitar only track, not a bit, these are that good. Quiet with good detail.
I actually put the included windshield on one to very quickly lay a guide vox down. Worked fine too.
The way these ship with the case even spare holder elastics etc. Can't be beat. Pro studio or no you will find these in all I'd say.

Get some!!!!

You couldn't have asked for anything more at this price - decent sound, pad and high pass switches, mounting bracket, wind shield.. all at a reasonable price.

Since I have set my expectation of the sound quality to the price on these mics, I'm pleased to find out that it does faithfully capture the sound source with minimal self-noise, and it does not add additional coloration or character, at least from the pair I've received.

The black switches on the mic feels a little wobbly so it is best not to adjust them too often, and care needs to be given in handling the plastic brackets.

But I would say this product has completely delivered when compared to pricier alternatives.