We were recently able to take the Vanguard V24 Stereo Tube Condenser on two shootouts against vintage C24s!

At JML Studios in Nutley, NJ, we were able to get comparisons on vocals, guitar, and a number of other instruments. (In fact, you can watch the interview and shootout on YouTube!)

Our second shootout took place at Ice Cream Factory Studio in Austin, TX. A lovely old grand piano and some percussion tracks for Mask of the Phantasm were the targets for our mics. And we got to test against George Benson’s ELA M251, too!

PIANO SHOOTOUTS – Vanguard V24, AKG C24 mk2, ELA M251

First up – a blind shootout of the V24 in “251” mode on both capsules. No processing has taken place on any of the tracks except for level matching using clip gain. This was recorded at Ice Cream Factory using a Tree Audio Roots console. The C24 and V24 were both in XY at 60º and both capsules were in cardioid. These tracks are blind…scroll to the bottom for the order of mics!

Next is the V24 in “12” mode on both capsules. The rest of the shootout is exactly the same as above, including the order of microphones.

 

ACOUSTIC GUITAR SHOOTOUT – Vanguard V24, AKG C24 mk2

Here is a blind shootout between the V24 in “251” mode and a C24 at JML Studios. These are mono tracks, with the top capsule of each microphone in cardioid.. No processing has taken place on any of the tracks except for level matching using clip gain. The preamps are Neve 1073LB 500-series. The guitar is a Martin D-18. These tracks are blind…scroll to the bottom for the order of mics!

MALE VOCAL SHOOTOUT – Vanguard V24, AKG C24 mk2

Here is a blind shootout between the V24 in “12” mode and a C24 at JML Studios. These are mono tracks, with the top capsule of each microphone in cardioid.. No processing has taken place on any of the tracks except for level matching using clip gain. The preamps are Neve 1073LB 500-series. These tracks are blind…scroll to the bottom for the order of mics!

A FEW THOUGHTS FROM DEREK

The first thing I noticed in studio was how different the two C24s sounded from each other. The C24 at JML Studios had been repaired and re-skinned by Stephen Paul, including some modern component substitutes for the failure-prone metallized paper capacitors and re-capping the power supply. The Mylar was also re-skinned to 3-micron by Stephen, and I could tell that the high end is noticeably more open.

In contrast, the C24 at Ice Cream Factory was a much darker microphone and had a more full low-mid body. With the already-dark piano, I think it really is even more noticeable.

It really highlights the difficulty of working with vintage microphones. Component replacements, capsule maintenance, and aged components de-rating can have a massive impact on the overall sound of a vintage [insert revered mic here], and two mics that look identical on the outside can have a huge difference sonically. Further, the C24 at JML wasn’t working the 2nd time we tried the shootout, and had to go to a repair tech before we could complete our comparison. The C24 at Ice Cream Factory was using a non-original power supply, and had clearly been dropped at some point. It was also 5dB(!) hotter output than the C24 at JML.

In my mind, the V24 stacks up quite favorably. Once again, I have to stress – we were not trying to clone the C24. We made a number of circuit changes that we felt improved the shortcomings of a C24 that were inherent to limitations of its day – rolled off low-end, channel crosstalk, and reliability were all improved in the V24. The V24 has a bit less low-mid than a C24, but has a much more detailed top end. In stereo tracks, I noticed a bit more separation on the V24, particularly when we widened out past 90º. On vocals, I had a hard time telling which was which, but on guitar it was readily apparent.

The “12” mode vs “251” mode is very noticeable on anything with a fair bit of high frequency. I’m very partial to the gentle rolloff on the top end that a vintage 251 typically displays, and the “251” mode hits that Goldilocks zone exactly as I had hoped.

You can purchase a V24 on our shop, and we are in the process of building 10 more units.

MORE LISTENING

Here’s the entire playlist for your perusal, as well as the DOWNLOAD FOLDER for 48/24 WAV files of all these clips.

 

BLIND SHOOTOUT MIC ORDER

Piano, “251” mode:

1. ELA M251
2. Vanguard V24, “251” mode
3. AKG C24 mk2

Piano, “12” mode

1. ELA M251
2. Vanguard V24, “251” mode
3. AKG C24 mk2

Acoustic Guitar – “251” mode

1. Vanguard V24
2. AKG C24 mk2

Male Vocals – “12” mode

1. Vanguard V24
2. AKG C24 mk2