KARMA MICS k-6 user reviews ( 9/10) - 2 user reviews

• 01/10/11

  mooseherman's review "Cheap Ribbon with Phantom Power"

  Characteristics

  This is a newer type of ribbon mic that requires phantom power. It's part of a new trend that other companies, such as Royer, are starting to do. This makes it different from the older ribbon mics in that it can not only handle phantom power but needs it; old ribbon mics would be destroyed if hit with phantom power.
  
  These are still pretty fragile, though, and should really only be used in a studio environment, as there's not really much practical use for them in a live scenario. As with other ribbons it's also a figure 8 pattern.

  Overall Opinion

  I really like this ribbon mic, but I will say that I don't know how much it sounds like an honest-to-god ribbon mic. It's kind of like a ribbon condenser hybrid, which it technically is as a phantom powered mic with a ribbon. This is because it has the warmth and feel of a ribbon, but is a little bit clearer and sharper than most of them. A really high end ribbon mic will sound better as it will have all the warmth and clarity with none of the harsh brightness, but this is about as close as you can get to that with the price.
  
  It does tend to distort slightly but I personally think that this is a great sonic quality. You wouldn't use this on a Top 40 pop tune or an opera singer, but it'd sound great for blues singers, soul singers, etc. It also works really well as a mono drum overhead (use a pad), as an acoustic guitar mic or a harmonica mic. I could use it on a quieter horn too with great results.
  
  Basically this is a great bang for your buck, it's not gonna compete with a Royer ribbon mic anytime soon but it'll certainly be cheaper and definitely useful.
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• 02/20/10

  moosers's review

  Characteristics

  The Karma Mics K-6 is a unique ribbon microphone, requiring phantom power. If you know anything about ribbon mics, you already know that most ribbon microphones don't need phantom power, and in fact sending phantom power to your ribbon mic will most likely break the ribbon! Unlike most other ribbon mics, the K-6 has a very big build, and is wide and sturdy. The mic has a figure eight polar pick up pattern, which is pretty standard for a ribbon mic. It will pick up frequencies between 40 Hz and 15 KHz...

  Overall Opinion

  So far I've only had the chance to use the Karma Mics K-6 a handful of times in a friend's home studio, but judging from my short time using the mic, it is definitely one of the best bang for your buck deals for a ribbon mic that I've seen out there. While it is as cheap as a lot of the Chinese made ribbon microphones out there, it is certainly superior to most of them, as it is more in the vein of higher end microphones than it is the cheaper ones. The K-6 is in general a great all around microphone, as I found it to be great for both vocals and to get some air on an electric guitar. The only other application that I used the mic for was acoustic guitar, which I didn't like it for as much as the other applications, but it definitely still sounded good. Karma is a company that hasn't been around all that long, but with mics priced this low and a superior sound quality to their competition, I have a feeling they'll be around for a good amount of time. As far as ribbon microphones go in this price range, these days you certainly have a lot to choose from, so I'd encourage those interested to do some serious research to see what might work best for your needs and your wallet. All in all, the Karma K-6 is a very impressive microphone for the price.
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