All user reviews for the Josephson Engineering C42

It is a condenser microphone, a small membrane, cardioid directivity. Ncessite a 48V phantom power supply It is a competitor of the Neumann KM 184; like him, its capsule is not interchangeable, unlike the KM 140 or Schoeps Colette series, which is cohrent with its price significantly infrieur (infrieur also of KM 184 but little). The spcifi noise level seems a bit high (<= 21 dB pondr A) but does not seem to me be dterminant in practice.
Specifications: http://www.josephson.com/pdf/srs4.pdf.

NOTICE GLOBAL

I have a stro pair for several weeks. I like the clarity that does not exclude low prsentes, but dfinies. I have various small-diaphragm mics Rode, Oktava, Avenson, Schoeps Schoeps CMC6 / MK21 clearly were the best so far. I believe that these can be an interesting alternative to Schoeps according to what records.
I did a comparison test with the Schoeps on the piano and in mono, AKG C414B with XLS-on nylon guitar, listen in the forum.
Given these comparisons, the quality-price ratio is amazing. The matte black finish is impeccable. They are provided with a box Pelican and tongs integrates with suspension.

Compact capacitor dedicated to making its instrumental, with some precautions to be spoken even in the way chant.Un little more time will further expand their spectrum of use.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a week.
It is a microphone for me combines the rigor of Shoeps heat slightly old Neuman KM84, nothing to do with the lack of charisma KM184 modernes.Une single color, bright but without aggressiveness.
Yes, I tried many other mics of this type.
Given the perfect pairing and quality of these microphones (C42-MP) the price / quality ratio is exemplary.
I believe these microphones will become a "standard"

The Josephson C42s are small diaphragm, discreet FET condenser mics with a transformerless Class-A output. You will want to supply the C24s with a full 48v phantom power for best results.

They are equally well suited to live and studio environments and while I have used them in both situations to good effect, the vast majority of my work with them has been in the studio environment. The C42s can handle quite high SPLs and have a healthy but not overly-hot output which, along with their small size, means they are very versatile mics with a broad range of applications.

These mics are available either as singles in a stainless steel finish with a sturdy vinyl zippered pouch, foam windscreen and shock-type clip mount included, or as a matched pair in black finish with a carrying case. I purchased my C42s as a pair of singles, partly because they're well toleranced enough to not "really" need to be matched (my two aren't but they sound just the same), partly because it saved me a hundred bucks, and partly because I prefer the stainless finish to the black finish of the matched versions.

Regardless of your finish preference, you will get a beautifully machined, simple mic body which is surprisingly small. At only around 4 inches long, these are easy to place just about anywhere, particularly in conjunction with a 90-degree angled XLR connector.

The "shock clip" included with these mics fits and grips the mic body well; I have never had any worry about their ability to hold the mic and they do indeed reduce rumble compared to typical hard clips, though not as well as elastic spider mounts. The loose shock design of the clips makes them just a little bit fiddly with placement, only a very minor caveat. A number of alternate clips will work for the C42s as well.

OVERALL OPINION

The sound of the Josephson C42 could best be described as crisp and present on top, with a full, smooth, creamy coloration of the mid and high frequencies, and a tight, well defined low end response. These are not mics for those in search of ultimate transparency, but if you crave a mic that's bright but smooth rather than harsh in any way and with a fleshed out, palpable midrange, these are for you.

I personally love the color of these mics; they can cut a mix well while fattering the source and although there's no mistaking some cream going on in the mids and highs, unlike some decidedly colored sounding mics, these are surprisingly versatile and work in in many apps on many genres. They can take some of the fatigue out of the harder, brightish sound of ProTools rather despite their presence, and are of course real winners with analog tape too. The C42s also play nice with a very broad variety of mic preamps, from inexpensive small mixers to high end, high dollar boutique rack pres--I've plugged them into all of the above with excellent result, though of course more-so with the fancier stuff. One of my favorite preamps with these mics is the A-Designs MP2A 2-channel tube preamp, a combo that gives you all the big, smooth, warm, refined, quality-oozing sheen you can handle!

I get great mileage out of them in all I do which is particularly but not limited to various sub-genres of indie rock, folk, singer/songwriter. They are also well suited for jazz and classical stringed instruments and various types of percussion as well. I have had these on acoustic guitars, drum overheads and percussion, hihats, double bass high mics, fiddles, banjo, and even female vocals which can sometimes be surprisingly good with some careful placement to avoid sibilance and peaky presence.

The overall aesthetic, electronic and sonic quality of the C24s is very high indeed. I have used these mics routinely for more then 6 years and they've never skipped a beat. There's really not much at all to nitpick. The shock clips are just "OK," and that's really about it. Not much else I would change about this mic or package.

In the end, I believe they are wonderful sounding, highly useful mics which represent a superb value. This is NOT something I say about most pieces of equipment, but I really believe that these mics would still be a great value at double the price. They not only meet or exceed such similarly classed mics as Peluso CEMC6, AKG C451, Audio Technica 4041, Shure SM81, etc, but I would put them up against most any small diaphragm condenser at any price, including Neumann/Gefell and others. At $400-450 a pop, they're simply a bargain with a color that is "part of this complete mic collection." Very well done!

The Josephson Engineering C42's are small diaphragm condenser microphones that are best suited for use in the recording studio. They advertise these as live mics as well, so I can't argue with this application of the mic, but I haven't used it for that myself. The mic has a standard cardioid pick up pattern and like most small diaphragm condenser mics, it's got a pencil shape to make it easy to stick almost anywhere. The mic will pick up frequencies between 40 Hz and 20 kHz, but definitely does have a better response to higher end frequencies.

OVERALL OPINION

The Josephson Engineering C42 seems to be great for many of the traditional applications that you would think of when you think of small diaphragm condenser mics, but it definitley goes beyond these applications as well. I've used the mic for recording acoustic guitar, and a pair of them as drum overheads, but also tried them for vocals and even for bass. While they definitely do work best for things where you'd be looking for a good amount of high end response, they are also more versatile than your average small diaphragm condensers. They certainly have a bright sound, but I didn't find them to be too bright, and if I did at times I'd just use a small amount of EQ and I'd be set. After using the the C42s, I was definitley surprised to see the price of these mics since it is definitely more than reasonable. While perhaps not as crisp sounding as the Neumann KM 184s, which would be the obvious comparison, at this price you really can't complain. I'd recommend the Josephson C42s as a great addition to any studio - either home or professional, as they are a rare mic that falls somewhere in between because of the great sound and reasonable price. I've only recently gotten the chance to check out Josephson's mics, and I'm really glad that I did...