I walked into a gig on Sunday night carrying only the Compact, a microphone, a couple of cables, mic stand, and a guitar. This was a small but noisy restaurant/pub.

It was a test - to hit the ground running - no safety net. Well not quite that brave. I had my complete Model II rig complete with T1® and external power supply in my car trunk.

I had a great time. It was a little disconcerting not to have real-time control over things with the T1® in front of me, but it was not enough of a distraction to throw me off. I think I'll get an OM3 or OM5 soon, but in the meantime my Beyerdynamic M88 will do fine.

There were several people in the audience who were familiar with my sound with my Model II. Some are players and some were people who have often listened closely, attentively at my shows. While all of them were aware that I was running new gear, none of them had anything to say about the sound except that it was not noticeably different. One fellow who owns a Classic who often plays there commented that his Classic sounds louder at the back of the room than the Compact. I wouldn't disagree.

But despite that, this discerning audience told me, they had an experience comparable to that which I might have given them with a Model II.


When I read that the Compact did not have a ToneMatch® port or phantom power, I was disappointed. This is not going to deter me from using and enjoying it.

-- ST 6 May 2009 12:58 pm --
full thread here