PhilGood said:How important is the output transformer to the sound of a mic? Is it pretty dramatic, or minorly perceptible? I mean, I know the ones in chinese mics are crap, but what about the difference between Jensen, Cinemag and AMI? Will I really hear a difference?
PhilGood said:...So is there going to be an audible difference for a Royer mod between the $150 AMI or should I just go with the $40 Cinemag? I also want to change the trafo in my Apex 460, but only if it's really going to make a difference.
Marik said:...One thing to point out. The simple transformer exchange would not make such a huge difference. The microphone is a system, in which everything should be balanced--quality of capsule, quality of parts used (esp. capacitors), quality of design, etc.
crazydoc said:I think this is your answer. Your quality is only as good as the weakest link. This goes for the signal chain inside the mic also - if you're passing the signal from a cheap Chinese capsule, possibly through poor quality caps, a top quality trafo isn't going to improve it, and might only make defects in the sound more apparent.
PhilGood said:
Marik said:OK, now I see what we are talking about. The person you were talking to most likely was Oliver Archut himself. You don't expect him to tell you how good Cinemags are, don't you?
Marik said:If your budget limited, get 797 34mm capsule, and use Cinemag. I've got some mods for this capsule, and it can sound very good.
Flatpicker said:Some things I’ve learned from my friends Marik, Gus, and others:
In general, a Chinese mic can only be reasonably manufactured using a cheap low-ratio (2:1) output transformer. By reasonably I mean completely built in China using Chinese parts with no external parts vending or after-work involved. For this reason, they starve the tube plate current to create a tube output impedance that matches the cheap transformer to provide the correct 150 – 300 ohm output impedance.
The transformers you’ll get from Cinemag, Jensen, Lundahl, etc… are not only much greater quality, but have much higher ratios like 12:1 and are for REAL tube circuits – not the starved plate current designs. So the bottom line is, if you use one of these you’ll have to modify, if not completely rebuild the tube circuit as well.
(Marik, jump in here anytime and fill up the cracks I left. )
No, actually I was referring to the MXL V69. I'm not a very good tube mechanic ( ) but seems like it works simular to this...Marik said:BTW Tim, I think you are kinda refering to Nady 1050 mic...
PhilGood said:Ho-Nnooooo!!... as a matter of fact he was willing to send me a BV308 to try and said I could return in within 7 days if I didn't like it. The only condition was I couldn't cut the leads. I didn't ask him how good the Cinemag's were, he offered of his own valition. I asked Dave Geren how the Cinemags were. He was very concise. I like him. My question was: is the $150 AMI going to be THAT much better than the $40 Cinemag, or is that still just a matter of taste.
Where would you get a bare 797 capsule...
How 'bout the capsules from John Peluso? Any good?
Flatpicker said:No, actually I was referring to the MXL V69. I'm not a very good tube mechanic ( ) but seems like it works simular to this...
Hmmm... that's correct. Well maybe I was thinking about the Nady! You not only filled the cracks, you cemented a gaping hole!Marik said:The V69 is transformerless.
PhilGood said:Holy Crap!! i just went to the PMI site and noticed that Alan Hyatt knows Tony Merrill from Stephen Paul Audio. I used to play drums for Tony back in 1990-91!!
I'VE GOT AN "IN"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
chessrock said:Yea, and if you're really nice to him, he might let you buy one of his mics. Heck, he might even knock a buch off the shipping cost and autograph it for ya if he's in a good mood. You really kinda' have to be in his inner circle for that, though.