OUCH - Rode K2 problems

M

moresound

Loud Sun Studios
This problem seems to be getting worse as time goes by.

When I first got the K2 every so often after turning on it you would hear constantly/ intermediate crackling and with the bass bin on low end rumble!

When it's powered up and there's none of that noise it will never progress to the noise, only if it's there after powering up it stays and it won't go away.And it's happening more frequently now after owning it for about a year.

Has anyone had a problem/or heard of a problem like this with any tube mic before?

Could it be the tubed mic or the power supply or the cable?
What can I check for?
 
Well I thought that was the problem at first but now I'm not sure.
It is always stored with one of those moisture bag things that it came with in shipping.
Where would this condensation be happening on the diaphragm?
 
Silica gel gets overloaded over time, and no longer can absorb water. First, change the silica packs out for new ones. I've never done it, but I'm told you can bake the gel packs for an hour or so at *low* temp, and dry them out. Try placing the capsule 12-18" above an old fashioned 60 watt light bulb for a fer hours, and see if that helps. With the water coming up to your front door, as it currently is where you (and I) live, it won't help.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
Silica gel gets overloaded over time, and no longer can absorb water. First, change the silica packs out for new ones. I've never done it, but I'm told you can bake the gel packs for an hour or so at *low* temp, and dry them out. Try placing the capsule 12-18" above an old fashioned 60 watt light bulb for a fer hours, and see if that helps. With the water coming up to your front door, as it currently is where you (and I) live, it won't help.-Richie
Click to expand...

Hello Richard, Yes so true what a deluge! Almost as bad as a few years ago where whole towns up this way were washed away.
The small river behind my house looks like the Mississippi good thing we over look it by 60 feet or so.
How are you doing over your way?
I'll try changing out the gel packs to see if that helps. Can you think of anything else that may be the cause of this problem?
 
I've heard of tube mics needing to be on for 15 minutes before you can effectively use them. And flying them upside down so the heat from the tube doesn't influence the mic element. Beyond that could be moisture, but that doesn't mean that it is. Crackling sounds like it is, but that could also be a loose connection that gets less loose as things warm up and becomes a few microns bigger. Does it happen more often in cold weather, than summer? Not that that identifies the issue, but it could narrow it down.
 
moresound said:
Hello Richard, Yes so true what a deluge!
I'll try changing out the gel packs to see if that helps.
Click to expand...

Gun shops are the best places to get those things...some of the ones Ive picked up weighed about a half pound...its important that your locker seals airtight...I use gun cases myself.
 
...there's a very good possibility that it's a bad tube...dropouts, crackling, hissing are typical symptoms of a problem tube...replacement is simple on the K2...simply power down, remove mic cable, unscrew the disc at the mic's base and slide off the body shell exposing the tube and socket...the K2 uses a standard 6922 (also known as 6DJ8 or E88CC)...the best ones to use are Siemens or Amperex NOS gold-pinned and they can be found on the internet...
here's one vendor, but keep in mind there's many and prices will vary dramatically from one to the next...

http://www.tubedepot.com/gsearch.ht...0&ie=UTF-8&q=6922&sa=Search+TubeDepot.com#915

...the stock tube that came in the K2 was either Chinese or Russian and most replacements will be an improvement...

...feel free to contact Rode's customer service if your unsure...they're usually pretty respondant...
 
darrin_h2000 said:
Gun shops are the best places to get those things...some of the ones Ive picked up weighed about a half pound...its important that your locker seals airtight...I use gun cases myself.
Click to expand...

OK thanks Wayne I'll check that out .....Where do you put your guns if all your mics are in their cases?
 
Shadow_7 said:
I've heard of tube mics needing to be on for 15 minutes before you can effectively use them. And flying them upside down so the heat from the tube doesn't influence the mic element. Beyond that could be moisture, but that doesn't mean that it is. Crackling sounds like it is, but that could also be a loose connection that gets less loose as things warm up and becomes a few microns bigger. Does it happen more often in cold weather, than summer? Not that that identifies the issue, but it could narrow it down.
Click to expand...

Could be a loose connection but it isn't all the time though even if it's been powered up for 3 or 4 hours
 
kidvybes said:
...there's a very good possibility that it's a bad tube...dropouts, crackling, hissing are typical symptoms of a problem tube...replacement is simple on the K2...simply power down, remove mic cable, unscrew the disc at the mic's base and slide off the body shell exposing the tube and socket...the K2 uses a standard 6922 (also known as 6DJ8 or E88CC)...the best ones to use are Siemens or Amperex NOS gold-pinned and they can be found on the internet...
here's one vendor, but keep in mind there's many and prices will vary dramatically from one to the next...

http://www.tubedepot.com/gsearch.ht...0&ie=UTF-8&q=6922&sa=Search+TubeDepot.com#915

...the stock tube that came in the K2 was either Chinese or Russian and most replacements will be an improvement...

...feel free to contact Rode's customer service if your unsure...they're usually pretty respondant...
Click to expand...

The stock tube looks Russian and I've been meaning to get a few to have on hand so I'll be picking those up thanks for the info on a dealer. There is no drop outs just crackling sounds but not all the time will this be a bad tube?
 
moresound said:
The stock tube looks Russian and I've been meaning to get a few to have on hand so I'll be picking those up thanks for the info on a dealer. There is no drop outs just crackling sounds but not all the time will this be a bad tube?
Click to expand...

...once the mic is warmed up, very gently tap the body of the mic...if the gentle taps induce more crackling noises, then it's possible the tube has bad filaments...of course other wiring or component issues might respond similarly...I would do a tube swap first because the circuitry in the Rode mics is generally of much better quality than the typical chinese LDC mic...sometimes removing the tube and wiping the pins with a cleaner/conductor (available at Radio Shack) will clear up these problems...make sure the pins are clean & dry before re-seating the tube...
 
Ya, now that worth a try, with the pin wiping didn't think of maybe a bad connection there!!
............... THANKS Kidvybes
 
hey there, i've got the same problem in my condenser now, when switching from cardioid to omnidirectional. have you solved this problem? was it the moisture?
 
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