1 more Apex 460 mod

[skipwave]

Sweet! Sounds good. Yeah, the transformer winding should have read relatively low DC resistance.

 

[kai_p]

Grills and rf

For those of you who have removed grills on your Apex 460s, any change to the mic's ability to withstand rf interference? I've heard that mic grills can have a significant impact on shielding, which makes sense, but I haven't really seen much talk about it on the forums. Any empirical data on this?

Our studio's in the shadow of the world's tallest free-standing radio tower, and I know that grill removal would be one of the tougher mods to undo, to say the least!

-kai

 

[Micter]

I have been giving a lot of thought as to what the problem might be with the Apex 460. I've done a few changes to the circuit and changed tubes, which improved the sound some, but the biggest difference came with the last change.

The Apex 460, Nady TCM-1150, Carvin CM100 are all the same mic, as we know. They all have a very dense 3 layer grill. I got more "wild-hair-itis" and decided to take one and remove the inner 2 layers of mesh. The result is a much smoother, bigger, open sound. It took out some of the sizzle and the mid-range is now very open and round. It used to sound very muffled in general. Sounds very open now. I really, really like it now. I believe there were too many reflections inside the housing. Only problem now is a pop-screen is a must!


Warning to anyone attempting this!! Be careful and go slow!!!! You should be able to get the job done with a needle nose and some clippers to trim the stray screen. Look for a fold by one support post and start there with a flat head screw driver. There are channels on the top and bottom rings that hold the screens in and some solder to keep it in place. I just trimmed the wire in the soldered areas.

That was the first thing I did to my Carvin CTM100. It really opens the mic up doesn't it?

 

[PhilGood]

For those of you who have removed grills on your Apex 460s, any change to the mic's ability to withstand rf interference? I've heard that mic grills can have a significant impact on shielding, which makes sense, but I haven't really seen much talk about it on the forums. Any empirical data on this?

Our studio's in the shadow of the world's tallest free-standing radio tower, and I know that grill removal would be one of the tougher mods to undo, to say the least!

-kai

I don't have much empirical data, but the screen mesh is close enough that it should provide significant shielding. I have run the mic without the modified grill attached and had HUGE amounts of noise and hum, but with minimal screening the mic seems to do OK.

Can't attest to your situation however. We have a lot of power towers near hear and it doesn't seem to bother it indoors.

 

[PhilGood]

That was the first thing I did to my Carvin CTM100. It really opens the mic up doesn't it?

Yes it does. It seems to smooth out the EQ influence the grill would normally have on it. Capsule upgrade is the biggest improvement, though.

 

[Micter]

Yes it does. It seems to smooth out the EQ influence the grill would normally have on it. Capsule upgrade is the biggest improvement, though.

I haven't got to the capsule yet. I actually want to get another mic first (Apex 460 or a CTM100) as I want a pair of these. I found the tube to be a big improvement and swapping out C8 IIRC. I really like these mics especially for the money.