Difference between the Apex 205 and 210 ribbon mic's?

  • Thread starter Thread starter isfahani
  • Start date Start date
I

isfahani

Disciple of Wong Jing
I'd like to take the dive into the entry level ribbons. Most of the info I have seen is that the NADY RSM2 is pretty much the same mic as one of these Apexes, at half the cost, I would like to know if anyone has any further info on these two different models... if in fact they are different models.

Thanks a billion. :D
 
to me (From my experiences having owned both) I prefer 205s. traded my 210s on 205s finally.

210: first version, big (impressively big), really bad body and grill resonances, rather inconsistent but definitely dark tone (lacking in highs and definition rather badly).

205: newer version, half size of 210 more or less, same basic design, same element, far fewer body and grill resonances, veyr slightly more highs, more even response.

210 needs mods to be useful IMHO, 205 is good as is, mods can only improve it though.

I've read exact opposite results here though, might depend on the batch of mics or something.

tried several of both, my results are consistent among the mics I tried.

Don
 
funny, and true. there is about that much difference. really, the 205 should be the 210 mark II, cuz it's really the 210 in a smaller case with less crap in the grill to muffle the high end and fewer body resonances to accentuate the nasty parts of your recordings.

by the way, the apex 205 is a terrific microphone, probably the best mic apex makes (as always, IMHO). which ain't bad from the company that used to make the telefunken m16 heh heh heh... (I own the apex version of that mic, and I use the 205 every day professionally where the 460 gets used once in a blue moon for experiments only, at least until I bother to get Dave to replace the capsule in it... I've messed with that mic over and over and I'm fed up with it, it's very good but just never going to be great until that high end gets tamed a bit from a properly tuned capsule).

Cheers,
Don
 
Thanks for the info, dkelley... I did recently come across that comparison of the 460 and the much more expensive version of the same mic and I think that a 460 is going to be next on the list after I track down a couple of 205's. Preferably for less than retail...
 
In addition to dkelley's spot on comments above, the 205 has deeper ribbon corrugations - this seems to help maintain tension in the magnetic gap and avoid sag / loss of level. I believe this corrugation pattern & depth allows a slighter higher low frequency resonant tuning in the 205 (~30Hz) vs. the 210 (~10Hz) so a 205 usually has less susceptibility to footfall vibration and has a bit more musical useful LF resonance. But in both cases there are going to be variations depending how the ribbon was crimped and tensioned by the factory installer.

As a side bar - there are some minor variations in the ribbon motor structures in the various model. The Tape Op group buy ribbons I have (210-style) have ribbon tension adjustment screws separate from the ribbon clamps. This makes it much easier to adjust tension if needed. And there are some minor variations in the motor shock mount.
 
Hey Mike Is there any way you could post a pic of that ribbon tension adjuster?
 
Sure, right after I run out to get your coffee ;)

I'll try to get a shot of one later.
 
LOL (cream and sugar)
Cool. I think the only ribbons that I have seen were the type that have only the clamps. On occasion, I have successfuly re tensioned these ribbons, but it is a tedious job
 
Ok Chance, here's your joe and a pic.

Notice how the nylon block is slotted to allow lateral movement while the ribbon clamp screws remain tight.
 

Attachments

  • ribbon_clamp.webp
    ribbon_clamp.webp
    5.8 KB · Views: 512
The 205 also has an XLR connector built into the bottom of the case, which will be more reliable over time than the cable/XLR connector sticking out of the 210.
 
kid klash said:
The 205 also has an XLR connector built into the bottom of the case, which will be more reliable over time than the cable/XLR connector sticking out of the 210.
Click to expand...

I would expect the opposite to be true, as it will encourage people to actually connect and disconnect that connector. Every time you connect and disconnect a cable on the microphone, you're jogging the ribbon pretty hard, slowly stretching it out. The 205 will probably require more frequent retensioning, and the ribbon will fail sooner.

The cable, by contrast, will only fail when the cable fails, and cables don't usually fail in a lifetime unless you abuse them.
 
dgatwood said:
I would expect the opposite to be true, as it will encourage people to actually connect and disconnect that connector. Every time you connect and disconnect a cable on the microphone, you're jogging the ribbon pretty hard, slowly stretching it out. The 205 will probably require more frequent retensioning, and the ribbon will fail sooner.

The cable, by contrast, will only fail when the cable fails, and cables don't usually fail in a lifetime unless you abuse them.
Click to expand...

Maybe you're right, but the cable on the 210 that I looked at didn't give me much confidence in it's long-term life expectancy. If I bought a 210 and spent the time upgrading it to eliminate the case resonance and other things, I'd also spend the time to replace the stock cable and connector with a higher grade cable and XLR connector, but that's just me.

For what I'm doing, I still think the 205 is a much better mic right out of the box than the 210... easier to position, less "ringing", lighter weight, lower cost, better sound, fewer things to do to upgrade it. FWIW. YMMV.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top