EV636 (An old dog)

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Does anyone know anything about this Electro-Voice mic?

It was given to me as a gift several years ago, but I had just stashed it away because it's so old. It's in like-new condition however. It's kind of funny looking by todays standards. The mic is mounted directly to the stand shaft or boom and has an on/off switch. The entire casing is stainless steel and pivots on its base.

Today I received my Tascam 488MkII and decided to try this mic on acoustic guitar.

I experimented with near-field placement and found the best spot was about 12" out and 3" forward of, but pointing at the soundhole. The mic is crystal clear with no noticable noise and captures this guitar very nicely. The highs are crisp and the low-end is not muddy or boomy at all.

It seems to be very sensitive as it picked up a lot of room noise even at a low level. I tried to figure out what type of pattern is has but all I can tell is that it seems to be a regular cardoid.

I wonder about this though because there are no vents in the mic body anywhere. Just the top screen which is about an 1" or so in diameter.

Anyone with a clue about this mic, I'd sure like to hear from you.
 
The 636 AKA Slimair is a 1950's omni dynamic that was made for pubic address but don't let that change your mind about it if you like the way it sounds. The reason it has no vents is that it is omni.

The frequency response is something like 50-13K so you don't get a lot of real bottom or top end but the middle that you do get is nice and smooth.

If you had not noticed, the connection at the mic end of the cable is a four pin that can be set up one of two ways.

Hi-Z unbalanced - shield to pin 1, audio to pin 2

Lo-Z 150 ohm balanced - shield to pin 1, audio pins 3 and 4

You might want to keep that info in case you want to either change it at some time in the future or if you have to replace the cable as these four pin connectors can be somewhat difficult to find.
 
I kind of suspected that it was an omni with no vents in the body.

It really does sound smooth on the acoustic guitar.

The pin-out diagram is right on the mic body so I don't think loosing it will ever be a problem. It's nice that it can be changed.

Is this connector the same type that is called a Tuchel connector on mics that are used overseas? Particularly Germany? I noticed that the 441 can be had in a "Tuchel" connector configuration. Same with the 421.

Some guy on E-bay is selling around five 441's at $339 each with this type of connector.
 
I forgot they put that info on the mic, I actually have a 664 that has it right on there but it is easy to overlook even handling the mic as it is sort of etched into it.

The Tuchel is a different beast, this is an Amphanol plug that was used by EV, Shure, and probably some other American microphone companies of the time.

You should realize that the foam in these old EV's usually rots out leaving the mic either clogged up with dust, with no pop protection at all, or some combination of the two. I have used silk in my 664's and 666's and it sounds quite nice but you might be able to get something from EV. Then again if you really like the sound you might not want to change a thing but it is something to think about especially if the sound of the mic changes drastically on you one day.
 
Thanks for the heads up on the pop filter foam.

Can you explain what a Tuchel connector is and how it differs from an XLR?

Is it like a BNC that is a push-and-turn, or is it a threaded fitting???

Is it electricaly different than an XLR?
 
The Tuchel is threaded three pin (pin3 shield), old Sennheisers and Beyers from the 60's and early 70's use them. It seems the word Tuchel does not always mean this one connector, like Amphanol or Cannon there are others besides the common one which can sometimes make things confusing. The Tuchel plugs on the Beyers and Sennheisers are often refered to as a small Tuchel because the very first 421's used a larger version.

None of these are a big deal as long as you have the connector, you just solder a male XLR on the other end and you are good to go.
 
Digging up and old thread...

I just found one of these at a swap for $20. I hope it wasn't wasted money but it looked like a cool mic. Anyway, there's no connector on the far end of the cable. I can read the wiring instructions engraved on the base: "plug shell and contact 1 is ground. Contact 2 is Hi-Z. Contacts 3 and 4 are 150 (ohm symbol?)." I only see 2 leads and shield at the far end of the cable. Can someone advise me on how to wire a male XLR on it?
 
Re: Digging up and old thread...

EddieRay said:
I just found one of these at a swap for $20. I hope it wasn't wasted money but it looked like a cool mic. Anyway, there's no connector on the far end of the cable. I can read the wiring instructions engraved on the base: "plug shell and contact 1 is ground. Contact 2 is Hi-Z. Contacts 3 and 4 are 150 (ohm symbol?)." I only see 2 leads and shield at the far end of the cable. Can someone advise me on how to wire a male XLR on it?
Click to expand...


Could someone check me on this?

I connect ground to ground (pin 1 of mic to pin 1 of XLR male),
pin 3 of mic to pin 2 of XLR, pin 4 of mic to pin 3 of XLR.
 
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