xstatic said:
Telefunken has stated that they test every capsule and make adjustments on them when they come in. Now if they are actually doing what they say and not using those that don't meet their criteria (whatever that criteria may be) that means that they are basically throwing away some of those capsules. That also increases their per mic cost. There is also labor involved in dissassembling every mic, changing caps, resistors and wiring, testing, tuning, reassembling etc.... If all of that is done by hand and done to every mic, then that can dramatically increase Telefunken's cost per mic, as well as can dramatically increase the Sonic qualities of the mic itself. As of yet, those parts are extremely inexpensive. Adding a new tube certainly does cost a little more as well. Then there is the repackaging of the mic which also costs time and money, the wooden box which adds a little more cost etc... .
X...I admire your position of "innocent until proven guilty", but I really think Tele's explanation is nothing more than spin...David Royer sold me his Mojave
MA200 for $500.(assembled) using an ADK A51 body and capsule, but with entirely new PCB/circuitry and a Jensen transformer, not to mention power source and 7-pin cables...granted he has now amped that price up to $999. but that is due to his contracting the manufacturing of the body and capsule exclusively for his mic (he's no longer doing "radical" modding of stock OEM Chinese mics, which is what Tele's doing but in a very minor style by only replacing a few caps, the tube and supposedly "testing every capsule and transformer?"...I doubt it)...and Mojave's mic is completely assembled in the US by Royer's staff (basically many of the same people who build his ribbon mics at Royer) with top quality caps, tubes and transformers...a re-read of Tele's explanation for the cost of their mic still rings of "after-the-fact" spin to save face...:
Here's a reprint (for those of you who haven't yet read it) of the response on Gearslutz.com:
"In response to the similarities of the Apex 460 and the Telefunken / R-F-T M16:
As stated in our response earlier, Telefunken launched the R-F-T brand at the beginning of this year to satisfy the need for an affordably tube microphone that would appeal to the project studio and home consumer market. For the first time, we turned to overseas manufacturing to lower the cost of producing this new microphone line.
By designating this new R-F-T line, we separated the already existing, award winning Telefunken product line (which is completely made in the USA) from the new R-F-T line, which contains components made overseas.
We never claimed that R-F-T mics were manufactured in the United States, only that each microphone itself was hand assembled by the same techs who assembled the TEC award winning Ela M251, U47, Ela M270 and Ela M12 microphones here in our South Windsor, CT lab.
The R-F-T line has been almost two years in the making. We have spent several months researching, testing and analyzing dozens of microphone designs and shapes before settling on one design that happens to be similar to the Apex 460. That fact is that there are numerous manufacturers in Asia that produce the EXACT design as the R-F-T M16 microphone, cable, shockmount and psu included. It so happens at the time we chose our design for the M16 (almost 12 months ago) the Apex 460 wasn‚t distributed in the United States yet, let alone to the world‚s pro audio market. If you take the time and do the research, you will see that there are dozens of other microphone manufactures who use similar designs as each other. They share the same grill, chassis, power supply and cable, except they are branded differently.
We can assure you all that purchasing
an Apex 460, or any other similar microphone design from an internet dealer, and purchasing an R-F-T M16 direct from our lab, are two completely different experiences. For starters, the mics DO NOT sound similar to each other.
THE COMPONENTS
- More than a half dozen components, including 4 high Meg resistors and 4 high quality capacitors are added to the stock circuit. These components add clarity to the fatiguing midrange, and smooth out the sometimes overly brittle high end associated with Chinese mics. As seen on the spectral graphs of the APEX mic posted earlier
http://www.studioreviews.com/images/freq-large1.jpg
THE TUBE
- The cheap brand less Asian tube issued with most of these imported mics was unacceptable by our standards. The solution: an American made Phillips New Old Stock
12AX7 WA tube, with better tone, performance and longevity. The M16s tube circuit is based loosely on
a C12VR design, with extra ambient air on the top. By including the Phillips 12AX7 and coupling it with a richer, darker capsule, we were able to establish a balance between the performance of the tube, the circuit and the capsule.
THE CAPSULE, THE TRANSFORMER
- the capsule design included in the R-F-T M16 is based on the German K67 style capsule, able to handle the quietest of dynamics along with the most excessive of sound pressure levels. This capsule style can be found in dozens of other manufacturers microphones. This is why we run both the capsules and transformers through a very intensive series of analytical tests and sequences before passing them for inclusion in the R-F-T M16.
THE CABLE
- As of today, each M16 shipped will now include the cable upgrade. A 7 pin cable made with Gotham Audio GAC7 cable. This is the same high quality cable issued with the Platinum and Professional series Telefunken microphones.
THE SERVICE, THE WARRANTY
- As far as we know, there is no other microphone manufacturer in the United States willing to work as close as we do to the end user. At any time, our sales staff is eager and willing to answer any questions anyone may have regarding the microphones, the manufacturing, and the proper applications. Not to mention that the staff of Telefunken North America has logged thousands of hours working with, repairing, rebuilding, using and listening to hundreds of vintage tube microphones, along with almost every new microphone on the block. Before we were manufacturers, we were dealers, and foremost, microphone USERS. We would never put the Telefunken badge on a product that we couldn‚t stand behind 100%. There for, each M16 is offered with a 1 year warranty and a complete money back guarantee. We repair dozens of vintage microphones each month and we can promise our return time on a repair (if ever needed!) would be significantly less than any other major microphone manufacturer in the United States, or even the entire Globe.
MARKETING, QUALITY CONTROL
When you purchase an R-F-T M16, you are purchasing a microphone that Telefunken North America stands behind 100%. The M16 features the superior sound and build quality we have worked so hard to sustain for the past 5 years. By designating the microphone R-F-T, we allow ourselves room in the product line to introduce well made, yet inexpensive microphones from overseas. We never stated that R-F-T microphones systems were made in the United States, only that the microphones them selves were hand assembled here in our lab, to the strict quality standards we set forth at the beginning. The quality associated with the Telefunken name is something many studios strive to associate with.
PACKAGING
The R-F-T M16 also comes packaged with the same American made silk lined wooden microphone box issued with our Professional and Platinum series mics. This is a $200 value alone. Preserving the microphone is as important as using it. As dealers of certain imported microphones in the past, we can speak from experience. There have been several occasions where imported microphones arrive damaged and broken from being assembled and packed so poorly. We take extensive care in assembling these systems so that they will ship properly to the end user.
Hopefully some of the points listed above will justify the price point we assigned to the R-F-T M16. The bottom line is that you can purchase a Chinese mic, from a dealer, and hope for the best with the over hyped high end and week and dimensionless sound qualities. Or you can purchase an R-F-T M16 and receive a microphone that has been electronically and cosmetically tailored by Telefunken North America. A microphone designed with the professional or project studio in mind, featuring a Phillips NOS 12AX7 tube, the highest quality electronic components, an American made oak wooden mic box, Gotham Audio GAC7 cable, an intensive quality control process and the service and knowledgeable staff unmatched by any microphone manufacturer.
In response to losing any credibility..
We can reassure you that ALL TELEFUNKEN PRO AND PLATINUM MICROPHONES ARE 100% MANUFACTURED IN OUR SOUTH WINDSOR, CT - USA FACTORY (the only exception being a few parts made in Europe to ensure original specifications). 100% of the assembly and testing is done by Telefunken North America technicians. We welcome anyone to visit us and see how we make and manufacture our products. Let us make it very clear that Telefunken North America and R-F-T Microphones and Electronics are two independent companies from each other. They have separate websites, separate products and separate missions. Telefunken North America‚s mission is to MANUFACTURE the award winning Ela M 251, Ela M12, U47, Ela M 270 stereo microphones and DISTRIBUTES the R-F-T M16.
LASTLY
-Because of all the activity on the GearSlutz message board, our phones have been ringing off the hook, with sales! We can not assemble these systems fast enough. Regardless of how close the M16 may be to another microphone, it is NOT the same and it DOES NOT SOUND THE SAME. Bottom line is, the R-F-T M16 and the APEX 460 may happen to share a similar capsule, transformer, power supply, and shockmount, but they don‚t share the same SOUND. Prove it to yourself by demoing an M16 straight from our lab. We offer a complete money back guarantee on all our R-F-T microphone systems. Just cross your fingers that we still have them in stock."
__________________
-- Kind Regards,
Toni R. Fishman
“Built to a standard not a price.”
