MD-441, Loose Xlr connector? Bass roll off?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Booda
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Booda

Booda

Master of the Obvious
Is it normal for the Xlr connector to be a tad loose on a MD-441? It seems like only the Bass roll off selector should actually move... but the whole xlr piece jiggles side to side, a tiny bit. (very tiny bit but enough to make me wonder) I just bought this used and am wondering if it is a little worn. The Mic functions fine.

Also... Anyone know the frequencies that the Bass roll off is cutting at in the 4 positions? & the treble Boost as well?

Thanks,
B.
 
Look arround the outside of the mic close to the XLR and see if there is a screw or 2 that fasten the XLR Connector to the Body and try tightening them....

Just a Thought... :)
 
I'll look at my 541s when I get home. In my experience, its not that unusual for the XLR connector to wiggle a bit in older mics. If there's not a lot of play and there is no affect on the connection, its not a problem.
 
Booda said:
Is it normal for the Xlr connector to be a tad loose on a MD-441? It seems like only the Bass roll off selector should actually move... but the whole xlr piece jiggles side to side, a tiny bit. (very tiny bit but enough to make me wonder) I just bought this used and am wondering if it is a little worn. The Mic functions fine.

Also... Anyone know the frequencies that the Bass roll off is cutting at in the 4 positions? & the treble Boost as well?

Thanks,
B.
Click to expand...

Loose XLR is not normal.

Looking at the curves:

1: rolloff begins at 400, down 6db at 100
2: rolloff begins about 300 down 10 dB at 100
3: rolloff begins about 700 down 14 dB at 100
S: rolloff begins about 500 down 20 dB at 100

each filter setting shows a plateau from 60 to 100 Hz and then they all drop off below 50, as does the unfiltered or M setting.

The brilliance setting is shown as raising the response with a broad peak, up about 5 dB above 3K with the peak from 5K to 10K

Hope that helps.

Otto
 
Very much appreciate the help!
1. I don't find any screws to tighten the Xlr. Maybe it's underneath the plate where the 3 xlr pins come out?
2. Otto, thanks that's what I was looking for and mbrebes too. I had checked out that page and the frequency graph on the Main page is pretty blurry BUT I didn't checked out the PDF. and it's exactly what I was looking for.
3. The XLR connector moves about 1/16" in/out of the body and side to side when you twist it. It's not much but I didn't think it was normal. The Mic seems to function just fine, no crackles... But there must be a way to tighten it. I got it off EBay should I still give the seller + feedback?

I'm excited to try this mic on everything... snare, kick, Vox, guitar cabs...

B.
 
OK. Mine wiggle a smidge. Barely. Nothing I'm excited about. Hey, they are presumably used mics. I have others that wiggle a lot more and they work fine too. My recollection is that the screw to disassemble the mic is under the metal plate, but I wouldn't bother. As long as the connection is secure it shouldn't be a problem.
 
sounds like your 441 needs some duct tape!
 
After 3+ years, Booda, I dunno if your 441 XLR is still wigglin', but here's some more info:

I've bought two of them used in the last few months - just got the second one today. The first one has quite a bit XLR jiggle. This second one has (had) a little, but it's also missing the logo badge which is right underneath the bass rolloff switch (hmm.. didn't notice that in the ebay pic) - this exposes a fairly large flatheaed screw that is holding the XLR assembly in place. I tighten the screw and, voila, no more jiggle.

It does not appear that the badge came off gracefully - there's a bit of plastic framing (shared with the bass rolloff switch) missing, and what looks like some glue, perhaps from an attempt to re-attach it in its former life.

When I get home, I'm going to look at how do-able it would be to remove-then-reaffix the badge on the other one. If it doesn't look like a good idea, I think I'll just put up with the jiggle. Seeing what I see on this one (I can pull the XLR assembly completely out with the screw removed, and there are two wires running from it to the body), I don't think the jiggle is much more than an annoyance. It *could* be that the screw completes the ground connection with the body, in which case if it loses contact the mic will hum, but that doesn't seem like a big possibility with the badge on, holding the screw in place.
 
I've never taken mine apart, but I thought the C clip inside of the XLR jack held the jack into the mic body. ??? It's actually the screw under the brilliance switch?

Possibly the C clip is removed to disassemble the entire microphone?

The jack on mine is as tight as new and it's pre-'85 according to Sennheiser Germany.
 
I said "logo badge" because I didn't have the other one in front of me - it's actually the serial number badge: the screw to tighten/release the XLR cylinder, including the pins (and including the C clip at the base of the pins) is under the serial number badge.

I'm not sure why the C clip is there - it would help remove the plate at the bottom of the pins, but the whole cylinder pulls out anyway, so it doesn't help you with the rest of the mic at all.
 
Hmmmm. I've always been curious as to how this mic is assembled. But not curious enought to attempt disassembly!
 
OK - I was able to pry out the serial number badge from my other mic using an Xacto knife. I tried doing it from the side, but that didn't work, and I flaked off a little of the plastic framing (ah!). From the top, though, I was able to get the point of the knife under the badge - it's a really thick metal foil that bends gracefully down the middle enough to pull it back from the sides so you can pop it out. A twist of the screw underneath, and no more XLR jiggle for this one either. I then put the badge back into position and pressed it flat. Nice!

This mic also had some grill dents - I took a small paper clip and unbent one side, curled the tip of the wire with pliers, then hooked into the dented areas and carefully pulled out the dents while pushing on the grill around the dents to stabilize things. That worked pretty well. As I was doing it, it seemed that I could pop out the whole grill (actually, the front and the back are each one piece, and the sides and top together are one piece), but I didn't go for it.
 
Not that it matters acoustically, but I hate to see dents in the screens on these mics. I buy used, and when I do I want to see pics of the screen all the way around. That pretty much tells me how the mic was taken care of.

I've seen some really beat-to-shit 441's and I can't understand how anyone would treat a fine mic in that fashion. It's a tough, well built mic but that's no excuse to throw it about. You don't see too many beat up Neumann's. These mics are too expensive to have to replace.

Glad you got the jack fixed.
 
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