MXL 2003 Mod?

  • Thread starter Thread starter radzikk
  • Start date Start date
PhilGood said:
The main one to change is the 1000pF and the capsule end, as Gus originally pointed out. That's typically where they have a ceramic capacitor. Putting a polystyrene there removes the hysteresis in the upper frequencies. Ceramics distort so badly. The next most important is the 1uF electrolytic and replace it with a good film cap. Not so sure that the .33uF are actually in the signal path, although I've put film caps there and it seemed to help. I haven't ever bothered to trace the circuit. Since the mic operates on 48v phantom you really don't need to look for anything higher than 63v.

Here are some different types of film capacitors.

Polyester, or mylar: Bare minimum for audio applications. Pretty good sound and a definite improvement over electrolytic, ceramic and tantalium as far as non-linear distortions.

Polypropylene: Better than mylar but also slightly larger per value.

Polycarbonate: Better than polypropylene. Again, usual larger.

Polystyrene: Probably the best you can get, but larger values typically won't fit in any mic. .01uF would be a large cap.

Teflon: Same as polystyrene. Great sound! BIG size!

Paper in Oil: Good sound. Not useful in small bodied mics.

So, what you want to look for at Mouser is type, value and voltage rating. The voltage rating is the highest voltage the capacitor can go without "flooding" or burning through the dielectric.

Example: Maylar, 1uF 250v
Click to expand...

Awesome - thanks for the info. I started with building guitar pedal kits and a few mods here and there - still learning a lot and this helps.
 
PhilGood said:
I recently upgraded a few 2003's with polycarbonate 1uFs 63v and K47 capsules. They became some of the most unbelievable mics I have heard! Could very well rival any Neumann.
Click to expand...

What are some capsules you'd recommend for replacing in the 2003?
 
What about the RK-47?

Also, does anyone have a schematic for this mic?

I would realllly appreciate it.
 
euro service

hi mr joly
off piste here but please can you say when your (ireland) euro service will be available thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top