Sennheiser MD 21 help

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The MD 21 is a current microphone and still made today.

Personally I would ignore the cable completely - the cable-wart is either a transformer to unbalance the microphone or one that also converts it to high impedance for ancient tape recorders; so you don't really need it.

So - just get a new cable with a Tuchel DIN connecter at the mic. end (also made by Binder and you can get these from Canford Audio in the UK) and an XLR on the other.

43-303_01.webp

The MD 21 was, according to Rupert Neve when I spoke with him some years ago, the best reporter mic. ever made. And that's why it's still made today.
 
It's a 21n with Klein Tuchel.
OP knows that now and has selected the correct part.

I'm not certain that the above is compatible, but I'm certain the previous one (that the OP linked) is.
 
CSP said:
Having owned a number of MD21 mics (I believe that I was the first person to use Sennheiser mics in Australia), much of the information supplied above is unfortunately incorrect.

The connector on the mic is NOT a Tuchel but rather a 180 degree 3 pin DIN connector and as the mic is fully balanced all that the original requester has to do is to get the 180 degree 3 pin DIN female socket (be careful there was/is also a 180 degree Din connector and they a re not interchangeable). The active pins are Pin 1 and Pin 3 with Pin 2 being ground/shield.

When buying the DIN connector, I would suggest trying to get a screw-on version rather that the non-screwed (ie push in) version as it make the connection between the mic and cable far more secure.

You will not need to use the adaptor unit unless you are plugging the mic into a 1/4" unbalanced mixer/amplifier/etc, but you could also do this by un-balancing the XLR plug (but definitely not ideal).

Below is the full wiring for the DIN and XLR plugs (thanks to Gear Sluts --- saves me having to type it !!!).



The connector is a standard female 3-pin DIN plug and is wired as below:-

Pin-1 = +ve
Pin-2 = screen
Pin-3 = -ve

and for the male 3 Pin XLR - this would be wired:-

Pin-1 = screen
Pin-2 = +ve
Pin-3 = -ve

BUT BEWARE - the pin layouts is different.

In a DIN, pin-2 is the middle pin.
In an XLR pin-3 is the middle pin.

Hope the above helps.

By the way, A DIN plug is about 1/2" diameter while a Tuchel is much heavier and is about 1" diameter and screws on rather than being pushed in.

David
Click to expand...

This post is only partially correct.

The connector on the MD 21-N *is* a Tuchel connector.

It's the standard microphone connector that was used for many years befor the XLR became popular (in many ways it is actually a better connector than an XLR).

And it *does* screw into the back of the MD 21-N.

The poster is thinking of the large Tuchel connector, which Sennheiser designated -2 on microphone model numbers.

Tuchel were (are?) a connector manufacturer, just as Neutrik are, and make many different connectors. The one on the mic. is known as a Klein Tuchel in Germany and is, basically, a screw-on DIN connector.

The pin numbers stated above are correct.

By the way - my credentials - I was Technical Manager at Sennheiser UK for 25-years.
 
John,

If I am incorrect then I gladly stand corrected, however, I am sure that the documentation that came with the MD21s that I have (purchased new early 1960's), stated that the connector was a DIN connector.

If not a DIN, then the 3pin 180 degree DIN plug definitely fits and works. I wonder if DIN and "mini" Touchel are actually the same plug but called different things in different parts of the world ????? My microphones came directly from the European factory, even much of the instructions were in German.

I also have a number of MD-421, MD-221, MKH-105, MKH-405 mics that were purchased at about the same time and at least one MD-441 that was purchased much later and all came with the same DIN (mini Touchel) type plug and I have used the leads interchangeably. I also purchased at about the same time as the original purchase another MD421 and it came with the large Touchel and more MD-441 micsand they came with XLR connectors

All my other mics (purchased over the last 50 years) have come with the standard Cannon plug apart from a couple of Neumann M-147 valve mics and a Neumann Q-69 (? exact model number) quad mic, all of which use an external power supply and a special multi pin plug.

David
 
Hi CSP,

You're in agreement with John, then. He described our 'klein tuchel' as a type 680 DIN connector.

The OPs microphone has this connection, as picture, and has posted a link to an appropriate cable for his mic.
It's the same that John has described and has shown in exploded form above.
Sennheiser literature, also attached, describes it as a 'Klein Tuchel' although, as John has demonstrated, there are other names/codes/identifiers.

The black inner part, on the female side, is approx 1/2" and the outer threaded metal sleeve is approx 5/8".


It bares almost no resemblance to the larger tuchel connector, as illustrated in the picture below.
The one on the left, I believe, is the connector you're more familiar with?
The one on the right is relevant to the OP.

md421new.webp
 
DIN is a government specified standard, something like "German industrial standard" while Tuchel is a manufacturer. It could be both at the same time.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
DIN is a government specified standard, something like "German industrial standard" while Tuchel is a manufacturer. It could be both at the same time.
Click to expand...

If only there was overwhelming literature and photographic evidence to support your wild theories. :laughings:
 
"Honorary Old Fart",

The two photos that you put up are exactly the two versions of the MD21 that I was referring to and I have both.

The one thing that I had not mentioned was (as shown in your photos) that the unit on the right with the DIN/Mini Touchel connector has the frequency changing switch, although in my situation I think that I only ever used the "music" mode as I found the "speech" modes were a bit thin.

Thanks for finding and posting the photos.

David
(probably an even older "old fart" !!!)
 
Ha, I'm the same. I don't think I've ever used anything other than 'music' setting.
 
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