Latest Opinions On Currently-Available M7s?

[Recording Engineer]

What’s everyone’s latest take on the currently-available M7s?

I’ve D7s in a couple mics in Studio 939 Alctron HT-11A bodies with Type II heads that I like. I’ve a 3U M7 I’ve yet to put in anything. I’ve a Thiersch Red Line that I was saving for a specific bottle-mic project, which it feels I may never get to. It seems some people don’t like them in 47 head baskets specifically (Flea F7). How are people feeling about Beesneez’s M7 right now? How is everyone feeling they all compare to each other nowadays? Am missing any somehow other than the Chinese-direct one? I don’t think so, off the top of my head though.

 

[EarthTone]

I’d be very interested in this as well. I absolutely love Dany’s D7, and I have 6 of them! So far installed in 1x m49 and 2x 47fet. Just awesome. When I have time soon I will be making more mics for the last 3 D7’s. However, with D7’s, they are expensive! I’d be interested to know how they compare to the 3u especially

 

[Recording Engineer]

I’d be interested to know how they compare to the 3u especially

I’ve heard the 3U M7s are considered somewhat darker compared to most others.

I suppose I should add a couple of more things:

1. The studio I work out of has a 47-type with a 5906 tube, AMI transformer, in an AMI body, with a Thiersch Red Line capsule. I seem to lean towards my 47-type with the same circuit parts, but is cardioid-only, in a Beesneez body, and uses a Dany reskinned K47 from an M147. It’s seems to be more 3D in the upper-mids.

2. I have pair of mics with Beesneez K7s, 5840s, and 6.5:1 Cinemag transformers, in MXL 910 bodies. Love them, but over the years, I learned-not to use them as vocals mics as they’re a bit dull there on most I’ve tried them on. Definitely flat; bright, airy, or open not in site.

I sent Ben an email to see what the difference between his Beesnez K7 and his M7 are.

 

[ElSmurf]

Not 100% relevant, but I swapped out a 3U M7 for an Arienne flat K47 in my D-EF47. Never looked back.

 

[EarthTone]

Not 100% relevant, but I swapped out a 3U M7 for an Arienne flat K47 in my D-EF47. Never looked back.

No doubt it sounds great. I have one. For my purposes it would probably have to be eq’ed pretty heavily to work in a mix. In solo, it sounds gorgeous. Almost like a ribbon. Not nearly as much detail as my D7’s though.

 

[ElSmurf]

Not nearly as much detail as my D7’s though.

Good to know! Might get me one some day, if I ever build another 47 type mic.

 

[HerbertR]

I have a pair of Aliex/China M7 and 3Us M7 M49c style microphones/circuits. Both sound great. 3U are a bit louder, more direct and have a little more air on the face. The Aliex models are flatter, but also pretty good. I didn't use the C6- 600pF LP filter cap on the M49c microphones. The microphones are generally subjective listend a little more open in the highs without this Capacitor. I also read that this C6 cap causes a few degrees phase shift of 5-20 degrees over 2-20 kHz. It also cuts over 15K more than 1-2 dB. I think these two M7 manufactures sound like cream, very well balanced, to melt away in these M49c circuits.

 

[neowalla]

Has anyone tried an M7 capsule in an ElaM251 or C12 circuit?

 

[doqmemory]

Has anyone tried an M7 capsule in an ElaM251 or C12 circuit?

I have a Thiersch M7 redline in a Matador ELAM 251E and an AA flat K47 in a C12. They sound great.

 

[OneRoomStudio]

I don't think it's widely known, but I believe Siegfried Thiersch has essentially retired. Luckily, his protégée, Rico Vetterlein is taking over the building of M7 (STW7) capsules. I recently contacted him, and he is currently selling capsules for a reasonable (in my opinion) price. His work was recommended by Andreas Stenzel, among others. He can be found at http://mikrofonunion.com/ or [email protected].

 

[Dylan W]

I don't think it's widely known, but I believe Siegfried Thiersch has essentially retired. Luckily, his protégée, Rico Vetterlein is taking over the building of M7 (STW7) capsules. I recently contacted him, and his is currently selling capsules for a reasonable (in my opinion) price. His work was recommended by Andreas Stenzel, among others. He can be found at http://mikrofonunion.com/ or [email protected].

It’s not clear from his website if he’s building them himself. Not sure if by “outsourcing” he means that he took over from Thiersch, or if he’s actually contracting out the manufacturing.

We manufacture high-quality sound transducers for condenser microphones. After more than 15 years as an employee at Thiersch Elektroakustik Rico outsoured the production of STW7 red line and holder STS7.

Any firsthand reports about quality compared to Thiersch?

 

[OneRoomStudio]

It’s not clear from his website if he’s building them himself. Not sure if by “outsourcing” he means that he took over from Thiersch, or if he’s actually contracting out the manufacturing.



Any firsthand reports about quality compared to Thiersch?

It's my understanding that Rico had been doing a lot of the actual building of capsules for Thiersch for some time, and now he is building and selling them under his own (business) name.

See the bottom of this page.

I have not compared them, but by all accounts, they are identical.

 

[EarthTone]

I don't think it's widely known, but I believe Siegfried Thiersch has essentially retired. Luckily, his protégée, Rico Vetterlein is taking over the building of M7 (STW7) capsules. I recently contacted him, and his is currently selling capsules for a reasonable (in my opinion) price. His work was recommended by Andreas Stenzel, among others. He can be found at http://mikrofonunion.com/ or [email protected].

Yes he told me the other guy Rico you mentioned is doing the red line but at the time I wrote Siegfried was still doing blue lines himself on a limited basis. I don’t know what’s happening now, maybe Rico is doing both versions.

 

[13engrsapper]

Why not just buy a new capsule from Gefell?

 

[ubxf]

Why not just buy a new capsule from Gefell?

are they selling any?

 

[13engrsapper]

Call and ask, there is a guy on the east coast that sends stuff in for service for them too he may have answers. They repair and service their stuff - they certainly have them, one would think. I called and talked with their head of sales a couple years ago. Very easy to talk to.

 

[jeremynothman]

It's my understanding that Rico had been doing a lot of the actual building of capsules for Thiersch for some time, and now he is building and selling them under his own (business) name.

See the bottom of this page.

I have not compared them, but by all accounts, they are identical.

I thought so too, but the website is very unclear about that. I’d be curious to find out from them (and help them clear up their English on the website if Rico really is manufacturing them himself).

 

[terry setter]

Klause Heyne has said that the Gefell capsules are inconsistent. He was working with them some years ago, but they were not producing capsules that met Heyne's standards. I have no idea if things are different now.

 

[Delta Sigma]

I have a Beesneez M7 from around 2016 in an M49b build. It is by far the best vocal mic I have. Other builds I have are an EF-U47 (Flat K47, previously BN K7), Elam 251 (BN), U67 (Neumann K67), C12 (TC CT12). Sometimes, the C12 will be picked over the M49 for vocals. Rarely, the U67 and the U47.

I find the Beesneez K7 to sound great when it works, but it often doesn't work. I compared it to a Maiku K47 and the Maiku is not for me. The Arienne flat K47 sounds almost as good as the BN K7, but always works - on everything. Sometimes needs an eq boost afterward. I left it in the EF-U47 for the versatility.

M7 (BN) vs K47 (BN, Arienne, Maiku) is strange to me. If someone wrote down descriptions of all the K47 and M7 qualities, I'd pick a K47. In practice, the M7 is king.

This is all subjective. Take it with a grain of salt. Personal preference from me and a few engineers who have used my mics.

I'd be curious to hear Dany's M7 and 3U, but it's kind of hard to spend money on another M7 when I know what Beesneez' M7 sounds like.

 

[negaikast]

I have the 3U M7 and the Arienne Flat K47 and tried both in my MikTek CV4. Both sounded great with the 3U having a more modern highs which sounds a bit like a "smiley-face". The K47 sounded more vintage (rolled off highs) but took EQ very well and once the highs were added via EQ, sounded great. Ultimately, I chose the 3U to stay in the CV4 and decided to use the K47 on another project. Waiting for Arienne K47 clone to purchase and try. I think it'll be just right for this circuit.