Who are some of the top K87 capsule producers?

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mkh8060

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Jan 8, 2022
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I'm planning to build a poctop D87 and have been lurking the forum for a few weeks now. I haven't been able to conclusively determine who makes the best K87 capsule, I have been only able to infer general sentiment people have over time.

So far:

3U: It seems like Guosheng is a well respected expert in audio and his capsules are generally regarded very highly.
Heiserman: Probably on the higher end of the price scale, people seems to be very happy with the quality, and Eric has been in the game for quite some time. But I have read that they are quite bright, and even brighter than original Neumann capsules.
Beeskneez: Another option on the higher end of the price scale, my take away is that people are very happy with their products and Ben produces top notch stuff.
Maiku: Likely reskinned 3U capsules but people are very happy with the sound profile. A bit on the darker side.
Neumann: Obviously probably the best candidate considering it is an original capsule but sadly it seems like Neumann/Sennheiser doesn't sell it as a part anymore.
797: Well-made, well-priced Chinese made capsules, not like many of the cheap Chinese K87's out there.
Peluso: On the upper range of the price scale, seems to be a commonly recommended capsule as well.
Luke Audio: Botique , higher end of price scale. Not sure how the 1 micron mylar changes the sound.
Tim Campbell: Well respected capsule maker. K67 and K87 capsules coming in the future.

Some sources courtesy of Tim Campbell: MBHO/Haun, Braingasm in Italy and Soyuz

Some promising renditions from fellow members soliloqueen, Recording Engineer coming soon as well.

OPR from AU makes his own capsules for his own line of clone mics.

Edit: updating list with more suggestions for future reference.

So it seems like all of these are good choices, but can anyone who has used some of them, definitively rank them? Will something like a Beeskneez, Heiserman be in a different league compared to a 3U capsule, as suggested by the price difference?
 
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I wouldn't use a 3U to make a u87 clone because Guosheng tames the highs a bit to be used in non-correcting circuits, so you can never get it exactly right. 797 capsules sound really good, not going to lie. I have a poctop with an OPR capsule personally and it's really good. Haven't had a chance to compare the rest.
 
I wouldn't use a 3U to make a u87 clone because Guosheng tames the highs a bit to be used in non-correcting circuits, so you can never get it exactly right. 797 capsules sound really good, not going to lie. I have a poctop with an OPR capsule personally and it's really good. Haven't had a chance to compare the rest.
My understanding is that he has a flat/smooth capsule designed for that application by varying the backplate hole count. Would that still apply to his standard K87 design?
 
797 is really good but brighter you will need to use higher fb cap network with it. 400-680pf usually works good.
The capsule found in Akg perception p400 and p420 is almost spot on. The curve is 100% right, its just the amount of hf that could be off by a couple of db. I guess it's produced by AKG, and if they wanted i see no reason why they couldn't replicate Neumann's design. I haven't seen that capsule anywhere else.

Forget the 1 micron BS, if you ever saw 1 micron mylar i would be clear immediately it's not possible to use it for a diaphragm.
 
797 is really good but brighter you will need to use higher fb network with it. 400-680pf usually works good.
The capsule found in Akg perception p400 and p420 is almost spot on. The curve is 100% right, its just the amount of hf that could be off by a couple of db. I guess it's produced by AKG, and if they wanted i see no reason why they couldn't replicate Neumann's design. I haven't seen that capsule anywhere else.
Are the other acoustical qualities outside of frequency response a good match as well? (Is the overall sound quality in the same league?) Might see if I can find one to extract a donor capsule from.
 
Are the other acoustical qualities outside of frequency response a good match as well? (Is the overall sound quality in the same league?) Might see if I can find one to extract a donor capsule from.
Yeah, the hole sizes and general anatomy look right to me. Honestly, with most of these capsules being in the 100-300 range for single pieces, it might not be a waste of money to just buy a whole p420 for this
 
Yes they are close. However, once we get into off axis, 180° response, proximity effect, transformer saturation points and levels, FET replacement, bias, headbasket i say forget it! You are never going to be able to nail these, the original is in that case the only way to go. Or do as best as you can, i am sure it will be a nice mic in the end as long as you listen and measure.
 
Yeah, the hole sizes and general anatomy look right to me. Honestly, with most of these capsules being in the 100-300 range for single pieces, it might not be a waste of money to just buy a whole p420 for this
Interesting, I wonder why it isn't more popular that this is used as a donor mic for the capsule. They seem to be pretty damn cheap.
Yes they are close. However, once we get into off axis, 180° response, proximity effect, transformer saturation points and levels, FET replacement, bias, headbasket i say forget it! You are never going to be able to nail these, the original is in that case the only way to go. Or do as best as you can, i am sure it will be a nice mic in the end as long as you listen and measure.
Well, off axis shouldn't be a problem with VO application for me. Going to try to match everything else as much as possible, AMI T13 transformer, etc.
WAIT

@kingkorg this is a TSC-2 I think! From transound! they can be had for $40!

https://www.jlielectronics.com/content/TSC-2.pdf
The P420 uses this capsule? How do you know?
 
Wow, thats great observation! Thanks, they look the same to me.
Damn you capsule experts. Curious what features about it give it away? I haven't looked at capsules enough to know what features/design elements of it that give it away. I'm assuming their are some aspects of the physical design that has never been seen on any other capsule except these two? Hence making them most likely the same?
 
Damn you capsule experts. Curious what features about it give it away? I haven't looked at capsules enough to know what features/design elements of it that give it away. I'm assuming their are some aspects of the physical design that has never been seen on any other capsule except these two? Hence making them most likely the same?
specific factories buy specific parts and assemble in specific ways. the only other k87 that has silver phillips screws all the way around is the factory that does AA capsules and they have different backplates
 
Honestly, at that price if it is the same capsule I would say just buy the TSC-2 from somewhere and swap it if you aren't happy with it. it doesn't even eat into your budget for the other capsules at tha tpoint
 
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No capsule expert here by any means :D But yes, by looking at them a lot you start noticing patterns. However even if they look exactly the same, the spacers on the inside can differ and give way different results. I would have to measure one of those TSBs to know for sure.
 
So before soliloqueen made the possible discovery that the p420 capsule is using a $40 JLI capsule, the consensus was that the capsule comes very close to Neumann's in terms of sound quality and accuracy. This raises the question for me, how strong is the correlation between the sound quality of these capsules and the price? If potentially a $40 capsule is coming close, what more do the $200-300 capsules offer?
 
So before soliloqueen made the possible discovery that the p420 capsule is using a $40 JLI capsule, the consensus was that the capsule comes very close to Neumann's in terms of sound quality and accuracy. This raises the question for me, how strong is the correlation between the sound quality of these capsules and the price? If potentially a $40 capsule is coming close, what more do the $200-300 capsules offer?

I will listen to the comparison in a second, but their quality is related to the cost of making them, which is not coupled to the cost of buying them at all. I imagine the tsc is has a lower margin than the others. It's also related to the respectability and resources of the company. Transound is a giant who does contract work for Apple, so they can quite literally afford to do more for less.

It's complicated honestly. You could genuinely go insane trying to figure out the minute differences between all these capsules without a ton of money. I would get the TSC-2 first and swap if you don't like it. The beesneez and heiserman both look like they have correct hole sizes and backplate anatomy at least. They even replicated the chamfer on the rear of each backplate, which shouldn't do anything, but who knows!
 
Hourly rate, material availability, shipping, real estate. If i were to make you a capsule in Norway from scratch it would cost 1000 bucks probably. In case of Tims TC12 it's the construction of the capsule. I actually think it's inexpensive for what it is. Chinese companies or a company like Rode have automated processes that are more consistent and reliable than any dude sitting in basement in EU or USA doing it by hand and charging arm and a leg for it. it's just questionable if they have the right blueprints. Neumann charges because they are Neumann, and they came up with the stuff in the first place. And they should if you ask me. Be aware that in that shootout there is no TSC-2 capsule, only the TSC-1. And that one is not exactly the same.
 
Hourly rate, material availability, shipping, real estate. If i were to make you a capsule in Norway from scratch it would cost 1000 bucks probably. In case of Tims TC12 it's the construction of the capsule. I actually think it's inexpensive for what it is. Chinese companies or a company like Rode have automated processes that are more consistent and reliable than any dude sitting in basement in EU or USA doing it by hand and charging arm and a leg for it. it's just questionable if they have the right blueprints. Neumann charges because they are Neumann, and they came up with the stuff in the first place. And they should if you ask me. Be aware that in that shootout there is no TSC-2 capsule, only the TSC-1. And that one is not exactly the same.
I know heiserman took a depth micrometer and pin gages to 6 or 7 k67 samples. I would say they're anatomically the closest, but I don't know if they lap as flat as a real neumann. I don't know about the others in terms of accuracy
 

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