G7 and Peluso Capsules

I probably should have made this a separate thread earlier today. Shame on me for piggy-backing another thread.

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I'm not sure I'll be able to afford either of the (Peluso) $150 models since I'm building a pair of mics. Sounds like everyone has used those two models (CEK12 and CEK367) in their G7's. Does anyone have any experience with the $75 model (CEK89, double sided)?

As it is, I'm still waiting on money to buy the bulk of the components. I've been buying my small orders from other places, holding off on the big Digikey order.

Not having a job makes DIY a bit impossible. Thankfully my birthday is coming up at the end of the month. Hopefully I can get a drill press and some other tools that I need for the body and PSU.

Laterz,
Daniel

I have a lot of china microphones with the 32mm capsule. V67,2001,1006 MXLs6 micron. 1050s nady 3 micron, They sound good untill you hear a good capsule. I don't have a JP capsule maybe someone who does can compare it to a stock china capsule.

The reason I am interested is because Marik and myself have been trying to get the stock capsules like in a 2001 to sound good/great I have not had much luck.

Now some things JP could be doing

using a different thickness spacer between the backplates

Having the holes drill different in the backplate

Tuning the PET different

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand things, JP purchases Chinese capsules and mods (alledgedly improves) them.

Does anyone know for sure that JP is actually modding capsules "on site" or is it possible that he is having these capsules made to his specs in Asia? Sorry but the cynic in me has always thought that there may have been a slight piscatorial odour accompanying these capsules.

JP is also planning to put out a CD of mic comparisons just to show how good his mics are.

He contracts a Chinese company to manufacture his capsule design. He doesn't buy ready made ones and mod them. He also sputters his own material (Mylar?) for the capsules.

I am very far from expert in this area but I did quite a lot of research before attempting my G7 and I think the Peluso capsules are by far the best quality for their price. I don't think they can be surpassed by any capsule costing even several hundred dollars more.

[quote author="Gus"]I have a lot of china microphones with the 32mm capsule. V67,2001,1006 MXLs6 micron. 1050s nady 3 micron, They sound good untill you hear a good capsule. I don't have a JP capsule maybe someone who does can compare it to a stock china capsule.
[/quote]

Hi Gus
Do you have some specification about SKE106 and how it sounds in diferent microphones
Duka

There are some very well respected and wholly irresponsible people on the internet who have talked a lot of bullshit about peluso and saving a rant on that topic and actually having ahem *heard* these things, here's what I can tell you-

The guy has parts manufactured in china. He assembles the capsules however, by hand at his pad in the US. Is it some German Laboratory with people from a rocketry program working next to him, no, probably not, but the price reflects that. Its also not a Chinese labratory inventing the wheel on tuning mic capsules, and the sound of the capsule reflects that as well... JP has taken a lot of criticism for having brass manufactured in china. It would be one thing if he was doing that and selling the capsules for $800 a pop, but he's making them wildly affordable and people should keep this in mind when they offer an opinion of the guy. For what you pay for the capsules, its IMO almost unrealistic to *expect* them to sound good, its a really pleasant suprise to find out that you can build a really great sounding mic that is %100 usable for making a easy to deal with recording and I wouldnt make that statement about any of the budget chinese mics that have flooded the market in the last few years.

I got to hear three mics with his capsules, compared to a real U47. If the only thing that concerns you is the sound that comes out of the speakers and the tools you need to manipulate that, not antique collecting and wise financial investment, the difference between the real U47 and the mic my friend built with the peluso capsule and a jensen transformer was so close it wasnt even funny. Im talking like, a few dollars difference, not seven thousand dollars difference. If you've ever recorded a vocal with a 47 and have boosted some HF eq on the track in mixing, you'd likely be completely happy recording with the mic I heard. Totally usable to the same means...

Are there better capsules out there? Im quite sure there are. Can you make a great mic using the peluso capsules? Ive heard three examples of exactly that. Will it be "just like" a U47 if you chose to make a 47? Well, considering that I havent heard two U47s that sound exactly alike I think in 2004, with the age of U47's in consideration, the claim of "just like" is pretty absurd to start...

The main thing I noticed was that the peluso capsules sound very different than the BLUE capsules, which all have that wierd crunchy 5K thing (not to be confused with horrid chinese 5K peaky thing) which I think is really cool, but the peluso capsules I have heard (I wish I knew which ones the guy used) were smoother than the BLUE capsules but bright in their own pleasing way. My only thought on the brightish quality of the capsule was that the mic had a jensen in it, which for my dollar tends to sometimes put a shiny top on things so Im hesitant to say its the capsule alone, or the combo of the capsule and the transformer, especially compared to a U47 which has a transformer which starts to take a nose dive around what, 4K or someting?

I havent heard the mics peluso is building but after seeing what his capsules can do, Id buy one in a second and get into a mic project with high expectations. Its especially comforting to know that for the money, if my novice mic building hands really screw up, I didnt ruin a $800 capsule, so it also makes the idea of building a mic a lot less scary for someone like me who doesnt have a scientific dust free lab to build a mic in...

Try to keep an open mind on the made in china thing, in this case theres a big difference between having a capsule assembled in china and buying brass rings from a chinese manufacturing company...

dave

Now are most of the JP's that people bought here 34mm?

The reason I ask, I just put the capsule from my B2 pro in the 800 type microphone sounds good!, it is better than the one from the MXL1006 to my ears. this capsule is a 797 audio one. Maybe something is better with the 34mm china backplates? better k67 clone?

I would guess the backplates he uses are a good design. If they are being skinned with care they could be very good. Could the backplates be sourced from the same company in china that the china 34mm capsules are built from? Tim C. are you reading this???

About 2 years ago I emailed soundking to buy 102 and 104 capsules and like almost all of the soundking stuff it did not happen. The 104 looked to be a closer clone of the k67 from the pictures on the older web page IIRC.

I have been thinking of buying studio projects b1s and b3s just for the capsules

AudioJunkie, I changed the name of my thread so you wouldn't have to make a new one. :razz: It's all good, though. :thumb:

I'm pretty much decided on the Peluso capsules. I sent him an email to ask about the capsule mount, and the answer I got back was not that useful, but at least he actually emailed me back. I'm definitely calling when I submit my order, so I can be sure my questions are answered.

[quote author="Gus"]I have been thinking of buying studio projects b1s and b3s just for the capsules[/quote]

Hey, and you'd have the bodies to work with, too. :thumb:

Yeah. I e-mailed him when i was working on my body drawings to find out the measurements so i would know how tall the mount and capsule was, and how far to space the mounting screws on the top plate.

He e-mailed back same day but his measurements, metric to standard didn't match up. I didn't want to be a pest, so i just didn't worry about it and decided i'd deal with that part of the body when i actually had the mounts and capsules.


Daniel

Would the equivalent Lundahl have less of that zingy high end happening than the Jensen?

Is their a readily available good body that doesn't require a machine shop? Or should I just buy a cheapy China mic to gut? Peluso sells the mounts, it's a shame he doesn't also sell the grills and bodies.

Anyone messed w/ continuously variable polar patterns on their DIY mics? Probably ambitious, but if you're going this far, . . .

Bear

Don't quote me on this, but I seem to remember someone mentioning at the old place that:

1. the cheaper capsules he sells are soundking capsules (he admits) that he retunes when he gets them here. There was discussion about this as he was auctioning soundking mics with the same frequency response plots - apparently he retunes the capsules in those before he sells them.

2. The more expensive capsules are his own design, and as commented above the backplates are CNC'ed in china before comin out here where he builds the rest.

tim

I found Peluso to be a pleasant, straightforward guy with good products. I can't understand why he's controversial. I think the thing to keep in mind with Peluso's capsules is that they sound good. Whether they sound like something else is immaterial, as Soundguy said. The G7 mic I built with the Peluso CK12-type capsule, Lundahl transformer and EF86 sounds excellent and unique, and is a very useful addition to my collection. It has actually saved the day in one particular situation where it was by far the best sounding mic for a singer I was recording with a very unusual voice. Among the rejects were an original 251, a U87 and a U47. If you use one of his capsules you may or may not get a C12-sounding mic, but if you're careful you will build a good and useful mic. That's my highest praise.

Seth

Thanks for the info. Your post is the first I saw that had a JP capsule next to other known good capsule types.

When I was considering buying some of JPs capsules I had an email conversation with him and then as I was ready to pay, he rang me up (Yes on HIS dollar!!) and spoke to me about the processes his capsules go though before they are ready.
I am not going to bore people with reitteration so I will just say this:
Before Stephen P passed away, he was in discussion with JP with regard to manufacturing the capsules for the SP condenser...
Whatever our personal opinions on SP, I believe his mics were/ are widely regarded as being of very high quality.
I draw no conclusions, I just deliver the information. (Don't shoot the messenger!!!)
I'll be doing some a/b tests in conjunction with Zebra soon so we can put this to rest... :wink:

chef

OK, how can I put this? The capsules for the SPA mic are being made virtually "in house" because of the extreme tolerances Stephen demanded. John Peluso was apparently considered as a possible source for a totally different mic that probably had little or nothing to do with Stephen Paul, NOT for Stephen's own mic. Ultimately it was decided that JP's capsules could not be used. BTW, apparently JP's capsules are based on a Soundking backplate.

Has the first SP mic been shipped yet?

Nope.........as I understand things, the specs that Stephen required for this mic may have created problems for lesser mortals...........more or less.

BTW, apparently JP's capsules are based on a Soundking backplate.

Click to expand...

Not quite. His back plates are machined over there, but with brass stock from US if I remember correctly, to his spec...

chef

Well I guess someone will have to buy one of his capsules and a S/king capsule, dismantle both and check for similarities. Quite frankly, until that was done, I choose to reserve judgement.

Have you any idea why he would use US brass stock rather than what is already available from S/king?