pucho and a 5 minute mod to an MK-319 that costs nada pics

Around Christmas I bought two new (Russian) MK-219 and modded one of them. First off, I should say that the mics were quite decent as is. Definetely lower noise and tastier mids than your average China mic.

My first mod was to remove the grill as Scott Dorsey and Michael Joly recommend. The difference was great. The new single layer grill Oktava sounded more transparent. A comparative measurement showed a slight treble lift.

The dampening of the body didn't produce that much of a difference. I used hot glue and some foamy cloth.

Then I removed the HF-Disks on both sides of the capsule. I put the screws back in. As a result the treble lift disappeared. I did a comparative measurement with the unmodded mic and found that the frequency response now as almost the same. So in the unmodded mic the HF-disk compensates the treble loss due to the weird grill. Interesting. Still, although the frequency responses were almost identical now, the modded and the umodded mic did *not* sound the same. The unmodded one sounds much more colored. On the other hand, I can't say I don't like the original mic's colored sound. It does sound nice in the mid range on some voices. On acoustic guitar I would prefer the modded one.

[quote author="Rossi"]The unmodded one sounds much more colored. On the other hand, I can't say I don't like the original mic's colored sound. It does sound nice in the mid range on some voices. On acoustic guitar I would prefer the modded one.[/quote]

This is the thing - I'm not sure if I would mod one of mine or not.

I have an original MK219, and one of the later valve models (MKL2500, I think). Just because they are not particularly clear or accurate is not necessarily a bad thing. I've had some good vocal and electric guitar sounds from them.

People moan about phase smearing, etc. from the resonator disk, but perhaps they forget that there is one of these in front of most dynamic capsules.

[quote author="pucho812"]...screws...I didn't put them back in I see no real reason to do so but then again I'm not selling a mod by using a lot of hi-fi buzz words.[/quote]

ouch.

Actually, rather than "selling a mod by using a lot of hi-fi buzz words" my clients choose to have me upgrade their mics because they have found I accurately describe the benefits they will hear and they appreciate a cost-effective alternative to DIY delivered with excellent customer service.

Re-installing resonator screws is just one of a dozen or so non-intuitive procedures that differentiate what I do as a full-time professional with 12 years of R&D experience with Oktava mics from the efforts of part-time DIYers working off an old Recording magazine article or web information. You may be interested to know these screws are required because the capsule halves are only lightly glued together and often separate when the resonator screws are removed. There is even a proper technique for removing and re-installing them - Gus's wheel analogy is a good hint.

As you allude in your first post, I've been open about sharing information to the DIY community about Oktava mics and encourage people who want to spend hours of time sourcing parts and performing some cursory modifications to try their hand at it.

However, it is unreasonable to assume that following commonly published information or even a summarized list of mods at my site are going to be a substitute for, or give the same results as, an OktavaMod performed in my shop that is the culmination of 12 years of specific work on Oktava mics and 30 years of pro audio analog electronics design and bench work.

cheers, MJ

[quote author="rodabod"]
People moan about phase smearing, etc. from the resonator disk, but perhaps they forget that there is one of these in front of most dynamic capsules.[/quote]

You're absolutely right: people only hear things they see :wink: . Few people look inside dynamic mics. Most dynamics would be pretty unusable without their resonator disks.

Regarding the Oktavas, I think it's a matter of personal taste and application. I decided to leave one of my MK-219s unmodded. But I don't regret modding the other one. I also like the fact that they're hard proof that two mics with identical frequency response can sound very different.

Michael's descriptions on his website may sound a bit like hifi magazine writing, but you have to keep in mind that it is not easy to describe sound in words (I'm a gear reviewer btw). I think Michael does a good job both in describing the sound difference and in modding the mics. Some of you may not know this, but Michael's mods are now distributed in Europe by Oktava Online. I think it says a lot, if the manufacturer thinks your mods are improvements of their original design.

Also, having done a mod job similar to Michael's, I can say that his prices are very reasonable. If you're not an experienced modder, a mod like Michel's is going to take a few hours. You may have to buy a few tools, and, of course, there's always the possibility to ruin your mic. All it takes is a little bad karma when you unscrew the HF-Disk. Screwdriver slips, diaphragm perforated. There goes your capsule.

[quote author="rodabod"]People moan about phase smearing, etc. from the resonator disk, but perhaps they forget that there is one of these in front of most dynamic capsules.[/quote]
...or on the AT4050. Truth be known though, I'd bet the 219/319 resonator disk was an afterthought cure for sloppy wiring and poor components, rather than an intricate design from the get-to. (No facts here, just a little 'Flatpicker" theory. :wink: )

I think the resonator disk may have been devised to make up for the poor MK-219 head basket/grill. But then again, Oktava use the same capsule, including the resonator disk, in the MK-101, which has a much better basket design. Also, I kinda liked the modded MK-219 with the HF-Disks still on the capsule. The slight treble lift sounds nice on some sources such as acoustic guitar.

BTW: the components in the newer MK-219 seem pretty okay. Mine sure are very low noise. The bias resistors are individually selected. Their values are written on the transformer cover. Also, the capsule is wired with the the backplate polarized and the diaphragm going to ground so it doesn't attract too much dust. Most Chinese mics don't have selected bias resistors, and their capsules are almost always wired with the diaphragm receiving the polarizing voltage.

I bought two 319s and removed both resonator disc. One sounded better and the other sounded worse. I ended up putting the resonators back on both and sold the one that sounded better with it off.

The one I kept still has the disc on it. I experimented on it until I wore the screws out. Can't remember what mods I ended up with, but I do remember putting in this big 'ol 3.3uF film cap that Marik sent me, and it just sounded huge, fat, and glorious! I made an oath after that to not to mod her ever again, least I screw up a good thing.

Now if I could just find time enough to use the darn thing...