New Fet DIY Mic body Cheap from Aurycle

Wow, maybe a little small, but very cheap:

http://www.diymic.com/

a460 DIY FET microphone kit - Anyone checked this mic out?  I've built two Tube mics from Aurycle and they sound great with telefunken tubes.... Curious to know if these are a good base to mod futher...

I was just investigating picking up an MXL V67g to mod. These kits might be a more interesting and easier route.

If you throught the parts were worth it ,
but you're buying the kit version of a chinese mic it looks like

Someone from the micbuilders group claims to have bought the tube mic kit. According to him its the cheapest chinese stuff, bad capsule, low quality caps and a coroded metal body. At that price it would make sense.

living sounds said:

Someone from the micbuilders group claims to have bought the tube mic kit. According to him its the cheapest chinese stuff, bad capsule, low quality caps and a coroded metal body. At that price it would make sense.

Click to expand...

It's this one: http://www.thomann.de/fi/the_tbone_sct800_tube_mic.htm

Much better deal from that diymic link, except you get a heavy duty case and shockmount from thomann.

I have used that as a donor body. The metal work is great. The uncoated brass tube will obviously corrode ten minutes after you touch it with greasy fingers, but that's why we have paint.  

I bought two of the tube ones. They were great platforms for modding and learning about tube mics.

I found modding them easier than buying an already built item (because you put them together to start with).

I have replaced one with a better capsule, and modded the circuit a bit (caps, different tubes). check this out http://www.foxaudioresearch.ca/47gold.htm

mac

Yeah, that's what I meant. Using this as a platform for modding with a new capsule and so on. Truth be told, though, I'll probably just get and mod a v67g. Lots of info out there on how to do that and get good results.

The Apex 460 is also a popular candidate for modding, but has a more expensive final result (new capsule, tube, transformer, caps... basically, everything). I might get to that one sometime.

Hey Darren,
I mucked arround with the output trafo as well on my aurycles but found the ones that shipped sounded great (as the fox guys note also).

I only changed caps and capsule in one (cardioid) and am completely reworking the other one's circuit (new capsule wired as omni).
I didnt like the gold so...I painted the bodies dark charcoal and am having the baskets and caps nickel plated ($40).

compared to some of the other mics I started with (fet bodies) etc ...these are sounding much nicer...


Mac

Are there any other options besides Peluso for decent mic capsules where you don't have to put in a huge group order to buy in bulk from a factory? I realize that Peluso capsules probably are the best that are readily purchasable, but it just seems a bit too much like putting a Ferrari engine in a Volkswagen Beetle.

I keep hearing that 797 capsules are pretty good, but I have no idea how to procure any.

are your saliva glands ready sir?  ;D

    http://www.beesneezmicrophones.com.au/store/index.php?_a=viewCat&catId=7    

Mac

Already been there, and if Peluso's are like Ferrari engine, those are more like Rolls Royce!

What I'm trying to say is, where are the sources for the decent Chinese capsules? Yes, I realize most people will call that an oxymoron, but I think you know what I mean.

I realize this is an old thread but does anyone have info on wiring the tube in parallel ? Im reffering to the Fox audio link that Mac posted.....

thanks

Just rewire the second triode pin for pin to the first one. Plate to plate, grid to grid, cathode to cathode. Make sure both heaters are hooked up as well.

One thing of which to be is that the HT+ of the Aurycle tube mikes is set very high in the power supply.  The basic design of the PSU is similar to that used by the A460, those that I have seen using 5% resistors rather than the 1% in the A460 PSU.

However, HT+ in one that I opened was as high as 190v (cardioid only mic) and 175/178 in the two variable polar versions I bought.  While this is OK for the tube, the polarizing voltage derived from it is far too high for most of the decent capsules around, e.g. Tim Campbell's CT-12, which should have no more than 60v.  The voltage is derived from the potential divider in the mic, R3, R4, and changing one of these resistors is one solution.  I personally prefer to change the zener diodes at the ouput of the PSU, D5, D6, although setting exactly 120v is a bit of a challenge!

David