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stefan

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
121
Location
Sweden
Has anyone had the oportunity to investigate the Manley Reference Gold mic? I used one the other day and was really impressed with it recording a soft female voice. What kind of capsule? what kind of tube? anyone? :?:
 
I think the capsule is custom made by Josephson microphones if what I have read on the web over the years is right.

I am surprised that the microphone can sound good with a 12ax7 tube. I would guess they use both halfs and feedback around the stages to control the gain. Has anyone been inside one?
 
Dont wake the monster

:green:

Iconspank.gif
 
i have a tube mic made by made by hammond (i assume no relation of the organ guys) that sounds really good with a 12ax7, first chance i get i will reverse engineer it and post the schematic, may be of some use.



toby
 
12AX7?!! That was kind of a surprise to me. I guess they´re not using any old 12AX7...Well maybe we shouldn´t be so surprised after all since Didrik DeGeer is using another twintriode(JAN6189=12AU7=ECC82) in his microphones with such stunning results.
 
Don´t get me wrong, I love the 12AX7 tube and have used it a lot in my Guitar amp building(maybe no surprise) it´s just that I´m new to microphone building and have not seen it used very much in that application.
 
The 12AX7 is a perfectly acceptable vacuum tube for use in microphones.

Microphones designed by AKG and Sony, to name two manufacturers, provide more than adequate and professional results utilizing this particular tube.

It may be a "subjective" thing more than a "surprise" thing.
 
I have tried a 12ax7 at7 etc in tube microphone circuits they have to much gain for simple no feedback circuits IMO.

Simple 1 stage to a transformer no feedback tube circuits are what a good tube microphone is about IMO.

That why I posted about the use of feedback. After playing with a few microphone circuits I guess I have some opinions about some circuits.

It is not that the circuit is bad but more that other circuits/parts sound better to my ears.

Not to be arogant but once you hear the very good circuits the others don't alway sound that good.

I have read others findings with different microphone circuits and thought what are they talking about but I did some tests and started to change my mind.
 
What akg or sony use a 12ax7? The solid tube is a piece of crap and that being nice I had one for a few days a got rid of it it was so bad.

People you realy need to test what you read in mags and on the web alot of it is---------------------

When I post something about microphone most of the time it from tests I have done if not I say so.

The 12au7 is a lower gain tube.

When running open loop you have to think about open loop gain vs signal level and B+

The crap I read on the web about microphones makes me shake my head.

Build a feedback and nonfeedback circuit for microphone and then post about it.
 
So I guess it's safe to say that the Lawson 47 doesn't use a 12ax7 then?
 
The solid tube is a piece of crap

Well if it´s the solidtube that uses 12AX7 I won´t have to feel that embarrassed ´bout not doin my homework after all, since totally agree with this statement. Since the floodin of the market with all the chineese mics I have a hard time beliving that AK.G can sell this turd. But fact remains: if the reference mic use this tube it can be used in microphones with great results.
 
Again the limits of the web.

Stefan I believe the ref microphone sounds good, it has a Josephson built capsule if I understand the PDF .

I should have just looked at the web page.

http://www.manleylabs.com/PDF/PROPDF/pro12.pdf.

I have not heard the microphone or seen inside it. Both section of the tube are being used if I understand the PDF. So it could it be a gain stage to a cathode follower with feedback? or maybe two gain stages with feedback?

Do people buy the microphone with a 12ax7 and change it to a 6072a?

A 12au7 being a lower gain tube could be used in a simple no feedback one triode no feedback into a GOOD transformer a gain stage I like.
 
Re: Manley and Royer mics with 12AX7.
Both of these mics use exellent capsules. One should be really "talented" to completely screw their sound.

The thing is--12AX7 is cheap and readily available, so its use in a modern mics is evident for reasons...
But...... just name at least one "classic" mic, which uses this tube. I don't think so, and this is most likely for a reason.
It is just not a good idea to use this tube with such a pure capacitive source as a mic capsule because of Miller effect. It is not a good idea to use such a high gain and high impedance tube because of transformer coupling issues.
 

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