Yes!
Another home run for Dan.
I really like what I'm hearing. (As always on this forum, I'm not talking about the song or performance, as nice as they may be. But do thank your friend from me!)
Of the earlier, related, samples, I very much liked the D-67 with the Neumann K67 capsule (there were two Neumann capsules tested actually and one was better or better preserved maybe than the other).
The sample of the D-269
b (fixed bias) with the Peluso K67 I liked a little less (although I simply loved the D-49b with the Peluso K47).
This D-269c (self bias) with the Neumann capsule sounds great to my ears. It is somewhat brighter than the typical U67 sound and the self bias may play a part in that. Different tube and setup, too. But the esses are pretty precise (I'm sensitive to that) and the mic is in no way harsh sounding. It sort of sounds like a cross breed between a U67 and a Brauner tube microphone. The latter has a K67-family capsule too, as well as a 5840 tube. But Brauners have a more straightforward circuit, AFAIK without any negative feedback at all, let alone tricks with transformer windings.
Still, some of that velvety, musical compression I hear in U67s is still present here, albeit with a little less thick midrange character and some extra air on top. So it's not just the EF86 in the U67 causing that velvety compression. It's the nature of the U67 family of microphones. The EF86 (and fixed bias) only adds to it.
In contrast, the M49 sounds smoother, creamier.
The U/D-269c is possibly even more versatile than the U/D-67. With the added air it should be brilliant for more distant recording, too. And up close, it sounds more modern than a U67 (i.e. without EQ).
Desert island microphone?
June 21, 2020, 09:33:20 PM