Warm Audio WA84

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RuudNL

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Apr 26, 2009
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On NAMM 2019 Warm Audio has presented the WA84, obviously intended as a succesor of the KM84.
Looking as 'the real thing', it has a Cinemag transformer, Fairchild transistors and Wima capacitors.
Curious if they can make their promises true!
Any thoughts about this product?

Mmm... I read that the capsule is made by an Australian manufacturer. Would Ben know more about this?  ;)
 
Yeah I saw that. They should get an award for least inventive and original company, just abolutely boring. I'm not interested in anything they have to offer.

One funny thing I noticed looking at their website: under "Our Team" there are seven people listed, not one of them is an engineer, does any form of R&D, or is any sort of "audio person". Just sales and marketing  ;D.
 
I was told at NAMM that the capsules are interchangeable with the Neumann ones, so you can use KM-series capsules on a WA-84 body and vice versa. Which could be interesting.
 
snigglepit said:
I was told at NAMM that the capsules are interchangeable with the Neumann ones, so you can use KM-series capsules on a WA-84 body and vice versa. Which could be interesting.

Yes, I confirmed with them via email. And they say the schematic is a 1:1 replica.
 
Is there any word on what it'll cost? You could probably build the same thing for a lot less than what they'd charge. Honestly I'd probably just go that way if you have the soldering skills, or just buy the 3U Audio small diaphragm condenser with the transformer.
 
volker said:
One funny thing I noticed looking at their website: under "Our Team" there are seven people listed, not one of them is an engineer, does any form of R&D, or is any sort of "audio person". Just sales and marketing  ;D.

True! Only sales managers and marketing directors!  ;D
 
Well, they hould hardly include the Neumann engineers as "our research team", could they?  ::)

Do we know if the backplate is correct - routed straight lines, not concentric circles like the chinamen does it?

Jakob E.
 
Banzai said:
If only there was an affordable DIY kit available.

:p

The warm appeal is the ability to switch with Neumann capsules. An adapter for your kit would be awesome. My very personnal not consensual opinion, I know.
 
It's very easy to to do a 1:1 replica of the original Neumann schematic. That what the Banzai kit has always been. I designed the PCB based on the original KM84 and the kit is a lot cheaper than the Warm Audio one with practically identical components to what they seem to be using.
 
GraemeWoller said:
It's very easy to to do a 1:1 replica of the original Neumann schematic. That what the Banzai kit has always been. I designed the PCB based on the original KM84 and the kit is a lot cheaper than the Warm Audio one with practically identical components to what they seem to be using.

And that's why it would be so awesome to be able to put Neumann capsules on it. The Warm mics are too expensive to buy them with the Neumann capsule on top. It comes to the price of original ones...
 
GraemeWoller said:
It's very easy to to do a 1:1 replica of the original Neumann schematic. That what the Banzai kit has always been. I designed the PCB based on the original KM84 and the kit is a lot cheaper than the Warm Audio one with practically identical components to what they seem to be using.

Didn't had Wa84 in my hands, but i believe, like in LDC of WA which i had, that the circuit isn't 1:1.
 
GraemeWoller said:
It's very easy to to do a 1:1 replica of the original Neumann schematic. That what the Banzai kit has always been. I designed the PCB based on the original KM84 and the kit is a lot cheaper than the Warm Audio one with practically identical components to what they seem to be using.
 

What kit is this? I know of a couple 84 kits but they are about the same price as a built wa84.
 
Why do people want this circuit?
Why not build something better/different?

How close is the capsule that matters more than the circuit.
 

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