WGTCenter seems to have changed their capsule design for K87.

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kimothebeatmaker

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Jul 20, 2018
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Last I remember they were 3 micron, and now they are listed as 4 micron mylar.  Also, it looks like they have a US Warehouse now, so shipping times may be sooner! 

I ordered one from the US Warehouse @ $45 bucks and free shipping.  I'll let you guys know how it goes. 
 
Here is a link if anyone is curious.  Notice at the top it says "LOCAL WAREHOUSE" with a drop down menu option for US Warehouse and also Russian Warehouse. 

https://wgtcenter.com/products/microphone-34mm-mylar-capsule-large-diaphragm-condenser-double-sided-k67-k870-mount-for-neumann-tlm-103-mic-diy-professional-replacement-universal
 
You're not guaranteed something from a US warehouse. That's what I picked and it still ended up being shipped from China and took 2 months to arrive. Stuff I've ordered on AliExpress takes a a few weeks to one month. Don't know if Alibaba is the same, but I'd sooner order the edge terminated capsules from AliExpress (yes, they're on there now, K67s too) than order anything from WGTcenter. Their own provided tracking showed my order wasn't shipped until a month after my order was placed. The support rep I talked to insisted it was sent on time and provided me the exact same tracking I already used.

Also keep in mind WGTcenter doesn't make the capsules. They just resell ones made by Chinese companies like Ningbo Shengke/iSK.

I'd avoid dealing with them altogether if you can find similar capsules on AliExpress. You will find the same things on Alibaba and some sellers will sell you individual units. Or just buy from 797, they only charge about $60 USD IIRC.
 
Mine is coming from California.  Seems to have shipped the next day since I ordered it at night!  That’s quick shipping!  I guess I got lucky
 

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Hey guys!  I just received it today and it looks to be in good condition, no visible defects and it sounds great.  Shipping was fast.  I am pleasantly surprised.  The shipping came from LA.  So Im assuming their warehouse is there, not surprised as its a hub for Asia.  They shipped it through DHL -> USPS.  Shipping took about 6 days, which is better than 2-3 weeks coming from China.  I'll take it. 

As far as the sound, it sounds pretty similar...so if they increased the mylar micron from 3 to 4, it's not very noticeable as far as sound goes.  Sounds good imho.  I think the circuit is probably more of a factor in how my mic sounds at this point. 
 
After more work with it, there is a difference in sound. 

The 3micron capsules have ALOT more midrange wonky ness, the newer 4 micron sounds ALOT more smoother, I think they've been tuned a little lower.  Im not sure, I can't really comment on that.  All I know is that there is an audible difference with my voice in the 2.5khz range, it's very tame there, unlike the 3micron capsules which are more 2.5khz range forward. 
 
Interesting! A couple of NAMM shows back, I was chatting with Mic Parts Matt about "flatter-than-expected" China-made K67 capsules and, FWIW, he was talking up his RK-87 in this regard. I wonder if this WGT capsule is similar/same. Either way, reading about your experience has compelled me to give WGT another try. At $45 delivered, it's kinda too tempting to give it a shot and just find out for myself.
Thanks Kimo!

Update: So, I put in my order a few minutes past 11am my time and by 12:30 was emailed a shipping notification and DHL tracking number.  They probably don't deliver on Saturdays/weekends, so guessing it'll be here monday since it's shipping from the other side of L.A. Not bad.
 
Their double-sided K67. If it arrives without issue, at that price, I'm thinking I may also order the k67-backplate edge terminated capsule next week for the heck of it.
 
FWIW: I have measured many K67/K87 capsules.
The result; they are all different!
The height of the peak around 8-10 KHz. (in dB) is different, and some cheaper capsules have a 'dip' just before the peak starts!
The 'better' capsules (such as Neumann) don't have that dip.
Some K67/K87 capsules even don't have a noticable HF boost, making a change necessary if you replace an existing capsule.

By the way: words as 'smoother' don't mean much to me. I want to see facts and figures! A correctly measured frequency response usually gives a good impression what you can expect from a capsule.

WGT center has always been a nightmare for me... If you receive someting, in 9 out of 10 cases it is not what you ordered!
 
Yeah sorry I meant audibly it doesn’t have the 2.5 kHz boost my other wgt center capsule had.  “Smoother” is just an easy way for me to explain it.  The older wgtcenter capsule I have is really peaky around the 2-2.5khz range.  This new one doesn’t have that and it seems to be more tamed throughout.  Could be due to the slightly thicker Mylar...could be luck of the draw I’m not sure.  Only speculating. 
 
Mine arrived today. They sent the correct capsule and it arrived without damage, so right away it's been a better experience than I've had with WGT in the past. Even though I ordered last Thursday, it didn't get to DHL until Monday, then on Tuesday they handed it off to USPS. Seems a bit excessive to get to me on the other side of L.A., but given the price, I'm satisfied enough to order another capsule from them.

UPDATE: I installed the capsule into a mic with the Mic Parts V57 circuit and it sounds pretty good. I have to say that so far I agree with Kimo about there being less of that midrange honk and the top is definitely tamer than I was expecting. I'm not having the sibilance issues I've had in the past with budget Chinese-made capsules. I'm thinking this may be a revision of the previous WGT K67, and it sounds more like what Mic Parts Matt had described to me as a flatter, more balanced, yet mid-forward K67 sound than the usual K67 clone we're used to.
 
Wordsushi said:
Interesting! A couple of NAMM shows back, I was chatting with Mic Parts Matt about "flatter-than-expected" China-made K67 capsules and, FWIW, he was talking up his RK-87 in this regard. I wonder if this WGT capsule is similar/same. Either way, reading about your experience has compelled me to give WGT another try. At $45 delivered, it's kinda too tempting to give it a shot and just find out for myself.
Thanks Kimo!

Update: So, I put in my order a few minutes past 11am my time and by 12:30 was emailed a shipping notification and DHL tracking number.  They probably don't deliver on Saturdays/weekends, so guessing it'll be here monday since it's shipping from the other side of L.A. Not bad.
I would expect the Mic Parts to sound like the typical K67, judging by their own tests it doesn't make much difference when installed in a mic than typical Chinese ones. Fox Audio Research measurements also support that.

Both Mic-Parts and Advanced Audio advertise having a "flatter K67" but from measurements published they're pretty standard.
 
It's funny, because the conversation and his claim came about because I stopped by the MicParts booth at NAMM and told Matt I had paired his 84-circuit with Guosheng's really sweet flat 87 hybrid capsule and was pleased with how 87-ish it sounded, and he wouldn't hear of it and went on about how his 87 capsule was flat-ish. I've never actually heard the MP 87 in person. I did get a free t-shirt though. LOL. However, I have to say that it does sound like this new WGT capsule is less hyped than I was expecting. I'm pleased with it for what it is and will probably pick up a few more. YMMV.
 
Wordsushi said:
It's funny, because the conversation and his claim came about because I stopped by the MicParts booth at NAMM and told Matt I had paired his 84-circuit with Guosheng's really sweet flat 87 hybrid capsule and was pleased with how 87-ish it sounded, and he wouldn't hear of it and went on about how his 87 capsule was flat-ish. I've never actually heard the MP 87 in person. I did get a free t-shirt though. LOL. However, I have to say that it does sound like this new WGT capsule is less hyped than I was expecting. I'm pleased with it for what it is and will probably pick up a few more. YMMV.
It's the usual Chinese one. I think it's nearly identical to the AK67 from Advanced Audio as far as the high frequency boost. I think that they're better than ones you see in the cheap MXLs, those 32mm ones with the metal rings instead of white plastic ones iSK and 797 use. They are flatter than the ones that have the huge  +10 dB peak around 9KHz, but that's about it.

I have to say though, Matt's reaction doesn't surprise me. In my interactions, as well as some of the stuff over on RecordingHacks, and his general statements I've seen make give me the impression that he's very arrogant. One of my favorite things I've seen are the measurements of his RK87 in the MXL V67G. Yes it was a bit darker, but the high end boost was really only decreased by what looked like 1 dB. Also there's a video where he's giving some kind of lecture on capsule types and could not accept that his RK12 is not a CK12 capsule when KingKorg mentioned in a comment that the construction is very similar to the K67. What's crazy is how much people have faith in the crap he says. Seriously Matt, you're not some mystical mic guru, you're a guy who's rebranding Chinese capsules and selling mic PCB kits, many of which have compromises. There's no reason why they need internal switches that require us to open up the mic everytime we want to change the pattern or turn or a pad (there's also no reason why it has to only be one switch either), and there's no reason the S3 kits can't have 3 switches except for the fact that they're basically just MXL 770 bodies. There's no reason he can't use something like the Apex/Feilo bodies used by Advanced Audio (the 415 is pretty small, perfect for a transformerless multipattern mic build) which would actually allow us to build a good mic that doesn't compromise anything. Especially when you consider that the kits are almost $500. Hell, Alctron, iSK, Apex, and MXL have more functional mic designs (granted Alex and MXL use K67s without de-emphasis a lot), and the actual manufacturers of the RK12 would know (but may not admit) that it's not a proper CK12 design. Also it's absolutely ridiculous that he actually suggested the RK87 in a KM84 circuit, unless you're using the corrective EQ that some of his versions of the circuit have, but still it's the typical Chinese K67 copy, just not the most bottom of the barrel one.

If you want a dirt cheap "C414" just get a CAD M179. Get a pair for what the Mic-Parts S3-12 kit costs. It'll probably sound better too.

My first experience with WGTCenter was good, capsule came from China and arrived within the month (took about 3 weeks).

Second experience, they mailed it out a month late according to their own supplied tracking link, and it was shipped from China even though I ordered it from the US warehouse.
 
Just a follow up on my second order from the new WGT. Made the order last Friday. It arrived today (tuesday). Capsule was intact (no damage) and they sent the correct capsule, so considering mine and everyone's previous experiences buying capsules from them I feel like I won the WGT lottery. I don't want to jump he gun too much but perhaps things at the US warehouse are improving. My experience so far is just with 2 separate orders, but both experiences were good and, though it may seem like tempting fate, I'll be ordering again.
 
RuudNL said:
FWIW: I have measured many K67/K87 capsules.
The result; they are all different!
The height of the peak around 8-10 KHz. (in dB) is different, and some cheaper capsules have a 'dip' just before the peak starts!
The 'better' capsules (such as Neumann) don't have that dip.
Some K67/K87 capsules even don't have a noticable HF boost, making a change necessary if you replace an existing capsule.

By the way: words as 'smoother' don't mean much to me. I want to see facts and figures! A correctly measured frequency response usually gives a good impression what you can expect from a capsule.

WGT center has always been a nightmare for me... If you receive someting, in 9 out of 10 cases it is not what you ordered!
What are some of the ones without a noticeable boost? 3U Audio and/or 797? Or something more high end/not made in China?
 

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