Cad Equitek E100 Capsule

[kingkorg]

The capsule seems to be the source of the legendary sound of this mic. It's very popular in voice over community. We are talking about original E100 mic, not later revisions.

The capsule has become unobtainium, it was produced by Primo, model is EM-21.

It is also very low noise sdc electret, favorite of field recording enthusiasts.

There are several mics using this capsule from various manufacturers, so i was thinking we could share some knowledge here if anyone is aware of other mics using it.

The ones i came up with so far are:
Nakamichi cm300, cm100
Teac me120, me80
Tascam pe120, pe80
Primo emu4520, emu4535
Universum 4520
LEM emu4520
Dual MC314
Dual MC316
Altec 626A
TOA rd17e
JVC M-510 (not 100% sure)
Crown CM700 (not 100% sure)
Josephson e22s
Universum Senator

E100 guts

 

[analogguru]

The Teac ME-50 doesn't use this capsule, instead it uses a (Primo-)capsule like shown below and used in the Nakamichi CP-4 and in tons of other mics.

 

[kingkorg]

Thank you so much!

 

[kingkorg]

I start to get why there's so much buzz around these mics. Almost every mic with this capsule is highly regarded, and most in good shape have sky high prices. Look at that FR graph both 0 and 180, they are just beautiful!

 

[analogguru]

I start to get why there's so much buzz around these mics. Almost every mic with this capsule is highly regarded, and most in good shape have sky high prices.
......

This is exactly the reason why I will not disclose here in public which ones I usually buy for a reasonable price.

BTW, The primo-capsules shown above were even used in audio-technica and Superscope (Marantz) microphones.

 

[Gus]

Found the country boy link
https://web.archive.org/web/20050518060231/http://www.jensen-transformers.com/as/as076.pdf

 

[kingkorg]

Wow, that's interesting.

 

[bremusound]

Guess what! The Primo EM21 were also used by Milab for the LC25, LSR1000/2000 and XY-82 models!

Larry Brown – Producer/Engineer – USA said:

„Milab’s LC-25 beats any mic you can buy for twice the price. It’s incredible on vocals when compared with the U87 … superb on acoustic guitar, and I believe better than the KM-88 … and it wipes out the 414.“

https://www.jurt.info/2019/06/12/milab-on-tour/

The schematics of LC25 and XY-82 are available at:

https://www.milabmic.com/download/

I asked Primo,Europe if the capsules are still available, they wrote back yes but not available for consumers, so OEM only. Maybe there‘s a chance for a group buy??

 

[Pip]

The CAD Mic is also great on kick drum!

 

[kingkorg]

I got the capsule in the mail today. I am even more excited about it. The black ''wheel'' can be rotated, and you can pretty much get any kind of response out of it. Mid focused, flat, smiley face. Or tighten it all the way to get omni mic. It just sounds wonderful.

One nice feat is that it can easily be fitted to MXL603 type of body with a custom made ring adapter. Works just as nice with additional polarization voltage. This one came from TEAC ME80, i am not sure if the thread is the same on all of these.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

In the early 70's I bought dozens of the Universum-branded 4520's. They were battery-powered, but modifying them for P48 was easy. They were distributed by German mail-order company Quelle.
The only mics I had at the time were a C451, two Beyer M68's and a dozen EMU4520's. I never felt frustrated with any of them.
The Nakamichi version was also available, but the price was much higher, about 3-4 times.
I suspect Nakamichi had a more stringent QC though.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

I asked Primo,Europe if the capsules are still available, they wrote back yes but not available for consumers, so OEM only.

Did they suggest a replacement?

Maybe there‘s a chance for a group buy??

This group may not be the best place for such an endeavour, unless you complete a project that can be "pre-digested".
The micbuilders group is probably more likely to be more responsive.
Do you know what is the Minimum Order Quantity?

 

[Vac11]

Maybe is time to convert my old Nak´s to P48 standard...

 

[rogs]

The Omni version of the capsule - the EM23 is still available. https://micbooster.com/primo-microphone-capsules/56-primo-em23-microphone-capsule.html
May not really help much of course, if you need the cardioid capsule.
I suppose you could try cutting slots in the backplate? 

 

[kingkorg]

It might actually work. Those slots are not for acoustics, they are for a tool used to tune the backplate. There are no holes on that backplate. It's the yellow foam under the black plastic plate that creates acoustic resistance, and the air (and sound) go through it.

So it might be possible to just add that foam to the omni capsule. I might pull the trigger and buy one.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

It might actually work. Those slots are not for acoustics, they are for a tool used to tune the backplate. There are no holes on that backplate. It's the yellow foam under the black plastic plate that creates acoustic resistance, and the air (and sound) go through it.

So it might be possible to just add that foam to the omni capsule. I might pull the trigger and buy one.

Could it make it a cardioid if there are no holes?

 

[kingkorg]

The holes marked with red are blind, for backplate adjustment. Purple shows where sound comes out, the foam is barely visible under the black backplate. It creates the resistance.

I guess it shouldn't be a problem to modify omni backplate to do the same thing. Not sure if it has foam on the inside, but with proper measurement setup i guess it could be done. However i don't think it would be a straightforward procedure.

Tightening the plate moves pattern response more towards omni, boosting high end. Loosening goes  the opposite way, flatter, and eventually more mid focused towards F8. 

 

[rock soderstrom]

Check this link. A guy on ebay.de sells 48V modified Primo EM21 mics.

The photos show more info and data.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/primo-emu-4520-version-universum-umgebaut-auf-48v-phantomspeisung-/143989448707?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

 

[kingkorg]

Thanks for the link!!!

 

[analogguru]

Check this link. A guy on ebay.de tries to sells 48V modified Primo EM21 mics.
....

FIFY

From the description:

....
da dieses angebot schon einige zeit ohne käufer blieb: hier ein neuer versuch dieses mikrofon zu verkaufen als etwas abgespecktes angebot und billiger.
....

translation:
"....since this offer didn't find a buyer for several time (rem: for insane € 70,--) here is another try to sell the microphone for a reduced extent and price."

The photos show more info and data.
....

The data (specs) in japanese shown in the photos are not from this microphone, they are probably taken from a Nakamichi and the circuit of this mic is different from a nak.

Therefore as long as this guy doesn't disclose what he is doing to the poor mics (look at the ugly soldering), I have to assume that he is a solder jockey who doesn't know what he is doing.