Is there any new mic you can buy or a kit to build that sounds as good as a vintage U87i?

[Purplenoise]

Well, shouldn't it be measureable? What are the parameters that differ in the response vs. other manufacturers? It's quite a conundrum...

It’s not as simple as that. It’s very hard to measure the finer details that make the difference..and I am sure the cost would be prohibitive. Also don’t forget that unfortunately we don’t yet know everything about physics and chemistry…maybe there are things we can’t measure simply because we don’t know they exist or how they interact.

 

[living sounds]

Well, whatever it is, the ai's circuitry isn't doing the capsule justice.

I shot the ai out against a few DIY mics, and while I really liked the clarity and lack of dirt in the high end, I found the mids and lows wanting. It just sounds really clinical. Even the slightly tweaked Behringer B2 with a Gefell M7 reskinned by Dale Ulan, a capsule that I had lying around for 10+ years and that looks really questionable now (and presents transients too softly) had a much better midrange presence and solidity than the U87ai.

 

[Purplenoise]

Well, whatever it is, the ai's circuitry isn't doing the capsule justice.

I shot the ai out against a few DIY mics, and while I really liked the clarity and lack of dirt in the high end, I found the mids and lows wanting. It just sounds really clinical. Even the slightly tweaked Behringer B2 with a Gefell M7 reskinned by Dale Ulan, a capsule that I had lying around for 10+ years and that looks really questionable now (and presents transients too softly) had a much better midrange presence and solidity than the U87ai.

Yeah the ai sounds “pushed”. When I have to use it I use it with the pad on. It sounds closer to the vintage ones like that.

 

[soliloqueen]

it's not just the capsules either. neumann is pretty good at holistic design when it comes to engineering their stuff not to resonate, avoiding modes etc

 

[living sounds]

The thing is, before I ordered the U87ai I listened to every comparison I could find, and it always sounded best vs. Neumann's other solid state LDCs. I wonder if I got one with a bass shy capsule (Klaus Heyne finds this to be a frequent problem...).

 

[gyraf]

A good friend of mine who builds good mic capsules always keeps a u87ai around. Then when he on a regular basis gets sad, angry and frustrated with not being able to achieve utmost perfection in every aspect in his work, he listens a bit to his u87. And then he's happy again.

/Jakob E.

 

[living sounds]

A good friend of mine who builds good mic capsules always keeps a u87ai around. Then when he on a regular basis gets sad, angry and frustrated with not being able to achieve utmost perfection in every aspect in his work, he listens a bit to his u87. And then he's happy again.

/Jakob E.

I think I really have to return that mic...

 

[RuudNL]

Personally I find it strange that you have a problem with the Neumann U87.
There are tens of thousands of U87 microphones in use in the world and it seems like everyone is very happy with them.

 

[living sounds]

Personally I find it strange that you have a problem with the Neumann U87.
There are tens of thousands of U87 microphones in use in the world and it seems like everyone is very happy with them.

Didn't you have the same problem?

https://groupdiy.com/threads/u87ai-sounding-thin.65743/

 

[RuudNL]

I modified the filter and now I am completely happy with them.

 

[living sounds]

Soldering in a brand new pricy mic is not something I happily do...

I've had a quick look inside - I don't think you can remove the PCB and change the cap without having to unsolder anything else first, can you?

 

[RuudNL]

I modified my last Neumann U87ai right out of the box!

 

[living sounds]

How do you get to underside of that PCB? I've built and modified mics, but I really do not want to accidentally damage the brand new U87ai...

 

[RuudNL]

Only remove one screw, and you can slide the PCB out of a connector.
(You may have to unsolder a single wire, but everything that is unsoldered can be soldered back!)
If you are worried about damaging the PCB tracks, simply solder a 100 nF capacitor in parallel with the existing 47 nF capacitor on the copper (back) side of the PCB.

 

[living sounds]

Only remove one screw, and you can slide the PCB out of a connector.
(You may have to unsolder a single wire, but everything that is unsoldered can be soldered back!)
If you are worried about damaging the PCB tracks, simply solder a 100 nF capacitor in parallel with the existing 47 nF capacitor on te copper (back) side of the PCB.

I've ordered caps and will deploy the Hakko desoldering gun. Thanks!

 

[Wordsushi]

Ruud,
If I wanted to do your fixed rolloff filter mod in a U87i, or the Dany Bouchard clone version, which is the corresponding cap similar to C104 in the 87ai?

 

[living sounds]

So it turns out the problem wasn't the mic...

The preamp I used, a BLA Baby Animal (and pretty much the very first device I ever built) had a nice little grounding mess (made by me, when I didn't know better). Pin 1 of in and out were all going straight to audio ground.

I rewired the unit so the shields go to the chassis only. Now the U87 sounds nicely balanced and has the weight, clarity and definition I would expect from a Neumann mic. In fact, the mic sounds very close to reality now. And adding 18 dB to the high end of an acoustic guitar isn't cringe inducing at all.

I think I'll leave it as it is for now.

 

[kingkorg]

That wouldn't explain any of the issues you reported in this thread.

 

[RuudNL]

If I wanted to do your fixed rolloff filter mod in a U87i, or the Dany Bouchard clone version, which is the corresponding cap similar to C104 in the 87ai?

See picture. There is only one 47 nF capacitor in the circuit.

 

[Analog_Fan]

a few days ago, the YouTube algorithm served me this.

video made in 2013, not sure if the links to the PCB are still relevant.