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

[erikrex]

Retires? What are you talking about? He passed away last year.

I believe one of those persons working the business is also an Andreas (Stenzel).

 

[Migs 31]

Call me crazy, but I was very happy that I liked my build better than the vintage one because of this.

No,

Not crazy at all Sir,

My first "mod' was an infamous MXL V67G...?
After trying to change caps, FET etc. I had enough.
I ditched the whole PCB boards inside.
Build new PCB's following a U87 version.
Selected/tweaked some parts...
And to my surprise and awe,
I prefered my build to a real 87Ai !!!
Biased ?
I recorded with both mics and did an A-B test with colleagues.
The score was even... Everybody was shocked.

Just the other day in another thread.
I managed to build an AKG C414 version.
With cheap capsule and an ok transfo.
Compared to a newer AKG XLS version ...
I prefer mine, which cost me 1/5th of the retail price of a new Mic.
Against a Vintage AKG C414, maybe not.

So, Am I crazy?
No, don't think so.
Biased?
Maybe, maybe not?

SO, a KIT FOR A U87i ?!?

M

 

[soliloqueen]

My second mic diy build was one of the Dachman 87 kits with Dany's boards. It had 3U capsule and traffo. I compared it against a vintage Neumann 87i that a good friend owns and it was very close, with the dachman having a little edgier high end as others mention, but not far off. I then upgraded it with a real neumann K87 capsule and ami traffo, and compared back again. They were almost indistinguishable, with the only difference that mine had a very nice, extended low end, that I credited it to the AMI traffo. Call me crazy, but I was very happy that I liked my build better than the vintage one because of this.

the bv13 notoriously sucks, people were swapping it out even at the time. there's a reason almost nobody does recreations of it and just copies the t13 version instead

 

[Gus]

the bv13 notoriously sucks, people were swapping it out even at the time. there's a reason almost nobody does recreations of it and just copies the t13 version instead

I think that is open to discussion. The BV13 is part of the 87 sound.
https://groupdiy.com/threads/neumann-u87-transformer-bv-13.57351/
I tend to not like the transformers using lams like the T13
https://www.tab-funkenwerk.org/product/t13/

 

[kingkorg]

I tend to not like the transformers using lams like the T13
https://www.tab-funkenwerk.org/product/t13/

Jeez! Look at the THD and at what level!

 

[Gus]

A little off topic. Years ago(early 2000's) I worked on 6 older U87s from a studio it was mostly cleaning the capsule of smoke and spit and setting them for 200 ohms. They had tant caps and box shaped resistors I forget what brand the other electros were.
One sounded really good to my ears/brain.
They had a mix of JFETs IIRC.
This microphone seemed to have something special with how the headbasket and capsule worked with the circuit it also had the lowest value source resistor (4.7k).
As far as I know there are no true copies of the U87 headbasket and body except one that was posted at the forum but I think it is kind of like the chibson guitars.

For me the headbasket and capsule counts the most followed by the rest. The rest is important.
Out of all the microphones I have built or adjusted only one 67 capsule had something close to that sound it was a reskinned 67 by Doug Walker (early 2000s IIRC)with one of my takes on a phantom powered U77 like circuit.
I have not tried a soliloqueen or some others newer ones. I have not bought a new capsule(s) for a few years now
A hint it had a dome shaped mount and damping foam.

 

[soliloqueen]

I think that is open to discussion. The BV13 is part of the 87 sound.
https://groupdiy.com/threads/neumann-u87-transformer-bv-13.57351/
I tend to not like the transformers using lams like the T13
https://www.tab-funkenwerk.org/product/t13/

i tend to agree with you honestly and am looking into reproducing the bv13 for my kit, i'm just providing context for the post

edit:
the reason nobody has reproduced it is because neumann has a 3d trademark on the shape of the basket. rode tried in the 90s (or was it the early 2000s?), and neumann sued them and 797 into the ground, so hard that if you mention trying to make a u87 clone in conversation with 797, they still flinch... even the syt-5 is technically infringing. the only reason they haven't gone after people using it is because the sales numbers are small. warm passed neumann's "give a ****" threshold, and that's why their baskets look like they do.

It's not that knowledgeable people in the industry don't have the ability. I could make a fairly indistinguishable u87 clone, I think. It's because we're not allowed to. Personally, I'm fine with that. Clone microphones don't capture my interest like clone capsules do. I plan to make original mics when I eventually launch my mic line.

 

[Spiritworks]

So I built one of the original Dachman kits when they first came out a couple years ago. It was a fun build, nice kit and looks good - but, we never thought it sounded great. For lack of a better word, it had a chinese high-end. So I bought and installed a Beezneez 87-type capsule ( before soliloqueen offered hers ). There was a very slight improvement in sound, but not enough to justify the cost of Ben's capsule. This made me wonder if something else in the kit's circuit needed improvement. My question is, would now installing the proper soliloqueen capsule, without changing anything else, bring this mic into usable/comparable territory?

 

[kingkorg]

So I built one of the original Dachman kits when they first came out a couple years ago. It was a fun build, nice kit and looks good - but, we never thought it sounded great. For lack of a better word, it had a chinese high-end. So I bought and installed a Beezneez 87-type capsule ( before soliloqueen offered hers ). There was a very slight improvement in sound, but not enough to justify the cost of Ben's capsule. This made me wonder if something else in the kit's circuit needed improvement. My question is, would now installing the proper soliloqueen capsule, without changing anything else, bring this mic into usable/comparable territory?

It is crucial to nail the shape of negative feedback filter which can depend on fet used, and as discussed above the headbasket. Extremely difficult if you go by ear. That being said i have no idea how accurate Beesneez or Dachman capsules are. Also u87 varies a lot in sound from piece to piece, so the chinese sound you describe could be just another version of the same mic.

 

[mdhalls]

I believe one of those persons working the business is also an Andreas (Stenzel).

I have the opportunity to buy a used 87ai locally for a very good price ($1600 USD). Has anyone had the Grosser mod done by the remaining staff after he passed away? I am really interested in this mod, but shipping to Germany from the US is expensive, and want to know if I can trust / expect positive results.