Mic experts - help needed - Beyerdynamic MC834 faulty capsule

[maxkriza]

Hi
Had this lovely mic for quite sometime now, was never happy with how it sounded.
I decided to open it and have a look, was surprised to see a smaller capsule that had
a visible damage to it. Not sure how that could happened.
Which is the best way to sort it out? I can not afford paying 100's of pounds to BD for a new capsule, that if
they will be willing to sell me one. Any suggestions will be much appreciated.
Thanks
Max

 

[maxkriza]

anyone?

 

[Rossi]

I don't think you can repair this capsule, maybe Beyerdynamic can. But more likely they would simply exchange it.

Contact Beyerdynamic and send them a pic of the capsule. AFAIK the MC834 is out of production, but maybe they have some extra capsules left for repairs. Usually Beyerdynamic isn't terribly expensive, so just ask them.

If that doesn't work out, you could try to install a different capsule, perhaps an MXL603 or MXL900, which is about the same size. Or another capsule that requires a linear head amp, for instance an M7 copy. Mounting a different capsule (the mechanics) may turn our difficult, though.

 

[maxkriza]

thank you Rossi. the surprising thing is that this capsule still sounds reasonable although it
is clearly damaged (mainly lacking in bass). is it worth trying to somehow tension it before changing it?
Cheers
Max

 

[Rossi]

Yes, it's surprising, sometimes, what still works. Kind of. I've had a bad M7 capsule that looked similar and still sounded pretty good, but the sensitivity was low and the mic as a result terribly noisy.

As I said, you can't do this on your own. The diaphragm tension has to be exact for optimal performance. As a matter of fact it's probably impossible to re-tension the existing diaphragm. Usually, the membrane is cut from a larger piece of foil in a tensioning ring. Contact Beyerdynamic, maybe they're embarrassed and send you a new capsule for free.

 

[maxkriza]

thanks, will do that.

 

[maxkriza]

BD say they do not have these capsules in stock anymore. They suggest to
Reskin the existing capsule, but unwilling to quote for the job before seeing the actual microphone.
I would like to have a go at reskining before I send it to them. I know people here generally
advice not to do it but I know I have the skills to have a go ... Any idea where can I get the
right membrane material for this?
Cheers
Max

 

[ricardo]

Any idea where can I get the
right membrane material for this?

Use the 5um aluminized MYLAR COVERING MATERIAL/FOIL from http://freeflightsupplies.co.uk/  Look under "LW Covering".

Gold needs to be deposited onto tensioned Mylar or else it will crack when tensioned.