Neumann M147 tube (NOT 6111)

[Whoops]

I posted photos of the PSU around here somewhere,
do a search for “Neumann M149 PSU”

 

[Whoops]

It’s here:

https://groupdiy.com/threads/warm-audio-wa-67-teardown.79421/page-3#post-1018443

 

[Hibiscus]

I posted photos of the PSU around here somewhere,
do a search for “Neumann M149 PSU”

Thank you! This is really.shocking and revealing. Neumann has lost my respect. Can you recommend any other mid-forward u47 style microphones that are not this horrible but sound great without breaking the bank?

 

[Whoops]

Thank you! This is really.shocking and revealing. Neumann has lost my respect. Can you recommend any other mid-forward u47 style microphones that are not this horrible but sound great without breaking the bank?

yes for sure:

https://advancedaudio.ca/collections/tube-microphones/products/cm47
https://advancedaudio.ca/collections/tube-microphones/products/cm47le
https://www.thomann.de/gb/warm_audio_wa_47.htm

 

[Gus]

instead of changing the tube why not design a JFET first stage to replace it?

 

[Hibiscus]

Thank you! This is really.shocking and revealing. Neumann has lost my respect. Can you recommend any other mid-forward u47 style microphones that are not this horrible but sound great without breaking the bank?

instead of changing the tube why not design a JFET first stage to replace it?

How? I'm just a singer and home recordist that can turn knobs.

 

[terry setter]

Consider the T47 from Rozwell, but don't forget to look at their other mics as well. I think you'll be able to get an excellent mic from them for less than you'd expect.

Good luck. This kind of thing is a drag.

 

[Hibiscus]

Consider the T47 from Rozwell, but don't forget to look at their other mics as well. I think you'll be able to get an excellent mic from them for less than you'd expect.

Good luck. This kind of thing is a drag.

Agreed. Funny thing is, I really like the dark, midforward sound of the m147. I was also just assured by a mic tech that the military grade tube (6111) should last me thousands of hours. So, I may be panicking too much and should just stop B.S.ing and start recording instead of being too caught up in minutiae.

 

[Whoops]

I was also just assured by a mic tech that the military grade tube (6111) should last me thousands of hours.

For sure.

should just stop B.S.ing and start recording instead of being too caught up in minutiae.

That's the best advise to you, to me and to everyone else working in Audio Engineering

 

[Hibiscus]

Danke schon.

 

[mikepoole]

Agreed. Funny thing is, I really like the dark, midforward sound of the m147. I was also just assured by a mic tech that the military grade tube (6111) should last me thousands of hours. So, I may be panicking too much and should just stop B.S.ing and start recording instead of being too caught up in minutiae.

If I recall correctly, I got about 20 years of frequent use on my original M147 tube. I also lucked out with my replacement 6111 and it sounds just fine. Still on the original cheap power supply as well, although I did replace one of those for a friend... Go make some music.

mp

 

[Hibiscus]

God love you, Mike. I really needed to hear that! Thanks! Look what else I found today on ebay. Can you believe??? I hope it's a simple soldering job:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1553876128...b65a2b8s8-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[Whoops]

it's a pretty good price at the moment...

 

[Hibiscus]

If I recall correctly, I got about 20 years of frequent use on my original M147 tube. I also lucked out with my replacement 6111 and it sounds just fine. Still on the original cheap power supply as well, although I did replace one of those for a friend... Go make some music.

mp

Mike. Do you mind sharing a male vocal track/song you have recorded with the m147? I would love to hear what you've done with it and how you have used this mic. Thanks.

 

[Hibiscus]

it's a pretty good price at the moment...

Oh yes, agreed. I never soldered before though as an artist I have a steady hand and have patience. Do you think it would be a simple enough procedure to replace that circuit board for a novice like me?

 

[Whoops]

Oh yes, agreed. I never soldered before though as an artist I have a steady hand and have patience. Do you think it would be a simple enough procedure to replace that circuit board for a novice like me?

Much more important than that is why are you thinking in soldering another PCB (used one) when your tube and your mic are working properly at the present and there's no reason for thinking it will fail soon.

If you want to buy it because it's cheap and you want to have a spare for the future, I understand completely, or if you want to buy because even if you don't use in the future you can sell it and make some extra bucks, I also understand.
But I just don't get why you are thinking in buying it to replace in your mic that is working properly.

My 2 cents

 

[Khron]

God love you, Mike. I really needed to hear that! Thanks! Look what else I found today on ebay. Can you believe??? I hope it's a simple soldering job:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1553876128...b65a2b8s8-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Much more important than that is why are you thinking in soldering another PCB (used one) when your tube and your mic are working properly at the present and there's no reason for thinking it will fail soon.

If you want to buy it because it's cheap and you want to have a spare for the future, I understand completely, or if you want to buy because even if you don't use in the future you can sell it and make some extra bucks, I also understand.
But I just don't get why you are thinking in buying it to replace in your mic that is working properly.

My 2 cents

Unless you want to try to salvage the tube from that board, i see zero reason to be interested in that, really.

If you take a closer look at the last photo, there's like 9-12 components missing (mostly passives, but at least one SOT23-packaged device as well, if not even two), a whole bunch of SMD pads that are no longer there, and several lifted PCB tracks.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/CSIAAOSwzopj2k5f/s-l1600.jpg

 

[Hibiscus]

Agreed. It may be a contingency plan for a "just in case" scenario. Can you please suggest a soldering thingie on Amazon or Ebay which would be appropriate for when and if the time comes ? I know nothing of these things. Is it easier to replace and solder a tube?

 

[Khron]

"Just in case"... you wanna spend a week rebuilding that board?

Easiest might be a hot-air wand (Atten 858 or whatever clone of it you find), but since i'm a stubborn masochist, i might even be inclined to use the fattest soldering tip i can get, plop as much solder as i can on the tube legs, and heat that whole mess up at once and gently pull the tube off.

But, as i said, unless you want THAT particular tube (for whatever reason i can't fathom), that ebay board is pretty useless / worthless imho.

 

[Hibiscus]

Thanks for the practical advice. So, forget the circuit board. Are all 6111 military tubes pretty standard and about the same? How much do they run for these days? Maybe my best bet is to get a 2-3 tubes in case the Russians invade and I survive with my home studio gear. I'm guessing I should still get the soldering iron? How do I protect my gear from EMP damage?