Rode NT-1A Capsule Mod

[ekkof]

Hi John, curious to hear what it sounds like with the new capsule!

Btw. I'm new here, but excited to get startede modding some mics myself!
And there happens to be an NT1A for sale for around 60usd and a AKG perception 100 for a bit less, so trying to figure out which one would be the better option.

 

[micolas]

Hi John, curious to hear what it sounds like with the new capsule!

Btw. I'm new here, but excited to get startede modding some mics myself!
And there happens to be an NT1A for sale for around 60usd and a AKG perception 100 for a bit less, so trying to figure out which one would be the better option.

Hi, Ekkof
If the AKG microphone is the old model Perception 100, then I would buy it, of course if it is in good working order.
It is a simplified version of Perception 200.
It can be modified according to Kingkorg's instructions and you can get an excellent microphone in the style of the U87.

 

[micolas]

Hi, @ekkof

Is this the AKG microphone model?
http://recordinghacks.com/microphones/AKG-Acoustics/Perception-100

Edit: I don't want to pollute the thread, but even though I'm a big Rode fan and I've also modified the NT1a, personally I'd choose the Perception 100 now.
The design issue with the NT1a is the headbasket.

 

[SubSpec]

I would agree that the Perception series (old 100, 200, 220, 400, 420) would be the better all arounder and a great mic in general, particularly with the capacitor mod.

That said, I'm am of the less common opinion that the NT1-A can be a really special microphone with the right capsule. In fact I put a vintage Neumann K870 capsule in one yesterday just because. I've got 7 of them around here, most with different capsules in them. The body resonances are terrible, the headbasket is generally trashed by most everyone, it feels cheap, looks cheap (typically is cheap) and to listen to it compared with others on Youtube it generally comes off poorly. Yet I love it.

The NT1-A with Blue's B8 has stood against dozens of much more expensive mics in my personal testing project and remains the benchmark I check them all against, as for whatever reason it makes any issues in other mics apparent when A/B'ing.

https://groupdiy.com/threads/rode-n...-flat-47-antelope-edge-duo-cap-blue-b8.88377/

 

[JohnX]

I had initially swapped out the capsule with an AliExpress version as somebody on this thread had suggested, but I really didn’t like it. It seemed just as sizzly & bright as it sounded before I swapped it out. I had suspected that might be the outcome, but I wanted to follow through anyway.

I then swapped it out with a Soliloqueen flat 47 and I liked that much better. I had two of them so it gave me a baseline to compare. It has a much more natural response. Unfortunately I did not make any audio clips.

However, I didn’t think that it was enough of an improvement to the NT1A that it would make me start using it more often, so I replaced it with its original capsule and used the Soliloqueen flat 47 on a completely different microphone, (an early DIY Mic Parts tube mic kit) which I am loving now.

So far, the Aliexpress capsule has returned to the original box that it came in. I am sure that I will find an appropriate use for it.

I can’t speak about the Perception 100 because I have never used one.

 

[ekkof]

Thanks for the prompt replies everyone - really appreciate the amount of great info and the helpfulness around here!
Well I ended up buying both (I hoped that swapping the capsule of the NT1A would be an "easy fix", but it sounds like I might be better off with other options... anyway, at least I'll have something to compare with).
@micolas - yes, that's the one.
I guess the question is how much it makes sense to replace the capsule with a more expensive one, if there are many other issues that might be more difficult to solve. I got the impression from diymicparts.com that a capsule upgrade could mean night-and-day, but maybe I would be better off starting with a completely different microphone?

@SubSpec thanks for the link - looking forward to listening to your comparisons... Microphone comparison is a quite addictive beast! Actually (judging from pictures only) I think the AKG mic looks much more cheap, but maybe that's on pictures only.

If I change the capsule of the NT1A, would the stock capsule be useful in something like the ORS87 (e.g. with a low pass filter to tame the highs, or is it simply too bad sounding altogether?)

 

[SubSpec]

If I change the capsule of the NT1A, would the stock capsule be useful in something like the ORS87 (e.g. with a low pass filter to tame the highs, or is it simply too bad sounding altogether?)

Personally I find there is an off-putting resonance in the high mids in the stock capsule that spoils things for me. That isn't to say it wouldn't be useful in another circuit, but ultimately you're probably better off with one of the capsules recommended on the ORS thread, one of which notably is essentially the same as in the AKG Perception

 

[micolas]

Thanks for the prompt replies everyone - really appreciate the amount of great info and the helpfulness around here!
Well I ended up buying both (I hoped that swapping the capsule of the NT1A would be an "easy fix", but it sounds like I might be better off with other options... anyway, at least I'll have something to compare with).
@micolas - yes, that's the one.
I guess the question is how much it makes sense to replace the capsule with a more expensive one, if there are many other issues that might be more difficult to solve. I got the impression from diymicparts.com that a capsule upgrade could mean night-and-day, but maybe I would be better off starting with a completely different microphone?

@SubSpec thanks for the link - looking forward to listening to your comparisons... Microphone comparison is a quite addictive beast! Actually (judging from pictures only) I think the AKG mic looks much more cheap, but maybe that's on pictures only.

If I change the capsule of the NT1A, would the stock capsule be useful in something like the ORS87 (e.g. with a low pass filter to tame the highs, or is it simply too bad sounding altogether?)

I've said it here before, the major issue with the NT1a is the head basket. I modified it, made it significantly larger, with a more generous internal volume (it looks like a penis, I posted a picture of it here on the group!)
Much of the resonance, from the abrasive mid-highs, disappeared, the microphone became usable. As for the stock NT1a capsule, I used it in a U87ai Cardioid clone, in an M-audio Nova body and it sounded really good. So for experiments the capsule can be used in ORS87, de-emphasis with capacitor of 220..270pF.
It only needs to be fixed with some adhesive, it has no holes in the backplate for the screws to fix it in the saddle.