Rode NT capsules 'fit' Behringer B-5

[k brown]

Just discovered this; might be useful to some.

The excellent capsules for the Rode NT-series SDCs (NT5, 55, 6) can be fitted to the much more affordable Behringer B-5 bodies. The thread pitch is not an exact match, but will screw on far enough to work just fine; as long it is done carefully so not to cross-thread, the original B-5 capsules will still go on perfectly after.

The excellent NT45-O omni capsule goes for $89 just about everywhere.

Great care has to be taken when starting to screw on because the B-5 bodies are soft aluminum, not brass, so easy to cross-thread. Worth the effort though to save a good chunk of change.

 

[bremusound]

They are all from the same 797 factory i guess

 

[kingkorg]

They are all from the same 797 factory

Røde makes their own stuff, but sure, the original design does come from 797.

 

[Khron]

I think i had read somewhere a few years ago that Rode capsules actually fit perfectly onto t.bone SC140 mics. Haven't had a chance to test that out myself though.

 

[k brown]

I think i had read somewhere a few years ago that Rode capsules actually fit perfectly onto t.bone SC140 mics. Haven't had a chance to test that out myself though.

And $89 a pair is a hard price to beat - how do their electronics compare the Behringr B-5?

 

[LevinGuitar]

I think i had read somewhere a few years ago that Rode capsules actually fit perfectly onto t.bone SC140 mics. Haven't had a chance to test that out myself though.

I did the test, they can somewhat fit but the thread pitch is not the same, and I wouldn't do it unless there are a real need.

 

[Khron]

And $89 a pair is a hard price to beat - how do their electronics compare the Behringr B-5?

Not sure about the B5, but i reverse-engineered the SC140 about thirteen(!!!) years ago, looks like. Didn't bother removing & measuring the ceramic caps, though...

 

[k brown]

Not sure about the B5, but i reverse-engineered the SC140 about thirteen(!!!) years ago, looks like. Didn't bother removing & measuring the ceramic caps, though...

Doesn't look terribly different from the B-5.

 

[Khron]

Doesn't look terribly different from the B-5.

... Unless i horribly misinterpreted what's going on in the JFET's source pin area

 

[bremusound]

Røde makes their own stuff, but sure, the original design does come from 797.

Wasn‘t sure about that. Thanks

 

[jp8]

Just discovered this; might be useful to some.

The excellent capsules for the Rode NT-series SDCs (NT5, 55, 6) can be fitted to the much more affordable Behringer B-5 bodies. The thread pitch is not an exact match, but will screw on far enough to work just fine; as long it is done carefully so not to cross-thread, the original B-5 capsules will still go on perfectly after.

The excellent NT45-O omni capsule goes for $89 just about everywhere.

Great care has to be taken when starting to screw on because the B-5 bodies are soft aluminum, not brass, so easy to cross-thread. Worth the effort though to save a good chunk of change.

The B-5 thread is not made from soft aluminum, at least not on my old B-5 models. Maybe yours are different? The capsule screws on a threaded ring between the body and the capsule and it's made from something harder and more shiny than aluminum. But it does not fit the Rode capsules very well, IMHO. Like others also suggested, I would not use it that way. The picture shows how far it can be screwed on my B-5 without fear of damaging the threads. The capsule will not hold on to the body very well and might unscrew accidentally.

If you want a cheap, decently sounding omni SDC mic, then the B-5 with its stock omni capsule might be all you need. In your 'Ugly' your Behringer... thread, you admitted that it sounded quite good, actually. I cannot find a reference anymore, but if you search all gazillion B-5 related threads on GroupDIY, you will for sure find a B-5 omni capsule recommendation from some magazine or other Guru/authority. Do you expect the Rode omni to be noticeably better?

As you may remember from this thread, I'm not a big fan of the B-5 electronics, though, but that's just me.

Jan

 

[k brown]

The B-5 thread is not made from soft aluminum, at least not on my old B-5 models. Maybe yours are different? The capsule screws on a threaded ring between the body and the capsule and it's made from something harder and more shiny than aluminum. But it does not fit the Rode capsules very well, IMHO. Like others also suggested, I would not use it that way. The picture shows how far it can be screwed on my B-5 without fear of damaging the threads. The capsule will not hold on to the body very well and might unscrew accidentally.

If you want a cheap, decently sounding omni SDC mic, then the B-5 with its stock omni capsule might be all you need. In your 'Ugly' your Behringer... thread, you admitted that it sounded quite good, actually. I cannot find a reference anymore, but if you search all gazillion B-5 related threads on GroupDIY, you will for sure find a B-5 omni capsule recommendation from some magazine or other Guru/authority. Do you expect the Rode omni to be noticeably better?

As you may remember from this thread, I'm not a big fan of the B-5 electronics, though, but that's just me.

Jan

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Yes, unfortunately the new bodies are not made that way. I have two with thru-hole parts on the boards, and they are made with separate threaded brass ring. The current ones are SMD parts, and one-piece aluminum bodies.

The other change was from a chromed metal dome behind the capsule to now, a plastic piece.

The Rodes screw onto the all alum bodies further than your photo shows, and are quite secure without damaging the threads (if started properly).

The two models sound identical to me, FWIW.

 

[k brown]

The B-5 thread is not made from soft aluminum, at least not on my old B-5 models. Maybe yours are different? The capsule screws on a threaded ring between the body and the capsule and it's made from something harder and more shiny than aluminum. But it does not fit the Rode capsules very well, IMHO. Like others also suggested, I would not use it that way. The picture shows how far it can be screwed on my B-5 without fear of damaging the threads. The capsule will not hold on to the body very well and might unscrew accidentally.

If you want a cheap, decently sounding omni SDC mic, then the B-5 with its stock omni capsule might be all you need. In your 'Ugly' your Behringer... thread, you admitted that it sounded quite good, actually. I cannot find a reference anymore, but if you search all gazillion B-5 related threads on GroupDIY, you will for sure find a B-5 omni capsule recommendation from some magazine or other Guru/authority. Do you expect the Rode omni to be noticeably better?

As you may remember from this thread, I'm not a big fan of the B-5 electronics, though, but that's just me.

Jan

View attachment 132224 View attachment 132225

So far the highest praise for the B-5 omni is in the book "Classical Recording", co-authored by ex-Decca engineer John Dunkerley:
(in the context of using the omni capsule with an APE) "The Behringer B-5 is an extraordinary microphone for one in the budget range. It has a very even frequency response, low noise,. . . it is possible to make a Decca Tree-compatible microphone that compares quite favorably with classic microphones costing many thousands of pounds. There is no doubt that it is not as good as the real thing, but for those operating on a tight budget, realising maybe 90% of the performance for 3% of the cost is as good a deal as you are ever likely to get."

As to the Rode NT SDCs (especially the omni), famed Classical engineer Tony Faulkner regularly uses them alongside his Schoeps and Neumanns. In the low freq he actually prefers the NT45-O to the Schoeps.

 

[k brown]

Upon closer examination, it appears that the newer bodies with the integral capsule threads are not aluminum, but something closer to maybe nickel, but it's not brass.

Some time ago, you (@jp8 ) posted a schem of the earlier thru-hole boards, and initially I thought you forgot to include the 47 ohm from pin 3 to the grounding cap of the impedance-balanced output (as done in the newer SMD boards), but no, there really isn't one! So I broke the trace between pin 3 and the cap, and added the resistor; still a pretty crude output circuit RF-wise, but better than no resistor there at all.

 

[jp8]

Indeed, the inferior CMRR and poor RFI rejection due to non-ideal impedance balancing and single-ended output are exactly why I'm not so fond of the B-5 electronics. They also lack moisture protection, which is why some people experience noise issues which disappear when the mic is dried in a box with silica or by another method. And the pad circuit does not minimize THD of the JFET, though it must be said that the source follower circuit should have quite some headroom.

Jan

 

[RuudNL]

Although the fit may not be perfect, I am tempted to try a B-5 capsule on the Rode NT5 body.
Only to find out what makes the NT5 sound so terrible...
(To be honest, I never heard a Rode microphone that really sounded 'good', but maybe that's just me...)

 

[jp8]

Interesting experiment. Though I have both mics, I never tried it. NT5 sounds rather thin in the low-end, but FR of the impedance converter is flat. Only -0.3dB at 20 Hz. So if the NT5's low-end response is what you dislike (what I do), then I assume the capsule is to blame, not the electronics. I don't have the FR of the B5 electronics at hand, but expect it to be flat as well. So my bet would be you won't hear a lot of difference. But let's wait and see...

Jan

 

[k brown]

Although the fit may not be perfect, I am tempted to try a B-5 capsule on the Rode NT5 body.
Only to find out what makes the NT5 sound so terrible...
(To be honest, I never heard a Rode microphone that really sounded 'good', but maybe that's just me...)

Keep in mind, all my remarks are about the Rode and Behringer omni capsules; I don't care for the B-5 cardioid at all; I've never had a Rode cardioid capsule, only the NT-45O.

The Decca book's praise of the B-5 was also only regarding the omni capsule.

 

[RuudNL]

I did a very quick test. The Behringer capsule screws om the Rode body without much problems.
(I have the version with the plastic thread.)
I got the impression that the Behringer capsule (although probably not the best in the world) has a lot more low-end.

 

[k brown]

I did a very quick test. The Behringer capsule screws om the Rode body without much problems.
(I have the version with the plastic thread.)
I got the impression that the Behringer capsule (although probably not the best in the world) has a lot more low-end.

These are cardioids you're comparing?