Roxdon VT1 MKII vintage tube condenser Microphone and iSK TM-66

[The Spotty Fox]

Hi

I've been looking to buy an Apex 460/Alctron T-11a or similar to mod within the UK but can't find any for sale.

Came across the Roxdon VT1 MKII vintage tube condenser mic - assembled in London and sold by 'micsdirect' (http://www.micsdirect.com/roxdon_vt1.htm)

Also sold on their website the iSK TM-66 which looks like it could be an ALctron T-11a re-brand.
http://www.micsdirect.com/isk_tm66.htm

Does anybody have one of these mics or know anything about them? There's nothing on recordinghacks to date and the company haven't released any specifications or response charts.

Any infomation or opinions would be useful

many thanks

SF

 

[Krumlee]

There's a shop on ebay - lifelongmusic - that sells Alctron stuff. I'm sure he's listed the Alctron tube mics in the past but doesn't seem to have any at the moment. I bought a transformer from him a few weeks back, he's got 100% feedback.

I believe iSK is a brand that belongs to Alctron (actually Ningbo Shengke or whatever they're called) rather than being a rebrand for a third party, so it's probably very close to the Alctron/Apex models. I don't know about Roxdon.

It might be worth checking out t.bone too - I'm pretty sure the SCT 800 is basically an Apex 460. Thomann ship cheaply to the UK - they're a good company whenever I've dealt with them.

 

[kidvybes]

Hi

I've been looking to buy an Apex 460/Alctron T-11a or similar to mod within the UK but can't find any for sale.

Came across the Roxdon VT1 MKII vintage tube condenser mic - assembled in London and sold by 'micsdirect' (http://www.micsdirect.com/roxdon_vt1.htm)

Also sold on their website the iSK TM-66 which looks like it could be an ALctron T-11a re-brand.
http://www.micsdirect.com/isk_tm66.htm

Does anybody have one of these mics or know anything about them? There's nothing on recordinghacks to date and the company haven't released any specifications or response charts.

Any infomation or opinions would be useful

many thanks

SF

...I believe I answered your inquiry on GS a day or so ago, but I'll go into more detail here...the iSK and RoXdon mics are manufactured by Ningbo Shengke/TongXin (as previously mentioned)...they differ in design from the Alctron/Apex mic you're looking for, as they have simple single-stage, plate-follower circuits (the Apex/Alctron has a two-stage circuit)...I previously owned the iSK TM-66 (under a different brand) and it's quite good right out of the box, even better with a proper tube swap...mods designed to be used on a HST-11A will not apply to these single-stage tube mics...

...Alctron is actually a sales rep for a number of manufacturing sources in China, so there's not much continuity in their selection as they offer mics from both the Shengke/TongXin facilities and the competing ShuaiYin factory, which actually makes the Apex and Nady mics...

...as Krumlee suggested, I had recommended in my GS post that you contact Lifelong in the UK to see if they can source the HST-11A for you...

...as far as the Thomann SCT800, which I believed originated years ago from sE Electronics, but now is coming from another source, it is a cardioid-only design with a single circuit board, unlike the HST-11A's two PC boards...from the recordinghack.com's website:
"Unlike the Apex 460, the SCT 800 uses a single circuit board. It is a dual-layer board, likely with through-hole plating, which makes desoldering components (for modification) somewhat more difficult."

...mics that would allow the Apex 460 mods would be the Alctron HST-11A, the Nady TCM-1150, and the Carvin CTM-100...

...and then there's this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BadAax-T-11A-Vacuum-Tube-Condenser-Microphone-/371037763023

...there are pre-modded versions of this mic also available, that have had some or all of the major components already upgraded...the Avantone CV-12 ($499) is the least upgraded, while the Stellar CM-5 ($415) and the Advanced Audio CM12 ($695) both have all the major upgrades...the Stellar CM-5 is the best option at only $415 US (upgraded/modded circuit, upgraded C12-type capsule, upgraded T14-type transformer, and premium 6072A tube)...

 

[Krumlee]

Excellent info kidvybes.

I don't know why the Alctron/Apex stuff isn't more readily available in Europe. Looking in to this a bit more, it seems like the t.bone SCT 2000 is closer to the Apex/Alctron? Anyone know? Some threads suggest that the earlier ones were based on the SE Z-5600? As kidvybes mentioned, these things are sourced from different suppliers so there's no guarantee about what you're going to get under the hood...

- http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_tbone_sct2000.htm

 

[kidvybes]

Excellent info kidvybes.

I don't know why the Alctron/Apex stuff isn't more readily available in Europe. Looking in to this a bit more, it seems like the t.bone SCT 2000 is closer to the Apex/Alctron? Anyone know? Some threads suggest that the earlier ones were based on the SE Z-5600? As kidvybes mentioned, these things are sourced from different suppliers so there's no guarantee about what you're going to get under the hood...

- http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_tbone_sct2000.htm

...from what I have found, there are roughly about a half-dozen true manufacturing sources for most of the Chinese mics, but many electronic sales firms that offer mics, but aren't the actual manufacturer...Alctron is the most established of these "trading" companies...and yes, early in their manufacturing days, sE did private label branding of products for two other companies, Cascade (now better known for their ribbon mics) and Thomann...but that arrangement was somewhat short-lived and production for those brands was moved to other facilities...

...my only thought about the lack of Alctron mics in Europe is that if Thomann was sourcing through Alctron, then they may have some exclusivity agreement limiting the exposure of products in Europe since Thomann clearly dominates the market...judging by the vast array of styles carried by Thomann, it appears microphone products are are sourced from multiple manufacturing companies...

 

[kidvybes]

[Removed @ request of Roxdon. Reason: Roxdon requests cease and desist of inaccurate information regarding company affiliations.]

 

[The Spotty Fox]

[Removed @ request of Roxdon. Reason: Roxdon requests cease and desist of inaccurate information regarding company affiliations.]

 

[abbey road d enfer]

This is the message I got from the CEO of Roxdon:
"CEASE AND DESIST

Dear GEdF

Please can you remove reply #6 and #7 from the above post.

These posts contain incorrect information which may harm my company and affect sales.
Our RoXdon VT-1 is not built in China and components are sourced from various countries and then assembled in the UK.

We have absolutely no association with the www.nbmic.com company

I have no intentions of posting on your site. The fact is that you are publishing libellous information concerning one of our products.

Regards
Andy Wildy (CEO)"

That was in response to my communication with him:
"Andy,
I believe that, instead of the moderators simply deleting messages, which could be considered as another tentative of smothering the "truth", you should post an appropriate and circumstanciated answer. That would show that you care about customers and the reputation of your products.
In the past, that has proved to be a very efficient manner of turning skeptics into believers.

Best regards,
GEdF "

 

[kidvybes]

...interesting...a very similar thing occurred on Gearslutz.com concerning iSK and RoXdon products, in which a thread was vaporized...

...well, without implying that RoXdon has any affiliation with any of these companies, it should be noted that nbmic.com (Ningbo TongXin) is a sister company of iSK/Shengke, one of the largest manufacturers/distributors of microphone products in China...you can draw your own conclusions...

http://www.isk.cc/

http://roxdon.com/

 

[Matador]

In my opinion, Roxdon would do well to completely read 47 U.S.C. § 230. Section 230(c)(1) of the Communications Decency Act, to understand why such "C&D" emails to forum providers are bogus. 

 

[Krumlee]

So Roxdon is apparently (over)reacting to comments made more than 6 weeks ago - not exactly a swift response time. But let's allow that to pass - after all the CEO should have more pressing matters to attend to than our opinions.

What I find astounding in 2014 is that a corporation can't engage in a more constructive and positive manner with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic community of potential customers. From what I remember of the comments, they weren't derogatory about Roxdon products anyway, though they may have been ill-informed or speculative. Hardly surprising in view of the lack of information on Roxdon's products - last time I looked, I couldn't find a proper website for them.

It would probably have taken less effort to post a message on the boards introducing himself to the community and correcting any misunderstandings or factual errors on our part. As abbey says, such action on the part of other vendors has proved a valuable marketing tool for them, and cultivated a great deal of goodwill from the community. Such actions speak eloquently about a company's attitudes and ethos.

Instead, his first course of action was an implied threat of legal action. Eloquent testimony from which we will all draw our own conclusions.

It's my firmly held opinion that the person doing the greatest damage to the reputation of Roxdon here is the CEO of Roxdon. And I'm happy to rely on the defence of Fair Comment which, under UK law, is a sufficient defence against a Claim of Defamation, in case you're reading this, Mr Wildy.

 

[micaddict]

What I find astounding in 2014 is that a corporation can't engage in a more constructive and positive manner with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic community of potential customers.

Yup, that says it all.
Case and book closed AFAIC.