Takstar CM-60 and CM-63 capsule mods.

[glitterball]

This capsule was mentioned in another thread, so I purchased it to see what it was like. It doesn't actually fit the cm63 (the bolt protrudes too far), but I was able to swap the innards from the original cm63 capsule to make a 'frankencapsule'. I haven't set up REW to do any proper tests, but it does seem to have less of the exaggerated high frequency response compared to the original. The capsule may be a little further back than is optimal, but the front grill may be an improvement on the original.
The price fluctuates a bit, but I was able to get it for €5.46 once the taxes and a €1 discount were applied. For this price, it's probably worth buying just for the capsule parts.


Link to the Aliexpress page

 

[MicMaven]

t it does seem to have less of the exaggerated high frequency response compared to the original. The capsule may be a little further back than is optimal, but the front grill may be an improvement on the original.

I agree it is a nice little capsule for very little money. My example, acquired on eBay.com, may vary slightly from yours. in that it fit my CM-60 body OK. (Not the smoothest threads, but it fits.) And, Also, my example seems a bit louder and a bit more open (brighter) than my original CM-60 capsule, but not by much. Both are less bright than a 22 mm MXL 700 capsule I also tried. Because I have faith in the accuracy of your description, I suspect they vary slightly from one to the next. While I have two of them, and they sound identical, I suspect yours may vary a bity from mine which is not entirely unexpected!

I decided to use the original CM-60 capsule - but I can see your example may sound better than mine, so I get it. I was pleased my example threaded onto the Takstar body easily enough - that makes a big difference to its usability. Fun stuff. James





A couple of crude, unprecessed sound clips - brass eBay capsule, then original CM-60 capsule, then 22mm MXL 700 capsule. You be the judge!


View attachment 22mm capsule comparison 1a.wav
View attachment 22mm capsule comparison 2.wav

 

[jp8]

I like the ebay capsule best. The 700 is quite mid-focussed, probably intentional to give it a vintage sound. Don't like it. But that's subjective.

Jan

 

[k brown]

I agree it is a nice little capsule for very little money. My example, acquired on eBay.com, may vary slightly from yours. in that it fit my CM-60 body OK. (Not the smoothest threads, but it fits.) And, Also, my example seems a bit louder and a bit more open (brighter) than my original CM-60 capsule, but not by much. Both are less bright than a 22 mm MXL 700 capsule I also tried. Because I have faith in the accuracy of your description, I suspect they vary slightly from one to the next. While I have two of them, and they sound identical, I suspect yours may vary a bity from mine which is not entirely unexpected!

I decided to use the original CM-60 capsule - but I can see your example may sound better than mine, so I get it. I was pleased my example threaded onto the Takstar body easily enough - that makes a big difference to its usability. Fun stuff. James


View attachment 146330View attachment 146331View attachment 146332


A couple of crude, unprecessed sound clips - brass eBay capsule, then original CM-60 capsule, then 22mm MXL 700 capsule. You be the judge!


View attachment 146333
View attachment 146334

Hmm, there must be two different identical-looking capsules out there; this one was such junk it went immendiately in the trash:
https://groupdiy.com/threads/dont-fall-for-these-ebay-capsules.89801/

 

[glitterball]

Hmm, there must be two different identical-looking capsules out there; this one was such junk it went immendiately in the trash:
https://groupdiy.com/threads/dont-fall-for-these-ebay-capsules.89801/

That looks like the same capsule to me - note that I removed all the internal parts and replaced them with the parts from the cm63 stock capsule.

 

[k brown]

That looks like the same capsule to me - note that I removed all the internal parts and replaced them with the parts from the cm63 stock capsule.

Oh, I see - so you just used the shell and mesh to avoid doing surgery to the CM-60 grill.

But I was responding to @MicMaven 's post about it and @jp8 's positive opinion of the actual capsule; my example sounded like a laughable toy thing . . .

_______


Oh, my Lord - this hilarious, and embarassing: these capsules are inverting, so I was auditioning them on 'phones so my voice was out of phase with what was in the phones. Flipping the phase now I see that they do sound quite nice!

Egg - On - Face.

 

[glitterball]

Oh, I see - so you just used the shell and mesh to avoid doing surgery to the CM-60 grill.

But I was responding to @MicMaven 's post about it and @jp8 's positive opinion of the actual capsule; my example sounded like a laughable toy thing . . .

exactly (in my case the cm-63 grill).

 

[k brown]

exactly (in my case the cm-63 grill).

Ah, yes.

The bolt length isn't a problem on the CM-60 bodies.

These are indeed less crispy on top than CM-60 or CM-63 even after having their grilles removed.

Note that the brass mesh on the front obscures the fact that the diaphragm is aluminized Mylar, not gold-sputtered.

 

[MicMaven]

Oh, my Lord - this hilarious, and embarrassing: these capsules are inverting, so I was auditioning them on 'phones so my voice was out of phase with what was in the phones. Flipping the phase now I see that they do sound quite nice!

Egg - On - Face.

NO WORRIES, old man! Just use your daily "Mulligan" and like a bad slice in golf, all is forgotten and forgiven as if it never happened - but only ONCE per day! (Ask my wife -she make sure I never take two in any 24 hour period ... and I seem to recall irking Mr. @pmfalcman with this one time ... )

The interesting bit is that it sounds rather like the original Takstar capsule, and both sound far apart from the MXL 700 model (which I find harshly bright as does Mr. @jp8 .) And all for JUST $8 us (including shipping) - which makes it really cheap, easy fun to experiment with, and I can use it under dodgy circumstances without risking the original capsule. I am not yet as brave as Mr. @glitterball, because I have yet to take one apart. I may order a couple of extra units just to open them and see what gives.

Thanks for the follow up. James

 

[MicMaven]

I like the ebay capsule best. The 700 is quite mid-focussed, probably intentional to give it a vintage sound. Don't like it. But that's subjective.

Jan

I appreciate your take, especially about the the MXL capsule. I was surprised by how much brighter, mid-forward it is, as I expected it would be the better of the three.

All of which makes me wonder about the effect of different bodies on various capsules. While the MXL 700 sounds as you describe on the pencil style Takstar CM-60 body, it sounds fuller, less brash in a larger LDC size and style body. Not wonderfully better, just substantially / noticeably better, so maybe it matters how one deploys one's capsules.

Thanks for the uptake. James

 

[k brown]

NO WORRIES, old man! Just use your daily "Mulligan" and like a bad slice in golf, all is forgotten and forgiven as if it never happened - but only ONCE per day! (Ask my wife -she make sure I never take two in any 24 hour period ... and I seem to recall irking Mr. @pmfalcman with this one time ... )

The interesting bit is that it sounds rather like the original Takstar capsule, and both sound far apart from the MXL 700 model (which I find harshly bright as does Mr. @jp8 .) And all for JUST $8 us (including shipping) - which makes it really cheap, easy fun to experiment with, and I can use it under dodgy circumstances without risking the original capsule. I am not yet as brave as Mr. @glitterball, because I have yet to take one apart. I may order a couple of extra units just to open them and see what gives.

Thanks for the follow up. James

I found that these capsules are very easy to ruin by taking them apart. The center terminal is just a small flat-head screw that's threaded into the cheap plastic backplate piece, with contact to the backplate itself by a spring between it and the screw head. I found out the hard way by shortening the screw so that it would fit more comfortably onto a CM-63 body; the torque of sawing with a razor saw ruined that part where the screw contacts the backplate.

Also, simply taking one apart and putting it back together, without changing anything, ruined it's sound. I ended up tossing all the guts and putting CM-63 parts inside as @glitterball did.

Got another pair coming, to do some more 'careful' experiments with . . .

_________

Keep in mind, cobblers: these things are inverting, so use accordingly!

 

[pmfalcman]

Anyway, for a few dollars, one gets a capsule casing. Cheaper than to order one to be made.
A casing in which, for example, the Aseyer/ISK/Tascam/Marantz capsule can be mounted into. Or other.

And an additional diaphragm spacer.
And an additional diaphragm.

Quite useful for experiments, I'd say.

---------
Sorry to ruin your day, Mr @MicMaven but I do not recall being irked. Please accept my sincere apologies.

 

[MicMaven]

Anyway, for a few dollars, one gets a capsule casing. Cheaper than to order one to be made. A casing in which, for example, the Aseyer/ISK/Tascam/Marantz capsule can be mounted into. Or other. And an additional diaphragm spacer. And an additional diaphragm. Quite useful for experiments, I'd say.

---------
Sorry to ruin your day, Mr @MicMaven but I do not recall being irked. Please accept my sincere apologies.

Good points. James

PS - Here is a link to your previous comment in the BM-800 thread "complaining" about Mulligans - somewhat ironic as today is another Sunday! (Despite your protestations, you have a superb grasp of the language and its comedic nuances. Sarcasm that good is hard to come by!)

https://groupdiy.com/threads/bm800-capsule-mod.89385/page-4#post-1179985

 

[pmfalcman]

PS - Here is a link to your previous comment in the BM-800 thread "complaining" about Mulligans - somewhat ironic as today is another Sunday! (Despite your protestations, you have a superb grasp of the language and its comedic nuances. Sarcasm that good is hard to come by!)

https://groupdiy.com/threads/bm800-capsule-mod.89385/page-4#post-1179985

I was just calmly but firmly pointing out your inappropriate behaviour. On a Sunday morning!!
 One's sitting comfortably brain dead on a sofa, with a cup of tea, aiming to pleasantly slide into the world of exotic microphonic words, ready to read about Khron's curves or k brown's shortened body and suddenly Wham! is Daily Mulliganed without as much as a cough of a warning. Really, sir! Very ungentelmanly behaviour. But let's not dig into the subject further. Some things better be left forgotten.

BTW - great memory! On par with wifes' memory.... ummm ... Where was I? Oh, yes - thank you for your kind words.

As for the sarcasm - it's within anyone's reach, nothing special really. One needs to be born as a grumpy, cynical old man and then practice every day. Piece of cake.

I'll get a few of these capsules for the casings alone. Some half-cooked plans are wandering aimlessly around my head.

 

[Khron]

ready to read about Khron's curves

Wait, should i be... concerned in any way? I'm very happily engaged, y'know...

 

[pmfalcman]

Wait, should i be... concerned in any way? I'm very happily engaged, y'know...

I meant frequency response curves. Obviously.
What were you thinking about??
It's a thread about microphones. Microphones! We stick to the subject... Trying to anyway. Even on Sundays.

 

[MicMaven]

Wait, ........ I'm very happily engaged, y'know...

Well, shoot, Mr. @Khron . Being happily engaged is easy. Being happily married is a very rare condition. Remember ... after the wedding, negotiations are OVER! Until then, you still have some clout. (No smiley thingy here, as this is a very serious matter!)

James