The Good, The Bad, and the even Worse . . .eBay mic body.

[MicMaven]

Heavyweight Blue Microphone Body - The Good, The Bad, and The Lousy.

I purchased a new microphone body with a matte blue body tube and chrome head basket. It feels very substantial and my first impression was it would be fairly durable over time. Its tapered inner frame is approximately 110 mm long, 40mm wide at the top, and 32mm wide at the bottom. It has two sets of mounting screws more or less midway between top and bottom, which are, oddly, the same distance (29mm) apart. This differs from a typical BM-700/800 with mounting holes approximately 30mm apart. The body tube measures 2.5mm thick, which is relatively thick compared to a typical BM-700/800 body tube which measures 1.2 mm thick.

Photos depict the actual item I received, captured in haste in my ersatz home photo “studio.”

[Note: All measurements are approximate and highly suspect given the low cost of my lab equipment, while providing a useful basis for comparison.]

The GOOD:

Body and head basket are heavy and substantial. The frame is medium gauge, slightly heavier duty than a BM-800 frame, but lighter than some other microphone bodies. Both body and head basket are slightly longer than typical BM-700/800 parts. The chrome base is very thick, heavy and nicely finished – as long as you look out for burrs inside the ring left over from the manufacturing process. The item arrived carefully wrapped in light duty bubble wrap.

The BAD:

The wire grille is only lightly pressed into place – not soldered or glued. It can easily be removed and misaligned with fairly light finger pressure. The round top end separated easily from the other bit. The tapped threads for mounting the head basket to the frame are not exactly the same size, so I had to try several screws before I found one with a good grip. (Parenthetically, my young bride often says I “need to get a grip…” - but that can wait until another day!)

The DOWNRIGHT LOUSY:

(1) The microphone arrived wrapped in plastic bubble wrap which allowed condensation causing the grille to oxidize/rust. The author removed the oxidation with a high grade, low abrasion metal polish. Time will tell if it recidivates. The Seller quickly offered a substantial discount to remedy buyer disappointment. The original head basket is cylindrical. The author swapped it for an angled example from a BM-700 body.

(2) Worse yet, it “pings” and rings like a church or school bell, even gripped by a shock mount and when gripped firmly in the hand. The attached audio file corroborates the point comparing it with another body acquired on eBay.com, an MXL-880, and a typical BM-700, respectively, all of which fared better than the new blue body. Play the file and judge for yourself.

View attachment thumping 1 .wav


MY CONCLUSION: GAME OVER. While I was looking forward to a good experience, I am, in fact, rather disappointed and unable to recommend or promote this as a good option. Of course, this is solely based on my brief experience with just one example, so, perhaps, your mileage may vary. I have already taken it out of service. Would anyone like to buy a low mileage, nearly new microphone body going cheap? . . . . . / James

 

[Khron]

The microphone arrived wrapped in plastic bubble wrap which allowed condensation causing the grille to oxidize/rust.

That presumes that happened in transit, and not in the manufacturer's(?) warehouse

Worse yet, it “pings” and rings like a church or school bell, even gripped by a shock mount and when gripped firmly in the hand.

I've seen that happen not with BM700's, but with Alctron MC001 / Apex 435 / tbone SC400 and whatever else shares that lineage. The body's solid, but the headbasket goes "boinnnnnng" if you tap it

Other than that, looks a lot like the less-expensive (i dare not call them "cheap" or "cheaper") Telefunkens of nowadays...

 

[micolas]

Heavyweight Blue Microphone Body - The Good, The Bad, and The Lousy.

I purchased a new microphone body with a matte blue body tube and chrome head basket. It feels very substantial and my first impression was it would be fairly durable over time. Its tapered inner frame is approximately 110 mm long, 40mm wide at the top, and 32mm wide at the bottom. It has two sets of mounting screws more or less midway between top and bottom, which are, oddly, the same distance (29mm) apart. This differs from a typical BM-700/800 with mounting holes approximately 30mm apart. The body tube measures 2.5mm thick, which is relatively thick compared to a typical BM-700/800 body tube which measures 1.2 mm thick.

Photos depict the actual item I received, captured in haste in my ersatz home photo “studio.”

[Note: All measurements are approximate and highly suspect given the low cost of my lab equipment, while providing a useful basis for comparison.]

The GOOD:

Body and head basket are heavy and substantial. The frame is medium gauge, slightly heavier duty than a BM-800 frame, but lighter than some other microphone bodies. Both body and head basket are slightly longer than typical BM-700/800 parts. The chrome base is very thick, heavy and nicely finished – as long as you look out for burrs inside the ring left over from the manufacturing process. The item arrived carefully wrapped in light duty bubble wrap.

The BAD:

The wire grille is only lightly pressed into place – not soldered or glued. It can easily be removed and misaligned with fairly light finger pressure. The round top end separated easily from the other bit. The tapped threads for mounting the head basket to the frame are not exactly the same size, so I had to try several screws before I found one with a good grip. (Parenthetically, my young bride often says I “need to get a grip…” - but that can wait until another day!)

The DOWNRIGHT LOUSY:

(1) The microphone arrived wrapped in plastic bubble wrap which allowed condensation causing the grille to oxidize/rust. The author removed the oxidation with a high grade, low abrasion metal polish. Time will tell if it recidivates. The Seller quickly offered a substantial discount to remedy buyer disappointment. The original head basket is cylindrical. The author swapped it for an angled example from a BM-700 body.

(2) Worse yet, it “pings” and rings like a church or school bell, even gripped by a shock mount and when gripped firmly in the hand. The attached audio file corroborates the point comparing it with another body acquired on eBay.com, an MXL-880, and a typical BM-700, respectively, all of which fared better than the new blue body. Play the file and judge for yourself.

View attachment 147270


MY CONCLUSION: GAME OVER. While I was looking forward to a good experience, I am, in fact, rather disappointed and unable to recommend or promote this as a good option. Of course, this is solely based on my brief experience with just one example, so, perhaps, your mileage may vary. I have already taken it out of service. Would anyone like to buy a low mileage, nearly new microphone body going cheap? . . . . . / James


View attachment 147271View attachment 147272View attachment 147273View attachment 147274View attachment 147275

I've been studying this body for the past year. The small diameter prevented me from ordering it. It's too expensive for what it offers.

 

[MicMaven]

That presumes that happened in transit, and not in the manufacturer's(?) warehouse

Perhaps, but why presume? There is no telling how or when the moisture was introduced; we only know it was wet on arrival. (He typed, recalling cross examining "expert opinion" - i.e., expensive guessing.)

The body's solid, but the headbasket goes "boinnnnnng" if you tap it

Not so, Dick Tracy! While the body IS solid and heavy, that is what rings! The head basket/grille is OK even with other bodies. Here, the tube rings, with or without other grilles. I separated it from the rest of the kit and suspended it with a string and it goes "Ting" when I thump it with mh finger. It is loud enough to start a boxing match, and reminds me of the tuning fork I use with my guitars. It appears to be the same cast aluminum used in certain project boxes and guitar effects pedals, providing substantial mass, easy and low cost manufacture. (He surmised, imagining he is a metallurgist ... of course, he is not, but he recently stayed at a Holiday In Express ... so he can do pretty much anything he wants at this point.)

Listen and judge for yourself. Crazy, eh? I get more of a "thud" from other mic bodies.

View attachment two pings from mic body 1 .wav

AMENDMENT to FIRST POST -

a) The head basket now refuses to cling to the inner frame. The holes were either tapped too big for the included screws or the threads have stripped under the slightest pressure. I assure you, I am very careful and do not over tighten screws, in fact, I set my TORQUE WRENCH to a very low pressure .... The upshot is, the original basket is unusable without a massive application of CA glue (or as Mr. @pmfalcman recommends) copious quantities of epoxy. Unfortunately, the inner frame is too long to fit any of my other microphone projects, so I will salvage the capsule saddle and toss the rest in the parts bin.

b) On a more positive note, the bottom retaining ring is very heavy and nicely chromed and fits some other microphone bodies, so it might become part of another microphone project.

Of course, your mileage may vary. JHR

PS - to Mr. @micolas - while it is not very big around, it DOES hold the popular JLI OPA Alice boards and is approximately 41 mm ID - approximately equal to the MXL-880. So it MIGHT be big enough for some projects, provided you can manage to overcome the terrible microphonics handling noise discussed above ... um ... ahem ... never mind, it really IS unusable as you surmise!
JHR

 

[micolas]

PS - to Mr. @micolas - while it is not very big around, it DOES hold the popular JLI OPA Alice boards and is approximately 41 mm ID - approximately equal to the MXL-880. So it MIGHT be big enough for some projects
JHR

Hi James!
I'm especially interested in a larger diameter headbasket, for reasons of micro-acoustics around the capsule. A convenient arrangement can act as an acoustic deeser.
*****
I've always liked miniature builds, so in any body I have enough space for the electronic circuit, especially since I often build p2p-3D.

In the picture, kept only as a memory, from the late 70s, is a small FM transmitter OIRT norm, frequency stabilized with quartz, which worked in a simple wireless microphone, the receiver was a miniature radio and then the signal went into the PA. The audience was excited when you sang among them

 

[MicMaven]

from the late 70s, is a small FM transmitter OIRT norm, frequency stabilized with quartz, which worked in a simple wireless microphone, .......The audience was excited when you sang among them

Yes, very cool. James

 

[pmfalcman]

Kind of Jonathan Carroll's style description: everything's lovely and rosy and BAM! - a dead (and ringing body). And talking bullterriers.

In this case I'd reccomend soldering. 3 spots, 120 deg apart and silicone from the inside.
You know - it's neccesary to keep Faraday in his cage. Or Nicholas. Or something like that.
So I heard.

For the moment I've no solution for the problem of The Ringing Corpse Body.
Shorten it?

BTW vinegar's great for removing rust. Just drop it in vinegar for few hours. Of a good night's sleep.
And also great for cleaning electrical connections that turned green. And spilled batteries' remnants.
Would also (probably) slightly tone down this shiny chrome. Some say - garish. But it should buff out. Or not. I prefer matt finishes. Never felt an urge to Polish anything except...well, never mind.



The thread of lovely, young bride's grip was unnecessarily abandoned.
(He remarked offhandedly in absolutely innocent voice)

 

[pmfalcman]

In the picture, kept only as a memory, from the late 70s, is a small FM transmitter

Lovely stuff!

 

[micolas]

*****
I've always liked miniature builds, so in any body I have enough space for the electronic circuit, especially since I often build p2p-3D.

In the picture, kept only as a memory, from the late 70s, is a small FM transmitter OIRT norm, frequency stabilized with quartz, which worked in a simple wireless microphone, the receiver was a miniature radio and then the signal went into the PA. The audience was excited when you sang among them

Paweł ( @pmfalcman ) he just gave me a Like because he recognized those small, good and beautiful Polish ceramic capacitors, which I took from a Unitra radio, he probably remembered his youth

 

[pmfalcman]

Paweł ( @pmfalcman ) he just gave me a Like because he recognized those small, good and beautiful Polish ceramic capacitors, which I took from a Unitra radio, he probably remembered his youth

I admired your work. The concept and resorcefullness. In the 70'. In our reality then... If I'm not mistaken you had even worse access to electronic parts than we had.
Plain and simple.
Sorry to disappoint you

And you wrote Paweł with an ł!!

 

[micolas]

I admired your work. The concept and resorcefullness. In the 70'. In our reality then... If I'm not mistaken you had even worse access to electronic parts than we had.
Plain and simple.
Sorry to disappoint you

And you wrote Paweł with an ł!!

You remember well!
We lived in a closed system.
Lucky that we had a Romanian electronics industry. We produced semiconductors and integrated circuits under different licenses. In that picture you can see the Romanian-Polish collaboration. Transistors are produced here, BF199 and BC108, as well as quartz crystal. Now our electronic components industry has disappeared, China produces much cheaper.
*****
(Now I remembered, through those capacitors I listened to the banned broadcasts of Radio Free Europe, I followed what was happening in your country with great hopes and desire for freedom...
Later I followed the struggle of Lech Wałęsa and Solidarity)

 

[pmfalcman]

You remember well!

All too well..........

Lucky that we had a Romanian electronics industry We produced semiconductors and integrated circuits under different licenses.

Hehe, we also had such industy, as you well know. But this didn't mean easy availability.
People "hunting" for specific transistors and such.

n that picture you can see the Romanian-Polish collaboration. Transistors are produced here, BF199 and BC108, as well as quartz crystal. Now our electronic components industry has disappeared, China produces much cheaper.

You know how our factories were created.
How ineficient and costly the production lines were. They had to collapse. They could function only in our artificial system.

*****
(Now I remembered, through those capacitors I listened to the banned broadcasts of Radio Free Europe, I followed what was happening in your country with great hopes and desire for freedom...
Later I followed the struggle of Lech Wałęsa and Solidarity)