What are our options for building small diaphragm condensers?

[midwayfair]

The DIY world is swimming in LDCs, but my collection is missing a solid small diaphragm condenser -- something with really good transient response and plenty of top end as a complementary mic when recording acoustic instruments..

I already know I want something in the x84 family (based on what I've recorded with in the past -- and I actually preferred the 184), and I can match circuitry but not capsules.

So what are my options as far as getting bodies to build circuits in, and the appropriate capsules?

 

[jasonallenh]

The only ones I've seen are the the Tape Op ones that are built into XLR connectors. Nothing special, but they can be useful. Omni only, I believe.

 

[midwayfair]

The only ones I've seen are the the Tape Op ones that are built into XLR connectors. Nothing special, but they can be useful. Omni only, I believe.

Heh, yeah,  the little electret things. Actually, Amazon has electret capsules for like $1. I was looking more for externally polarized condensers. I know it's a small -- at times even meaningless -- difference in sound, but, well, there is doing something because we need to and doing stuff because we can.

 

[Delta Sigma]

Beesneez used to (or maybe still do) offer their Lulus as a kit. The catch is that their sale price for a pre-built pair is the same as the kit price.

I have a pair and they sound great. You may be able to get their capsule off them but once you buy their capsule and the body to fit it, there's not a lot left to DIY.

 

[midwayfair]

I've got some old transformerless V-Tech dynamics. I found four of them in a box of my dad's old PA stuff. Not much room in there for circuitry, but I could definitely get an electret circuit, and there's a switch on the outside (originally to turn the mic off) that I could use for a pad or whatever.

Anyone have suggestions in that regard? I can fit a half inch capsule pretty easily inside the heads.

EDIT: Actually, I could get almost an entire inch ... 3/4" easily inside the plastic holder that already exists in the mic.

 

[ricardo]

Transound Capsules available in the US from JLI http://www.jlielectronics.com/search.php?search_query=mic&show=1 led to the rise of the whole Yahoo MicBuilders https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/micbuilders/conversations/messages community.

Their capsules are used in the better Chinese mikes and also in some offerings by Rode & the big Germans.

The MicBuilders forum has some measurements of the efforts of various members.

The gems are TSB165 & 160 for 16mm cardioids.

One of the best 25mm Cardioid capsules you can buy at any price is the TSB2555 and the related TSB25AX3 ... better than the cardioid versions of many vintage LDCs.  My measurements of Zephyr's efforts are in the MicBuilder Files.

They are all electret ... but of the 2 best SDC cardioids in the known universe  ... one is electret.

Recently, it has been possible to buy Primo capsules as used in the old Nakamichi mikes.

There's much discussion about DIY circuits for mikes including the popular Alice and Zap's detailed & tested versions of the Schoeps with the polarizing voltage oscillator.

If you can machine the matching threads, you can use these with DPA, B&K, Neumanns, AKG, Gefell etc capsules.

 

[midwayfair]

Thanks, Ricardo.

I knew about the 2555 but I had thought that the housing was bigger. It looks like it's almost exactly the same size (including the housing) as the dynamic capsule in the V-Techs. Might be a challenge to get the Schoeps circuit in there. I've got four of these things, though ... and the capsules are inexpensive. Pad would be a good idea for the switch that's on the bodies since the mic would have kind of low headroom.