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todd ellis
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 Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:02 am Post subject: |
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in my experience with enak - (also on a 77-DX refurb) you'll have a lot better luck with a phone call than email ... just sayin' --- SUPER, SUPER service & reliability - and the guy knows his stuff! took me forever to get an email back - but he picked the phone right up.
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Living Culture
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Joined: 14 Oct 2007
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Location: Taipei
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:21 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the tip. Not sure what the call charges are here though. I'm thinking of maybe sending it to be refurbished at the same time, but unsure if its needed yet. This is my first ribbon mic, how do i tell when ribbon should be replaced? I am still getting lots of interference on the signal, but my thoughts that it was more susceptible to RF interference were dispelled.
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todd ellis
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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you might be surprised at how inexpensive a full refurb is with enak --- i was. when i first got mine (i found it in a box in a transmitter shack) it looked like crap & when i plugged it in i got RF as clear as if i'd dialed it up on purpose. i re-wired it myself the first time and that went away. after 15 or so years i sent it to enak for a pro run-through and a new ribbon and got, easily, 15db of gain back, which is one of the symptoms that you need a new ribbon - low output and decreased low-frequency response. With your mic open, it’s pretty easy to see if the ribbon sags. i am told you can tighten the ribbon yourself - but it takes a delicate touch and a bit of luck.
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kgenus
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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Were I in your shoes, I'd just box it up and send it off to ENAK and get the whole thing refurbished. I've sent three mics there and had nothing but stellar results. Cost wise, one mic looked like it had been battered by a pre-schooler with a baseball bat and it came back looking amazing.... for $290.
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Living Culture
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 7:41 am Post subject: |
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That is indeed a lot cheaper than I thought it would be. I'm considering doing that very soon.
There does seem to be a significant amount of gain loss; so I really need to crank the RF buzz to get anything out.
From what I've read about replacing ribbons, that the worker literally needs to hold his breath while doing it, I am reluctant to try that. (Although my curious side really wants to give it a bash.)
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Mike Sommer
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Joined: 05 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 10:01 am Post subject: |
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Well don't be tempted to adjust the ribbon on the mic. It more than likely needs a complete service: magnets cleaned, new ribbon and transformer checked.
~~~~~~~~
Just a word on 77. I can say I've never found a 77 that I really liked. They all tend to sound different and are just a "thin" sounding mic. This is the findings of others as well. Which is also why you don't see may 77's in studios, but you will find 44's - at least around these parts.
Now I know you love this mic, I love all my ribbons too. But the reality remains is that a 44BX is a much better mic for VO than the 77.
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Living Culture
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 10:49 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Well don't be tempted to adjust the ribbon on the mic. It more than likely needs a complete service: magnets cleaned, new ribbon and transformer checked. |
That reminds me of another ignorant question. Is the type of ribbon used a major contributor to its tone? I'm, thinking I could try get the Superlux factory is close to me, but not sure if the ribbons they use would be the same quality. The mic definitely is not. I had the ribbon tweeters on my monitors replaces with generic types without affecting the sound too much, but the Monitor ones aren't that great to start with.
| Quote: | | But the reality remains is that a 44BX is a much better mic for VO than the 77. |
Thats not really an issue for me. I want the 77 for other applications; vocals and guitars mainly.
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todd ellis
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:56 am Post subject: |
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yeah - i don't use mine for VO either - it gets a lot of on-stage use, though. and i wasn't really suggesting you try to adjust the ribbon yourself - just send it to clarence and he will make you happy. my refurb was less than $300 also.
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Mike Sommer
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Living Culture wrote: |
That reminds me of another ignorant question. Is the type of ribbon used a major contributor to its tone? I'm, thinking I could try get the Superlux factory is close to me, but not sure if the ribbons they use would be the same quality. The mic definitely is not. I had the ribbon tweeters on my monitors replaces with generic types without affecting the sound too much, but the Monitor ones aren't that great to start with. |
Don't be tempted to roll your own. The material is 1.8 is microns thick and corrugated.
And with each ribbon mic (the 44, 77, BK 5A) the ribbon has a specific width. Trying to fake this by yourself is a waste of time, because the ribbon needs to fit exactly in the motor.
| Quote: | | Thats not really an issue for me. I want the 77 for other applications; vocals and guitars mainly. |
In regards to mics, we're just choosing brushes and colors. It's just a matter of whether or not you're getting what you want from the mic. Like I said I've only heard one good 77, where as the 44 are pretty constant.
Another good ribbon for guitar is the Royer R-121 or the R-122 with 14dB's of additional output. At the Walt Disney Hall here in LA, they sound delicious on classical guitar.
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Living Culture
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | just send it to clarence and he will make you happy. my refurb was less than $300 also. |
I've put that on my to--do list!
| Quote: | | In regards to mics, we're just choosing brushes and colors. It's just a matter of whether or not you're getting what you want from the mic. Like I said I've only heard one good 77, where as the 44 are pretty constant. |
I'll definitely grab a 44 or Royer if one comes up. With mics like these, I just keep an eye on the used market here, which isn't quite as stocked as US e-bay. I'm partly just happy owning a historic mic, especially considering I paid about US$125 for it. I think that was a steal in any condition.
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Mike Sommer
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:47 am Post subject: |
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Indeed a steel. Let me know of any other such deals... PLEASE.
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Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong. |
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Living Culture
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:24 am Post subject: |
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I'll keep an eye out, but good deals are not very common. Most pro-audio gear goes at about 80-90% of retail price.
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Billy James
Contributor II
Joined: 29 Mar 2010
Posts: 72
Location: Dreamland, USA
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:11 pm Post subject: Another parts source... |
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Another source for RCA 44 and 77 parts is Big D Broadcast Exchange:
www.bdmc.com
Darrin does very good RCA cosmetic restoration work. He sells replica 77s that look like they just came out of the carton in 1933, and can even do a working model with an LD condenser inside (I think he uses a modified Oktava 2-series element). |
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Living Culture
Contributore Level V
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Location: Taipei
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| Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:23 am Post subject: |
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Is the above post spam or is it just my browser redirecting to bogus sites?
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Billy James
Contributor II
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Posts: 72
Location: Dreamland, USA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Living Culture wrote: | | Is the above post spam or is it just my browser redirecting to bogus sites? |
Not spam -- just a typo. The actual address is
www.bigdmc.com
Sorry about the flying fingers... |
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