Taperssection.com
Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: goodcooker on May 28, 2019, 05:12:46 PM
-
I picked up a pair of the S51 model ADK mics for real cheap on Reverb and I'm thinking I might do the electronics component modification to them. It's just replacing through hole components with new ones supplied in a kit on a roomy circuit board.
Any thoughts?
The capsule is designed along the lines of the U67 capsule, center terminated with a lift in the high end. Not sure if it's dual backplate like the K67 or not.
They are huge and heavy so I'm not likely to take them out to gigs a lot but I used to run the ADK TLs and they weigh a kilo each...
-
Got these mics today and the circuit board is a little different than the A51 model due to the pad and lo cut switches. Still plenty of room to work but I'm not 100% sure I want to mod them now. They actually sound really good as is. Also surprisingly well matched within .5dB in an informal test.
Used them to record some acoustic guitar, mandolin and electric bass (on a 18 inch Eden cabinet right on the grill) and the tracks sounded really nice with the Aerco, the Grace V2 and even the mushy preamps in my Focusrite interface. Guess I'll take them out for an ontage ORTF jazz recording before I make the final decision.
The only thing I think that would really benefit is that the seller of the mod kits claim that the components are closely matched so for stereo applications they would be better but I don't know if I'm really buying that they match components in a <$20 parts kit - they are probably just saying that based on closer manufacturer tolerances from companies like WIMA, Nichicon, etc....
-
I ave some consideration to this modification idea at first. Then I got the mics out and used them onstage for this trio gig -
https://archive.org/details/JVidacovich2019-07-04.ADKs51.aerco.sbd -
and now I don't think that modding them is going to be necessary.
I'll probably use them onstage - if I use them out at gigs at all, since they are huge and heavy - and I find I don't need much added brightness when used in close proximity to the source. They sound very present with a pleasing clarity when used with the Aerco. I'll use them next with the Grace V2 and see what it sounds like (and how much it weighs).