Topic: The AKG Actives Project

[willndmb]

those look nice
but i agree with tim too
on the other hand,(if i understand this stuff right) i personally think it would be better to have a box that acts as bodies, like the jk box vs a box thats a pre too
that way you could use any pre you wanted

edit, actually i think the best would be just cables where you used the "real" 480 bodies and so it went like this
cap > active cable > body > cable > pre
i think that would be smaller overall compaired to a box but maybe i am wrong

I would have to agree here, just think if a battery box/pre were painstakingly engineered and manufactured, but nobody liked the way it sounded, that would be a disaster, and since hardly anyone agrees on which flavor of preamp they like best its likely to happen

thats what i was trying to say, just not so well

[grider]

those look nice
but i agree with tim too
on the other hand,(if i understand this stuff right) i personally think it would be better to have a box that acts as bodies, like the jk box vs a box thats a pre too
that way you could use any pre you wanted

edit, actually i think the best would be just cables where you used the "real" 480 bodies and so it went like this
cap > active cable > body > cable > pre
i think that would be smaller overall compaired to a box but maybe i am wrong

I would have to agree here, just think if a battery box/pre were painstakingly engineered and manufactured, but nobody liked the way it sounded, that would be a disaster, and since hardly anyone agrees on which flavor of preamp they like best its likely to happen

thats what i was trying to say, just not so well

in the end, there is probably no better match for the ck line of caps than the 480 body, just add an active cable to pair them remotely, what could be simpler and more natural

[it-goes-to-eleven]

those look nice
but i agree with tim too
on the other hand,(if i understand this stuff right) i personally think it would be better to have a box that acts as bodies, like the jk box vs a box thats a pre too
that way you could use any pre you wanted

edit, actually i think the best would be just cables where you used the "real" 480 bodies and so it went like this
cap > active cable > body > cable > pre
i think that would be smaller overall compaired to a box but maybe i am wrong

I would have to agree here, just think if a battery box/pre were painstakingly engineered and manufactured, but nobody liked the way it sounded, that would be a disaster, and since hardly anyone agrees on which flavor of preamp they like best its likely to happen

Don't hold your breath. That isn't likely to happen.

It is done with Schoeps because the schoeps bodies are *designed* for it.  They have extra connectors.  Those connectors are fed extra power for the buffer circuit.

The MG bodies are not designed for this.  They do not have extra connectors. They do not supply power for a buffer circuit.  Someone would need to design a cable with a battery to feed the buffer circuit, etc.  I don't have AKGs so I can't look to see if they are the same way but I'm guessing they are.

I would like to see a solution that consists of a tiny box that supplies the capsules with 48v (via pass-thru) and contains a buffer circuit ala sonsosax. It could be much smaller than an nbox because it would not contain the batteries to supply 60v, nor the 9volt batteries. It would not generate 48v (though maybe a special version would). The 48v would come from the upstream pre-amp.  This should be a very simple circuit and very cheap.

I've done a little work on this but haven't had much time (and spring is coming..).

[poorlyconditioned]

those look nice
but i agree with tim too
on the other hand,(if i understand this stuff right) i personally think it would be better to have a box that acts as bodies, like the jk box vs a box thats a pre too
that way you could use any pre you wanted

edit, actually i think the best would be just cables where you used the "real" 480 bodies and so it went like this
cap > active cable > body > cable > pre
i think that would be smaller overall compaired to a box but maybe i am wrong

I would have to agree here, just think if a battery box/pre were painstakingly engineered and manufactured, but nobody liked the way it sounded, that would be a disaster, and since hardly anyone agrees on which flavor of preamp they like best its likely to happen

Don't hold your breath. That isn't likely to happen.

It is done with Schoeps because the schoeps bodies are *designed* for it.  They have extra connectors.  Those connectors are fed extra power for the buffer circuit.

The MG bodies are not designed for this.  They do not have extra connectors. They do not supply power for a buffer circuit.  Someone would need to design a cable with a battery to feed the buffer circuit, etc.  I don't have AKGs so I can't look to see if they are the same way but I'm guessing they are.

I would like to see a solution that consists of a tiny box that supplies the capsules with 48v (via pass-thru) and contains a buffer circuit ala sonsosax. It could be much smaller than an nbox because it would not contain the batteries to supply 60v, nor the 9volt batteries. It would not generate 48v (though maybe a special version would). The 48v would come from the upstream pre-amp.  This should be a very simple circuit and very cheap.

I've done a little work on this but haven't had much time (and spring is coming..).

Yep, a good starting point.  48V should work (and appears to be used on the Sonosax), but to run *properly* you will need 60V.  Anyway, I'm all for starting out simple with a "pass through" circuit.

I'm going to buy a set of caps (soon!) and experiment.  But, as I said ealier, no need to ask here.  If *anything* happens, you'll hear it hear first...

  Richard

[thegreatgumbino]

in the end, there is probably no better match for the ck line of caps than the 480 body, just add an active cable to pair them remotely, what could be simpler and more natural

JW Mod 460 bodies 

[Sanjay]

So I'm assuming that inside these collette heads Nick or someone else is going to build a FET to match up with the cap.  If thats the case then i'd probably want a pair with lemo connectors on the other end and try to run it with the sonosax sx-m2/ls2.  The sonosax lemosax can run any pair of mic capsules with a fet at the capsule end, so AT853's, franken naks, schoeps with any actives, KM140's with any actives, AKG ck91,92,93 caps, ect...

If someone put a FET in with this i'd be very very interested.  Just a thought too if the box becomes an option some people don't want

[esteyes]

hewllo all, i am new to the thread but have chatted with Matt recently about MK46's etc. i do own three of the CK8X capsules that use the MK46. unfortunately i only have 2 of the MK46 cables. i would love to get a third cable - either AKG oem or something from this project. anyway on page ten i saw this post:

Just a note to grider's mention of the ck1x and mk46 cable being useful for the cable to connect the capsule to the 480's.  In fact niether of these items would be useful, the mk46 cable will not work with the 480, it has different connections and a different anchor (which the 480 is missing) so if one were to model the new one after the mk46 it would not work.

will, i am not so sure about all the discussions about the "bias" ring. the reality is that my schematics show that ring not connected to anything in the 460 electronics. plus when the MK46 is screwed onto the 460 body, the threaded housing contacts the 460 body as well as the "bias" ring. i believe that akg used it for a second shield (note that the MK46 cable is triaxial in construction) to eliminate as much RFI/EMI as possible from the umbilicle cable. if you look at the german schemo for the MK46 cable, they call the two outer wires in the cable SCREENS - an old term for ground. one would have to check to see if the corresponding capsule end is actually connected after the LEMO connector or if they left it floating (as is done in many car and home RCA cables) to provide extra shielding...

anyway, i dunno if this has been covered previously. if so, my apologies. just trying to assist. has anyone tried to order the plastic insert at the end of the 460 body?? unfortunately my experience with AKG have been universally hideous (paid for 2 new diaphrams for the ck8's - was told i must send my MK46's and 460's cause they don't have any in repair, then come to find out the work was never done, yet they billed me and refused to take them back and fix them). i have a wonderful relation with sennheiser usa, dwight and uber, so as much as i like the akg's i am biased toward sennheiser.

btw, sennheiser MKE-2, as well as the ME20/40/60/88's all use a FET in the capsule and they work with only two wires - of course they are electret capsules.....

if i can contribute in any way to this project, please let me know. i do have as couple of excellent machinist friends... maybe get them to do this as a CNC project to make it affordable. i need both ends of an MK46. seems to me you guys are all pretty much after the capsule end only.

neil in san diego

[TaperBryan]

Wow!  Nice Work!  When these AKG N-Boxs are ready to be sold, sign me up!

i agree! +T!

[Chuck]

I wonder how it would sound to put say a Scheops capsule on an AKG body or visa/versa. Anybody follow me here?
Like find a cheap active sytem that works and put another manufacturers capsules on it. MBHO has an active system, but I don't care for the sound of the capsules... I wonder how hard it would be to make an adaptor to fit the various different microphone manufacturers caps on the already existing active set-ups.

Just a thought...

[Professor chaos]

i would think that would be extremely hard if not impossible.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

i would think that would be extremely hard if not impossible.

Have you ever engineered anything that numerous people in the field said was impossible?

[Professor chaos]

no, have you?

[jeromejello]

not for nothing, but didnt freelunch make scheops actives from goosenecks?  thats an achievement in my book 

[it-goes-to-eleven]

no, have you?

Yes.. My point with the comment was to forward the notion that you cannot accomplish the impossible unless you are willing to risk failure by attempting the impossible. People telling you that your plans/project are impossible is great motivation. Though the best ideas are often derided as impossible when proposed and then dismissed as obvious upon success.

The schoeps gooseneck actives project was a nice hack but not near the level of 'impossible'. Though I added some additional pressure because I went public with what I was doing way before the outcome was assured.

An adaptor that allowed the schoeps active cables to take MG caps would be pretty slick..

[bluegrass_brad]

There is an adaptor available to use the older Neumann caps (including the LD ones) on the AKG 451 series mics.  There is a guy in England who machines them. Im sure there are other possibilities for different mics/caps combinations if people checked into it and wanted to do the R & D.