Topic: Do MBHO bodies fit in Shure A53M Doughnuts?

[F.O.Bean]

VERY tight fit. I use teh donuts for my KwonBars and they are 20mm. I have tried them on both my 480's and my MBHO's(both 21mm) and they are TIGHT. I have never successfully got them on there because I didntw ant to break them!

[Jammin72]

Check out the Shocks for the Milabs... for 21mm mics!

Milab 3221

[manitouman]

Check out the Shocks for the Milabs... for 21mm mics!

Milab 3221

At $80 a piece that's a bit steep. I was wondering if the rubber donut comes out of the A53M? If so, may be I can cut a notch at the very top of the shock mount so that it allows the rubber donut to expand some more. I'm sure the rubber will expand it's probably just the plastic fitting that the donut sits in that restricts it from moving too much. Does that sound feasible? All I need is for it to give a couple of millimeters and we're good. So even if I just split the top of the mount it would allow a bit of movement.

Let me know what you'all think about that...

[Jammin72]

At $80 a piece that's a bit steep.

I thought so too... I'm on the hunt for a pair a bit less pricey I'll let you know if I find them retail.

I'm dubious about modifying shocks, it seems like such a critical place in the transmission line.  If you've got a couple thousand dollars invested in microphones and recording gear transmitting unwanted vibrations to the transducers just seems poor form.  That being said, the Shures are economical enough to think about modification. Good luck!

[manitouman]

Thanks for that reply! +T

And that's what I was thinking, I've found the A53M's for $31 and some change brand new. I'm thinking if I just split the top of the plastic, perhaps even just notch out 2mm, it should allow the rubber piece to expand and not be so tight with a 22mm mic. There would still be enough plastic to hold the rubber piece firmly where there may be no vibration to speak of. It's all just speculation though. I have to find out if the rubber piece comes out, and if someone has already done this and what are their success/failure stories about it.

Anyone know if that rubber piece comes out?

[johnw]

Not sure if the rubber comes out, but it is filled with a white powder like talc that seems like it could damage diaphragms, so be careful not to get any holes.

[F.O.Bean]

that sucker is GLUED in there good. I doubt that would do anything. if you nothc a hole in it, how is the shock going to isolate? it will be like a flattened water balloon

[OFOTD]

Old thread, I know, but didn't want to start a new one....

The Neumann KM100's are 22mm in diameter. I'm using the Peluso CEMC6 mics which are also 22mm. So my question is...Just how tight is the fit? I really like this mount for non-bulky (is that a word?) purposes, but want the advantages of using a shock mount. So I guess what I'm asking is what are your experiences with these shock mounts and 22mm diameter mics. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Not happening i'm afraid.  The KM100 (22mm) is just way too big to even stretch the doughnuts out to try and get them to fit.  Sorry.

[Javier Cinakowski]

my mics (at U873R) are 20.6mm, I just bought one and will repot back when it arrives.   I hope it fits!

[F.O.Bean]

my mics (at U873R) are 20.6mm, I just bought one and will repot back when it arrives.   I hope it fits!

theyll fit, along w/ the 480's/MBHO's, but its VERY tight. if you could leave them on, then youd be SET. Id just be way too afraid to put them on/remove them every show

[manitouman]

Thanks for the info. I was under the impression that the rubber donut may be able to come out and that it was made of solid rubber. Being filled with talc really puts a stake through that one. And I can see how notching the plastic retainer piece would not help things at all. I'll just have to keep looking for something else.

+T's all around. Thanks everyone!

[manitouman]

I wonder if the A55M shockmount would work if I added some electrical tape to the inside of the rubber piece to decrease the diameter? It's rated at 23mm...

Any thoughts?

[F.O.Bean]

I wonder if the A55M shockmount would work if I added some electrical tape to the inside of the rubber piece to decrease the diameter? It's rated at 23mm...

Any thoughts?

sure would! might not even need it.

[datbrad]

I have been running A53M mounts for many years with my 460s with no issues. Snug fit, particularly in summertime. To avoid this, I simply swipe a little talc on my fingertip a couple of times a year and swab the inside of the rubber ring just a tad, and the 460 bodies slide in and out just fine. I actually like the snug fit because I know the mics are secure when mounted.

A couple of clarifications on some statements from earlier posts.

The ring is hollow and filled with air, not powder. It is basically like an inner tube, and just like an inner tube, has some talc inside but air is what inflates them. Also, they can deflate permanently if mishandled, and I don't believe they can be modified without risk of deflating the shock ring.

If you look at photos of GD shows from the late '80s and early '90s, you can see Bob, Jerry, and Phil singing into Milab mics with either Milab shocks or the A53Ms shocks. That is how I first found out about these Shure mounts.

[DSatz]

The Shure A53M fits a microphone with 20 mm outer diameter, e.g. Schoeps or the original AKG C 451 from the 1970s.

Neumann fet 80 KMs used to have 21 mm diameter, and you could force them into the A53M, but doing so would rip the Neumann badge off sooner or later. Nowadays Neumann makes their small microphones 22 mm, so they don't fit at all any more.

--The attached photo shows the wrong way to use a shock mount, or at least one wrong way that I've seen a lot (surely there are others). A limp loop of cable should be isolated from the stand before it plugs into the microphone, or else it will conduct vibrations from the stand to the microphone like a string between two paper cups. The microphone should have a range of free motion within the shock mount, so that the elasticity of the shock mount--not the cable or anything else--is what restores the mike to its center position, if you push on it one way or another and let go.

The one major shortcoming of the A53M is that it doesn't give you a way to form this isolated "limp loop" of cable. You have to use a clip on the boom arm to do it.

--best regards