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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: jkoch on August 29, 2004, 12:54:21 PM

Title: AKG 460s problem
Post by: jkoch on August 29, 2004, 12:54:21 PM
ok, so i just got these and have been trying to run them and come by some problems. i don't know what the problem is and realize there may be a bit difference in the db levels since akgs aren't matched, but it's ridiculous. during total silence in my house i have both mics on set at the same level on the ua5, one is showing no signal at all while the other is halfway up the levels meter on the jb3. i listen and hear nothing out of one, a ton of just wind type static noise out of the other, and they're pointed at the exact same thing...a wall. i ran them at dmb last night and it was the same sort of deal, way down on the left (as in as low as the ua5 could go), way up on the right (as in like 80% of max gain on the ua5) just to try and balance, then during music it was about even, when there wasn't music one channel was significantly (like half of the levels bar) higher than the other..it also seems like one mic has a much higher range than the other and can go from being a lot lower to higher while the other mic stays pretty much constant. i've switched cables, ua5 inputs, capsules, everything so i know it's the one mic body that is rather screwy. i've also checked to make sure both mics are on the same settings and they are. no bass rollloff, no -10db. help me out guys.
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: caymanreview on August 29, 2004, 12:55:51 PM
sounds like it/they need a trip to akg to get checked out
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: jkoch on August 29, 2004, 01:09:11 PM
sounds like it/they need a trip to akg to get checked out
yea, well i was hoping for something other than that since i just shelled out $600 for them from someone on here 2 days ago..
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: Mojowill on August 29, 2004, 01:25:22 PM
are the caps on tight, and check the set screws to make sure they are all tight.  I have 480's and have heard that loose set screws can really mess with them. 
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: Brian on August 29, 2004, 01:25:55 PM
more specifically a problem with the mic body's internal pre.  especially if the levels are that drastically apart.  that really sucks man.  +t for your troubles.  i'd send them off to AKG as well :-\

- of course will just brought a good point as well :)
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: jkoch on August 29, 2004, 01:32:21 PM
tightened and swapped capsules, it's an issue with the one body. checked both screws as well and nothing. would the williams mod fix this without having to send them back? i was planning on that anyway, so i may just do that then instead of sending off to akg or trying to get my money back.
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: Tim on August 29, 2004, 01:32:59 PM
sounds like it/they need a trip to akg to get checked out
yea, well i was hoping for something other than that since i just shelled out $600 for them from someone on here 2 days ago..

I'd message them and see if they'd be willing to work with you on splitting the costs of the akg repairs.
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: Brian on August 29, 2004, 01:33:42 PM
tightened and swapped capsules, it's an issue with the one body. checked both screws as well and nothing. would the williams mod fix this without having to send them back? i was planning on that anyway, so i may just do that then instead of sending off to akg or trying to get my money back.

definitely worth looking into!
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: caymanreview on August 29, 2004, 01:51:22 PM
email the guy who does the m,ods... doesnt he replace a bunch of stuff inside, and i bet he could take a look and/or fix it
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: EA on August 29, 2004, 02:36:45 PM
If you're going to send them off somewhere, you might as well send them off to JW and have them moded while they're there.  ;D
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: jkoch on August 30, 2004, 07:54:58 PM
If you're going to send them off somewhere, you might as well send them off to JW and have them moded while they're there.  ;D
will he be able to find and fix whatever's wrong though? would the mod alone fix the problem you think?
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: super-phat-al on August 30, 2004, 09:03:23 PM
its worth a shot with the mod, i love mod.  i can hear the difference, when i was researching the 460s.  check it out, im sure jim williams would check the mics before he mods them and tell what he can do.
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: jkoch on August 30, 2004, 09:39:35 PM
i'll give him a call. i'd rather not pay and have them shipped there first if he can't fix what's wrong (before doing the mod). be kind of silly to get one mic modded and have to pay to have the other sent back, then sent to akg, then sent back to him.
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: EA on August 31, 2004, 10:18:42 AM
Give Jim a call (he's slow with email). I'm sure that he can fix whatever is wrong with 'em. He's a freakin' audio electronics guru. He can fix anything. And the mod is well worth having done. Might as well have it all done at once. Also, Jim's turn around time is super fast. You'll have 'em back before ya know it.
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: goose on August 31, 2004, 12:57:48 PM
Give Jim a call (he's slow with email). I'm sure that he can fix whatever is wrong with 'em. He's a freakin' audio electronics guru. He can fix anything. And the mod is well worth having done. Might as well have it all done at once. Also, Jim's turn around time is super fast. You'll have 'em back before ya know it.

yep!
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: jkoch on August 31, 2004, 03:40:35 PM
talked to JW, he says he doesn't know exactly what it is and i'd most likely get back a moddified mic that still has issues and won't work right. in other words, his advice is to send it to akg first.
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: EA on August 31, 2004, 04:14:01 PM
Well that's a fuckin' drag. Did you talk to the person you bought 'em from to see if they'd step up to help with cost of repairs? Hope you get it all worked out. Never any fun to buy something and have it not be usable.




talked to JW, he says he doesn't know exactly what it is and i'd most likely get back a moddified mic that still has issues and won't work right. in other words, his advice is to send it to akg first.
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: jkoch on August 31, 2004, 04:21:28 PM
ok, so i think i'm a moron and that i didn't look closely enough the first time. upon elaborate testing today i've concluded that it actually is one of the ck61 capsules. i think i got thrown off before b/c the jb3 did that change left > right and right > left thingy when i paused the recording i was making to swap the capsules. this time i just monitored everything multiple times and wasn't actually recording, etc and it's clearly one of the capsules..sorry for the bother guys
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: ChrisV on August 31, 2004, 04:44:50 PM
I had a similiar problem with my very first pair of Superlux capsules(one of them).  One side would have heavy levels just like that when recording nothing and if you cranked both sides of the UA-5 you could get a very audible hum/buzz out of one side...changed capsules with bodies and narrowed it down to a problem with one capsule.   Think it was a grounding issue.    They had me return the whole set to them and they sent me an entirely new set since it was under warranty.
Title: Re: AKG 460s problem
Post by: muj on September 01, 2004, 03:22:55 AM
may i suggest stephen paul audio to fix your mics.Finest service and work there is.