Someone emailed me asking about the JW mod 460's. I compiled most of the information that I could find on TS.com and summarized it as the following for ease of research.
Jim Williams (JW) started doing these mods to the AKG 460's for studio recording. It spilled over into field recording eventually. To quote Jim, "
...the 460 mod includes transformer removal, new LT opamp, Hitachi transistors, MIT caps, etc. Low end extends to 2 hz. Top end has smoother clearer sound with great low level detail, all the plastic overtones are moved. I have Schoeps, B+K, etc., and these are the most real mics I've heard. You can hear yourself smile from 3 feet away!"
Jim compares having the mod done to , "when your driving up a mountain and your ears pop." Several people that have run both the stock 460's and the JW mod 460's have confirmed that this is an excellent description.
JW also compares the mod 460's to the DPA 4011, 402x series of mics. Moke & Goose ran a comparision of the JW mod 460's > V3 and the DPA 4022's > V3. The results showed the highs of the mod 460's to a tad harsher and the 4022's to be more enjoyable overall, but the differences of the two were so little that most people didn't think the marginal increase of sound quality for the 4022's justified the big cost differential. Moke's post and the responses can be read here:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=48168.0 Basically the mod 460's give you a transparent, super detailed mics (the "high speed sound"), with an extended/tighter bass response, and when he mods them he matches the bodies.
Here's a picture showing what JW removes from the 460's:
JW charges $350/pair for the mod and it takes about 1-2 weeks depending on his workload and how you ship them. The 460's aren't made any more and don't come up for sale used very often. The bodies seem to go for $350 - 500 depending on the condition. If they come with caps they're more obviously.
JW told me the bodies with serial #'s prior to 9,000 or 10,000 have a different roll-off switch. The old bodies had three separate pads run horizontally, where as the newer bodies have one vertical pad. He said the older ones are not as easy to do the mod on and he doesn't recommend it. Something to think about if you're in the market. You don't want to get stuck with a pair that isn't modable. This thread has a picture of the one with three pads and the one with one pad:
The other bonus with the 460's over the 480's is that they can be run with the ck1x caps, which the 480's can't. The 460's can also be run with the AKG active cables, which are very rare. Leegeddy & JAH are working on a set of actives that will work with the 460's and 480's, but no idea when they'll be available.
