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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: dmonkey on May 17, 2009, 11:41:11 AM
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One of my AK40 caps is loose. I'm not referring to the part that threads onto the cables or mic body, the part above that (see image). This has gradually gotten worse with time and use. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to seat this part back onto the capsule (no threads; not sure how it was originally fastened). I've never had it come off completely, but I'm getting worried that it will someday (especially when I run wind screens) -- right now it feels like it's barely hanging on by something underneath. I've never removed it completely because I'm not entirely sure what is underneath -- not sure if I'll just kill it completely by pulling it off and looking for a way to reattach.
The good news is that it doesn't seem to be affecting the performance of the capsule at all. I'm still pulling nice recordings with this pair, but I'm getting more and more paranoid about damage and repair.
So....my questions are....
Has anyone seen this before?
What's underneath this part of the capsule?
How can I reattach this piece so it's secure?
Help! ???
Thanks in advance!
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I can't really tell from the photo what has happened to your capsule, but at the very least it looks as if one of the two screws that holds the capsule itself onto the barrel that contains the active circuitry is missing. The two parts of an "active capsule" are manufactured separately and can be physically separated (the capsule "per se" and the barrel that contains the active circuitry).
But Neumann doesn't sell either part separately; if a capsule breaks, they generally replace the entire unit, even though that is quite expensive. So even if you disassemble yours and determine (as is very likely to be the case) that only one part or the other has been damaged, that information wouldn't be likely to help you in any practical sense. On the other hand perhaps it just needs to have the missing screw replaced and to be reassembled and tested.
There's no big secret as to how to take Neumann's "active capsules" apart, but this part of a condenser microphone's circuitry operates at extremely high impedance, and is therefore sensitive to contamination, which can severely affect long-term reliability. Even a person who is skilled in other kinds of audio repair should be cautious about messing around in this area of a microphone. As a result I'm reluctant to say anything other than "send it to Neumann"--they'll give you an estimate, and if the cost is too high for you, you only have to pay the lab fee, which as I recall is $75 these days.
If you're in the USA, you can get a return authorization from sennheiserusa.com and send in the microphone without having to call them first. Best thing about that arrangement is, you can also check back and find out on line exactly how your repair is progressing.
--best regards
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Aw heck, that's what I was afraid of. ;D
I'll get in touch with the service center.
Thanks!!
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Just an update: sent it in to the repair center and they got it back to me quickly and apparently did a free repair. I'm very pleased. I shipped out about 2 weeks ago, got the cap back today. I'm a happy man. ;D
Big kudos to the Sennheiser repair center folks.
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DSatz that is some really great advice.