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Post by craigmorris74 on Jul 20, 2020 9:09:59 GMT -6
I have the MK67 with upgraded transformer, but still has the tube that came with the mic. For those of you who have tried several tubes in your mics, which one did you end up preferring?
Thanks,
Craig
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Post by ragan on Jul 20, 2020 9:23:33 GMT -6
I have the MK67 with upgraded transformer, but still has the tube that came with the mic. For those of you who have tried several tubes in your mics, which one did you end up preferring? Thanks, Craig NOS Tele EF86 (from bowie). Really a nice upgrade from the PF86 the MK67 ships with. |
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Post by Vincent R. on Jul 20, 2020 9:54:09 GMT -6
Using a 1959 Amperex EF86 tube in my upgraded MK67. It was a bit more mellow and harmonically rich than the Telefunken. The mic just sounds incredible with this configuration, so I grabbed a back up as well. Both tubes are really indistinguishable from each other.
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Post by EmRR on Jul 20, 2020 10:14:29 GMT -6
The PF86 with mine was the thinnest sounding of a half dozen I tried. I went with an 80's Tesla, was the most balanced. The Mullard I had was downright tubby and cloudy. My Amperex was on the thinner side.
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Post by nudwig on Jul 20, 2020 10:35:39 GMT -6
I have a Telefunken EF86. Ordered a Valvo EF86 last week to try, should be here soon.
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Post by indiehouse on Jul 20, 2020 11:18:05 GMT -6
I've got a pair of MK67's with Neumann transformers in both. Over the years, I've picked up a few tubes from Bowie, a grey plate Telefunken EF86 and a silver plate Telefunken EF86. I also bought a mid-1950s Mullard with an extra long glass envelope. This is a special one and the coloration is very lush and rich.
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Post by Ward on Jul 20, 2020 13:59:23 GMT -6
Ef806s from 1960 for the taming of the shrew
EF806S from 1959 for all other comers.
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Post by stormymondays on Jul 20, 2020 14:22:32 GMT -6
Whatever came in the U67 reissue. Ain't broke, don't fix!
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Post by stam on Jul 20, 2020 14:29:37 GMT -6
The 67 re-issue sounds quite different from a vintage 67 and it's probably because of the tube.
Of all the mics I have made this one is the most affected by the tube in it. You want a NOS EF86 tube.
The year does not matter as long as it's a before moving production to lesser capable facilities.
My preference in order
Telefunken EF806
Siemens/Telefunken EF86
Valvo EF80
RFT EF86
Any NOS E86
Current made EF86.
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Post by stormymondays on Jul 20, 2020 14:36:06 GMT -6
Before I decide to mess around with tubes for my U67 I would need to get a second one and put them side by side. Only THEN I could swap a tube and hear for myself if it really made a useful difference. I can't think of any other way to test this that doesn't involve the use of laser meters, creating a test recording with a measurement mic, playing it back through a flat monitor, etc. Way too complicated!
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Post by stam on Jul 20, 2020 15:10:57 GMT -6
Before I decide to mess around with tubes for my U67 I would need to get a second one and put them side by side. Only THEN I could swap a tube and hear for myself if it really made a useful difference. I can't think of any other way to test this that doesn't involve the use of laser meters, creating a test recording with a measurement mic, playing it back through a flat monitor, etc. Way too complicated! You can sing a phrase within the same distance and hear what the tube does. It is that drastic. You want to test the tube on the same mic, not another one. Neumann has a huge tolerance on their capsules. |
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Post by aremos on Jul 20, 2020 16:33:06 GMT -6
Whatever (Tung Sol?) came with the "new" U-67 from Neumann.
Klaus has talked about Amperex & NOS Telefunken but I didn't interpret it as a must or a drastic difference.
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Post by craigmorris74 on Jul 20, 2020 17:17:29 GMT -6
Lots of different thoughts on this! I think I have an Amperex EF86, so I'll give that a spin and compare it to the PF86 in the mic.
Some posters are missing the fact that I have a MK67 installed in a U87ai, not a Neumann reissue.
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Post by indiehouse on Jul 20, 2020 18:03:21 GMT -6
Lots of different thoughts on this! I think I have an Amperex EF86, so I'll give that a spin and compare it to the PF86 in the mic. Some posters are missing the fact that I have a MK67 installed in a U87ai, not a Neumann reissue. With the Neumann transformer? If so, what’s left that would make an audible difference? Same circuit. Same headbasket. Same capsule. Same transformer. Get an NOS EF86 and have a better tube. Get a run of Gotham GAC-7 and have a better cable. |
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Post by mike on Jul 20, 2020 20:43:44 GMT -6
Whatever came in the U67 reissue. Ain't broke, don't fix!
Having tried a number of tubes in multiple mic's through the years, there was always a sonic difference between them all. Occasionally small but often by a good margin with a quality NOS tube in the same vein always outperforming a current stock one IME. I'd be surprised if you tried a good NOS Tele EF86 tube in your 67 reissue and didn't leave it in after comparing it to the stock one FWIW. Ward would know more specifically about the sonic differences between stock and NOS tubes in the reissue I would guess since he put NOS tubes in his 67.
Mike
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Post by thirdeye on Jul 20, 2020 21:28:08 GMT -6
Unfortunately I'm not a big tube connoisseur. The tube in our 67 is what's been in there the whole time we've had it, a GE 6267. After reading this thread, perhaps I'll try a different one to see if I like it more.  |
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Post by stormymondays on Jul 21, 2020 3:39:20 GMT -6
Call me crazy, but I think the company that actually invented and built the mic is capable enough to select the appropriate tube. Any tube change will mean a sligh change in gain. If the tube I put in is even a half dB hotter, it's going to sound "better". It's a very difficult experiment to make.
However, I agree that I might just pop a new tube in, love it, and that would be it. I'm not ruling it out...
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Post by Ward on Jul 21, 2020 7:03:47 GMT -6
Whatever came in the U67 reissue. Ain't broke, don't fix! Well, it isn't broke but it's definitely short of cash . . . It sounds ok, until you try a NOS Telefunken or other outstanding tube. And seriously I have two favorite tubes for my U67 and each one changes the character. 1960 Telefunken 806S - makes it sound a little more strident like a U47 or maybe UM57. 1959 Telefunken 806s - smooth as silk. Just a beautiful smooth finish on the capture. The stock tube? It will sounds rather anemic after you use a good one. |
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Post by 000 on Jul 21, 2020 7:05:58 GMT -6
Call me crazy, but I think the company that actually invented and built the mic is capable enough to select the appropriate tube. Are any of the same people responsible for the original designs even still around? Are there any sennheiser/Neumann mics that folks think sound as good as the originals? |
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Post by Ward on Jul 21, 2020 7:18:44 GMT -6
Call me crazy, but I think the company that actually invented and built the mic is capable enough to select the appropriate tube. Are any of the same people responsible for the original designs even still around? Are there any sennheiser/Neumann mics that folks think sound as good as the originals? An excellent self-answering question . . . but another one springs to mind: In the original, you can snip S2 and get more low-end or snip S3 and get more high-end. I've never done THAT, just know folks who said they have and used mics that allegedly had the mods, and well, something was definitely changed. Can you do that (please avoid the Meatloaf jokes, chessparov) with the reissue? - not saying I want to. |
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Post by EmRR on Jul 21, 2020 7:31:09 GMT -6
Call me crazy, but I think the company that actually invented and built the mic is capable enough to select the appropriate tube. .....for current production. Not many options. Individual tube parameter variations directly affect capsule loading in a way no other mic does, so it’s a very obvious and organic relationship and outcome. It dwarfs the experience of trying a half dozen 1st stage tubes in a guitar amp, makes that look like hardly any difference at all. A tube that sounds best in one mic may not sound best in another, since the important test parameters are one particular capsule with one particular tube. |
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Post by stormymondays on Jul 21, 2020 7:49:21 GMT -6
Ok, ok, I’m succumbing your peer pressure. I’ll try some!
As for the S2 question, yes, you can snip it. The reissue only differs from the original in the headbasket assembly, because it uses the current one (same as U87 Ai).
Who likes current production Neumann mics? Ask Al Schmitt. I think he’s done a few records...
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Post by stormymondays on Jul 21, 2020 7:54:33 GMT -6
Who’s got a good source for NOS tubes in Europe? And how long does it take to change the tube and put the mic back together?
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Post by tkaitkai on Jul 21, 2020 7:56:48 GMT -6
Neumann has a huge tolerance on their capsules. What makes you say that? I would think that Neumann, of all companies, would have the machinery & expertise to manufacture within very narrow tolerances... everything I've read seems to confirm this. Can you explain what you mean? |
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Post by m03 on Jul 21, 2020 8:55:38 GMT -6
Call me crazy, but I think the company that actually invented and built the mic is capable enough to select the appropriate tube. In the case of the U67RI, I've seen a couple of people at GS talk about trying different tubes and coming back to the one provided my Neumann as being the best (for their use case). Of course, probably a couple of dozen other people posted about trying Telefunken etc and liked those better. YMMV.
Personally, I wanted to keep the stock tube as a fallback for my U67 RI, so I ordered a few different NOS tubes for mine. The first one I tried was the Valvo EF86, and I subsequently had a "yeah, this is fine" moment and didn't bother with any of the others. Neumann has a huge tolerance on their capsules. What makes you say that?
I've noticed that to be a common observation amongst people who have related products or services to sell.
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