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Author Topic: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' Tubes or: How Authentic Must It Be?  (Read 37266 times)

Plush

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #15 on: December 26, 2009, 03:43:11 PM »

Very fishy---very fishy indeed. Sad
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Hudson Fair
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J.J. Blair

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #16 on: December 26, 2009, 11:45:31 PM »

Yeah.  My bad.  Sorry about unwittingly spreading misinformation.

As far as Tony's point, there's a difference between clever marketing, and outright deception.  I can point to two occasions in particular where the company in question here was in involved in outright deception, including this tube situation.  Hopefully Fletcher's presence there will discourage any future episodes like this, and we can simply judge them on whether or not we like the microphones.  
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Michael Hank

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #17 on: January 28, 2010, 06:24:46 AM »

This thread is bound to become interesting, the VF14 is quite a hot topic if you ask me.

Anyhow.
The VF14 if my U47 died on me the other day and the mic needed service anyway so I sent it to Peter Drefahl of www.drefahlaudio.com here in Germany.
He fitted a VF14 fet substitute from Andreas Grosser.

The M7 cap was also reskinned while he was at it so I cannot really compare, but the thing sounds gorgeous.

Andreas Grosser's VF14 fet subsitute seems to be available in Europe ONLY. This seems illogical to me. Maybe legal issues with TFK USA.
Or are TFK USA the sole US distributor of  Grosser's VF14 fet substitute?

What do I know - speculations, speculations...

Keep 'em coming.


Michael


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Klaus Heyne

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #18 on: January 28, 2010, 02:27:22 PM »

Sound aside, why did you not replace the VF14 with another one?

I am sure you are aware of the fact that the collectible value of the U47 is affected in direct proportion to the parts that would need to be acquired to make the mic all-original again.

With other words: this mic is now worth the exact amount less on the open market that it would cost to buy a well-working VF14. (Can someone with good English language skills make this last sentence more elegant?)
Plus, you spent more money for the VF14 solid state work-around.

Why am I so adamant that this is a bad idea? Because such extreme customization is rarely appreciated by potential buyers of a classic like the U47: the pool of potential buyers who would be interested in a mic with an extreme alteration shrinks so much that the price inevitably drops substantially.

And because, despite frequent assurances by owners to "never sell this mic because I love it so much", this as every other classic mic will of course be offered for sale, sooner or later, sometimes against the best intentions of the owner (illness, financial trouble, new interests, death...)

Typically, substitutions of core parts on a classic mic make more sense when the mic was already butchered to begin with. I.e. the collectible value was already suppressed from the get go.
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Klaus Heyne
German Masterworks
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Schallfeldnebel

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #19 on: January 28, 2010, 03:26:43 PM »

Klaus wrote:"Sound aside, why did you not replace the VF14 with another one?"

If I owned a U47 with a broken VF14, I would probably do the same. These microphones are tools and were made to make recordings. In fact it is sad, these U47's are collectables.

One reason to have a substitute tube could also be to make the microphone useable until you run into a good opportunity to buy the original tube.

SFN
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Klaus Heyne

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #20 on: January 28, 2010, 05:27:43 PM »

I don't think we are talking about a 'substitute tube' here, but about a solid-state FET replacement circuit, if I understood the poster correctly.
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Klaus Heyne
German Masterworks
www.GermanMasterworks.com

API

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #21 on: January 29, 2010, 06:19:47 AM »

From my understanding Andreas Grosser makes a VF14 enclosure with FET electronics inside it that simulates the original VF14.
So it is a drop in replacement without any other mods.

API
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seedyunderbelly.com

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #22 on: January 29, 2010, 06:45:32 AM »

Hi Klaus,

Did you receive your Telefunkin USA Tube yet?  I am sure everyone is excited to hear your unbiased and impressions since it has been a topic in your forum here.  Me too!

jk

Klaus Heyne

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #23 on: January 29, 2010, 01:36:21 PM »

I have not received one yet.
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Klaus Heyne
German Masterworks
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Klaus Heyne

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #24 on: January 29, 2010, 01:39:50 PM »

API wrote on Fri, 29 January 2010 03:19

From my understanding Andreas Grosser makes a VF14 enclosure with FET electronics inside it that simulates the original VF14.
So it is a drop in replacement without any other mods.

If that is the case, and no modifications, not even of the cable, power supply or supply voltages are involved, the reduction in value of such a modified mic will be limited to the cost to obtain a well-working VF14.
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Klaus Heyne
German Masterworks
www.GermanMasterworks.com

compasspnt

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #25 on: January 29, 2010, 03:39:34 PM »

And further, if that is indeed the case, I think it is a pretty good (at least temporary) solution. If you do not have a replacement VF14 to hand, and you want to spend a bit of time searching for the best candidate for you, the fet at least gives you a working mic with a great capsule and xfrmr.
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Deuce 225

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #26 on: January 29, 2010, 08:51:05 PM »

It would be great if someone could confirm that the "Grosser VF14" can be installed without ANY modifications (including the components identified above by Klaus) and...that the U47 will still perform acceptably.

Tim Cochran
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Best,

Tim Cochran

Timeline

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #27 on: February 01, 2010, 05:13:53 PM »

I would also like to hear the substitute and compare it to an EF14. Very interesting!
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Gary Brandt
Timeline

Michael Hank

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #28 on: February 02, 2010, 09:34:29 AM »

The VF14 substitue
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MagnetoSound

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Re: Telefunken-USA 'VF14k' tubes starting to surface
« Reply #29 on: February 02, 2010, 11:45:30 AM »

That's worth a lot, if you're happy with the tone.

Have you been able to hear it next to a real VF14?

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