R/E/P > Klaus Heyne's Mic Lab

Neumann U67 Reissue: Complete Tear Down and Analysis

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RuudNL:
I was a bit surprised that I didn't read a word about the change in shape of the base below the microphone capsule.
In the 'old' U67 there was a dome shaped piece just below the capsule itself.
In the 'new' U67 the capsule sits higher in the headbasket, but the base where the capsule is mounted on, is flat.
IMHO this could influence the sound. Any opinions?

Jim Williams:
That will affect the response. I noticed in similar mics with a domed mount that the shape does create reflections, resonances and some nulls too.

Mounting the capsule a few mm higher can overcome some of those reflections. A complete frequency response plot with the differences would also be informative but that isn't likely to happen here.

klaus:

--- Quote from: Jim Williams on September 05, 2018, 11:22:43 AM ---That (shape of mounting base) will affect the response.
--- End quote ---
Whether or not, or if, how much the shape of the base affects the sound of the mic is probably hard, if not impossible, to listeners. Unless all that is done, the statement is speculation.


--- Quote --- I noticed in similar mics with a domed mount that the shape does create reflections, resonances and some nulls too.
--- End quote ---
Again, speculation, unless proven. I could as well argue (and probably trace) the exact opposite: parallel surfaces - here, a flat base plate, flat capsule sides, flat top of basket- may create standing waves of a higher audible magnitude than the somewhat random reflections off a curved surface (as with the old base).

But the reason I mentioned only the capsule-height differences in my review, and not any acoustical effects of the U87Ai base used in the Reissue vs. the old U67/87 curved one: I did not hear any. And what I heard was the focus of my review.

--- Quote ---Mounting the capsule a few mm higher can overcome some of those reflections
--- End quote ---
How would you know? It might as easily affect just the wavelength of the reflection, with little decrease in its volume, or may result in nothing audible at all. For me, it was the latter. So I left it out of the review.

--- Quote --- A complete frequency response plot with the differences would also be informative but that isn't likely to happen here.
--- End quote ---
No, indeed, "here" we listen to detect subtly of sounds, rather than running test tones or protocols.

Jim Williams:
I have done some tests that exposed the reflection effects. It was so audible the capsule had to be raised up 5 mm to overcome it. It was on a Rode NT-2 that I designed for Rode back in the mid 1990's.

No, I didn't bother with frequency sweeps as I don't have the anechoic room to do that here.

duskb:
Klaus,
Thank you for taking the time to research this mic. I bought a reissue for my employer in October and by and large, in a very unscientific test as compared to an original, I had a hard time hearing any difference. This is not to say that we didn't detect a difference but when blind listening any difference we thought we heard was quickly negated when hearing the next one. If I had more time I suppose I could have dug deeper but it was a moot point. At that point we owned it so we had to accept it for what it was. It is not a bad sounding mic.

This thread made me aware of something though. I personally own three vintage 67s, one with an earlier serial which sounds quite different than the other two. It actually sounds different from any 67 I've heard. I like it better. More creamy in the low end and a bit more soft on the top. Almost like a blend of a 47 and a 67. The finish is different too. It looks as if it was sprayed with a lacquer. I've seen other early 67s with the weird finish before. All serial 19xx and earlier. The reason I ask is I was unaware of impedance strapping for these mics. Maybe the difference has to do with two of them being strapped differently than the other. How do I check to see where the impedance is set and how easy is it to change it? Is the difference I'm describing a version issue or something else?

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