Changing the transformer of a T.bone ribbon with a Lundahl LL2912?

[Emdprodukt]

Is it worth it? I'm getting my hands on those:

http://www.thomann.de/de/the_tbone_rm700.htm


http://www.thomann.de/de/the_tbone_rb500.htm

After comparing I wanted to get another one for blumlein action.
A lot of people seem to mod their chinese ribbons but the LL2912 is almost as much as the mic itself so I want to be sure it's worth it. Any experience?

 

[Emdprodukt]

Anyone ?

 

[if6was9]

Got the Fame (musicstore.de) version of the RM700. Never modded it though. Also have a t bone rb100.

I have heard that a good mod and cheap/free is to open it up and tighten the ribbon filament. I've never done it myself but apparently it can really help get the most out of the stock mic. Gotta be careful as if you break the filament the mic is useless.

 

[Emdprodukt]

Yeah and removing some of the foam and mesh is helping aswell. Which ribbon do you prefer?

 

[if6was9]

Haven't used the rm700 much yet but I like the rb100 alot. Must a/b them next week when I do a session.

 

[~BURNY~]

The RB500 is easier to mod and sounds better than the rm700 imo. I have a RB500, an Apex 210 (same mic as the RB500), a rm700, an Apex 205 and a rb100.


I like the 500/210 the best, 205 is cool too, rb100 is interesting but a bit noisy and a lot darker than the others... Never really liked the rm700.

That being said, there can be a big sonic difference between two of the same chinese produced ribbon mics.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

Damn, the RB100 is only 79 incl the shockmount...
I've just paid the same JUST for the (cheaper) shockmount for my r121...should have bought this instead

 

[colonel kurtz]

I have heard that a good mod and cheap/free is to open it up and tighten the ribbon filament

i wouldn't just go in there and start dicking with the ribbon just to do it...but many, many, chinese ribbon mics ship with sagging/stretched ribbons due to mishandling at the factory, or being improperly packed when shipped

if you plug the mic in and hear a clanking sound while rocking it back and forth, it's definitely sagging. if you open it up and see it visibly drooping, it's sagging. in either case the ribbon should be tightened, and if possible tuned to somewhere from 30-40hz.

 

[Emdprodukt]

I like the 500/210 the best, 205 is cool too, rb100 is interesting but a bit noisy and a lot darker than the others... Never really liked the rm700.

That being said, there can be a big sonic difference between two of the same chinese produced ribbon mics.

What didn't you like about the rm700?

...and if possible tuned to somewhere from 30-40hz.

How would I do that?

 

[colonel kurtz]

honestly i don't remember how it's "properly" done, but i remember that it's a fairly painstaking process

there was a big discussion on ribbon mic mods/DYI fixes on another forum a few years ago, and michael joly of oktavamods was the one who specifically mentioned having them "tuned" to somewhere between 30-40hz. he then explained how those who install the ribbons usually go about it...i then threw out the idea of tuning the ribbons thru resonant frequencies. just like a fretted guitar string will cause the string below it to vibrate if you play the same note, you could conceivably play a 30-whatever hz sine wave next to the ribbon as you stretch it taut, and tighten it down as soon as it begins to vibrate. he called my idea genius, and said he would try it, but i don't know if he did, or what sort of results he may have gotten. i wasn't trying to necessarily be all that smart about it, it just popped into my head as the easiest way to go about it!

 

[~BURNY~]

What didn't you like about the rm700?

Mine is a bit harsh in the high mids or something. Maybe I'll post a shootout...

 

[Emdprodukt]

Mine is a bit harsh in the high mids or something. Maybe I'll post a shootout...

That would be really cool!

 

[~BURNY~]

Ok here it is... Totally unscientific though. Tried to keep a similar position for each mic. The result isn't particularly flattering but you can really hear the (big) differences between them. Used my 6505 and Mesa cab with some DI files from Widek.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2973685/Chinese Ribbons.rar

 

[Emdprodukt]

Awesome! Thanks!

I like the Apex 210 the most, prefered the rm700 over the rb500. The rb500 has some really bad spikes in this shootout but this could be the position of the mic. The rb100 is pretty muddy and lowmid heavy. The rm700 is a little bit thin in the lowend but that could work great in a dense metal mix.

What do you think about the shootout?

 

[~BURNY~]

I liked the two Apex the best but I dialed the tone trough the 210 so it's logical that it sounds more balanced. I agree the 500 sounded weird in this case. Not sure why. Maybe it didn't like the 300 ohm setting on my pre. Didn't like the rb100 and the rm700 at all but they can probably sound better than this with a more refined placement and tone dialing.
I think they're generally all usable depending on the source. They're nice cheap mics to have around although not very reliable.

 

[Emdprodukt]

We'll see how the rm700 and the rb500 compare on drum room. Will post a shootout as soon as possible!