[MartinG]

I have two GDR-made Gefell MV691 Mics and five M94 capsules. Never dared to
use them for serious recordings, but at home they didn't sound bad ( but a
bit shy in the lower range) - but all different, except for two. Now I've
sent them to MTG to check them and maybe convert them to phantom power and
XLR.
The price for the conversion would be 90-100 Euro each + (19 % tax), which
is still o.k.
But they found holes in all of the diaphragms, so I'd need at least two
replacements for a stereo pair. These would cost 200 Euro each, so the
overall sum including tax will be around 700 Euro.
Some parts of the Mic would be like new then, but... is it worth it??? Or is
it better to sell them (and the power supply) and to buy something new?
Neumann KM184 for example...

Martin

[Scott Dorsey]

In article , MartinG wrote:
I have two GDR-made Gefell MV691 Mics and five M94 capsules. Never dared to
use them for serious recordings, but at home they didn't sound bad ( but a
bit shy in the lower range) - but all different, except for two. Now I've
sent them to MTG to check them and maybe convert them to phantom power and
XLR.
The price for the conversion would be 90-100 Euro each + (19 % tax), which
is still o.k.
But they found holes in all of the diaphragms, so I'd need at least two
replacements for a stereo pair. These would cost 200 Euro each, so the
overall sum including tax will be around 700 Euro.
Some parts of the Mic would be like new then, but... is it worth it??? Or is
it better to sell them (and the power supply) and to buy something new?
Neumann KM184 for example...

First of all, why bother to convert them to phantom power? If you have the
supply, you might as well use them that way.

The big question is whether the consistency issue is in the electronics or
the capsules. Pinholes in the diaphragm aren't necessarily a problem if you
can keep the things dry enough, and that means storing them in a bag with
some silica gel and not using them at outdoor festivals in the rain. Big holes
in the diaphragm are bad.

I like the way the nickel diaphragm capsules sound, and these are really
the only way to currently get the nickel diaphragm and a cardioid pattern
today. They are very different than a KM184... if you like the way they sound,
it's well worth the money. Otherwise send them to me because I like the way
they sound.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."