OK, so the GS maintenance crew ****ed up and didn't have a backup. nice.
So I'll use my own backup if you don't mind.
JP's Reply to Mad:
Hi Mad,
JP, with the Chinese doing all of your work I'd think you have plenty of free time
Good one!
But maybe I have it all wrong. I don't want a war with you or anyone else. Who needs that? I have always liked ADK and have stated nice things about your products, especially the AP1.
So, let me start over. Allow me to simply ask a few questions:
JP, please tell all of us what makes your designs new and exciting.
Well I believe that over the years I've developped an ear for microphones... the response for the first Hamburg, a realtively "dark" sounding mic when super bright mics were all the rage, seems to indicate that I'm doing something right. I try hard to get my designs to sound real but at the same time, have a little bit of extra personality that might be useful when recording.
How do they differ from your other designs?
The MKI? Well, Larry basically said, spec parts and components for those mics the way you'd spec a mic that you would male for YOURSELF. So with the MKIIs, I didn't have to deal with "but doing this will increase the production cost too much". That's a big difference right there. With the new capsules, I could get the tone I wanted without having to add drastic EQ in the mic (the Hamburg especially has a lot of EQ built in).
What improvements have been made?
New circuit, new components, new caspules, new PCB layout, new accessories, new bodies. All improvements.
How do these compare to long standing designs from other mic makers?
I, and I'm not the only one, prefer the MKIIs over old standards like the original 414 and 87. I have a 414 and a 414EB which I sometimes use because they have their distinct tones. I still haven't used my 87 this year though. I know I'v been compalining about the 87 for ages. So now I can say "hey, listen to the HII Au, that's what I wish the 87 sounded like". But our new mics aren't as technically perfect as a 103 or a Gef 930. I mean, those are excellent mics. However, I'm not a big fan of their sound... I think that at some point we'll try to make super quiet mic with a very high overload margin. But at this point we prefer to stick to making the things sound good.
Honestly, I don't care if a mic is made on the moon; I only care about the sound.
I have mics (maybe yours) and preamps (Chameleon Labs, GT The Brick) with a Chinese heritage and make no apologies for them.
But you have gotten my curiosity piqued about the version II mics, so if I may ask:
In what country is the transformer made?
It's made in the UK by OEP.
In what country is the High-End FET made?
I have no idea and the country varies from batch to batch, just like most transistors and other components.
In what country is your boards stuffed and soldered?
PCB: mainly China
Transformer + capsule wiring: USA
I appreciate your honesty in answering the question about the capsule, even if I think your marketing is misleading.
If you don't answer these questions I'll understand - I guess the backlash from having all of the mic components made in China, including having the boards stuffed there, might be more than you wish to endure.
I've been mad at China for a long time. Only now do I see the end of the tunnel. Good stuff can come from China. It just takes a lot of effort...