Earlier in this thread I mentioned my regard for the MXL V67g. Now my modifcation R&D work on this mic is complete and I can reveal the following about my suite of upgrades:
Headbasket Upgrade - OktavaMod clients have mentioned their strong preference for the clarity and detail offered by a single mesh layer headbasket. Converting a mulit-layer headbasket to a single layer increases the open area percentage of the grille and reduces internal reflections that cause standing wave coloration. So both frequency (more top end sparkle) and time domain (more precise transient response) improvements will be heard. This was the headbasket design pioneered in the AKG C 12 and has subsequently been adopted by the $5000 Manley Gold Reference mic.
Capsule-to-FET Wiring Upgrade - Evidence Audio LYRIC HG solid copper wire is used exclusively in all OktavaMod LDC mic upgrades. I was a skeptic at first, but about two years ago a "golden-eared" client of mine insisted LYRIC HG wire be installed his microphones. The difference was amazing - there is a subjective impression of tighter time alignment of harmonics to fundamentals, a more musical and precise sound in other words.
Input Coupling Capacitor Upgrade - The entire low level signal from the microphone's capsule passes through this one part - it has a critical impact on the sound of the mic! It is incredible that thousands of Chinese mics have been, and are still being shipped with grainy, rough and edgy-sounding ceramic input coupling capacitors that cost less than 1 cent. Without revealing proprietary information, the stock ceramic cap will be replaced with a high quality, very stable, low distortion capacitor from one particular manufacturer that costs over 200 times what the Chinese vendor spent to install a cheap ceramic cap in this critical location. Not only will signal purity be improved but frequency response extension as well.
FET Upgrade - Did you know that almost every Chinese-made microphone uses the same FET? It is true that the 2SK170 FET used in all these mics is a very low noise device, however it delivers less impactful transient response than the FET used in these upgrade. I'm not alone in my preference for an alternative to the 2SK170 - Jim Williams of Audio Upgrades is a strong proponent of the very fast J305 FET as an alternative. I agree with Jim's thinking, but I have a slight sonic perference for a different device. The FET in your mic will be upgraded (including re-biasing) with a faster device from one particular manufacture that has the best specs of any FET of its type to deliver more precise transients and better low level resolution.
Signal Path Capacitors Upgraded - Bass response extension of the circuit will be improved by over an octave through value changes to signal path capacitors while high frequency linearity will be improved through the subsitution of non-polar types for polarized electrolytic caps.
Peluso Output Transformer Upgrade - Finally, reaching the output stage, the distortion-prone Chinese transformer that contributes to the smeared "S" sound ("eshshshh") will be upgraded to a Peluso transformer specially designed for use in lower voltage swing circuits like FET microphones.
All in all,
this is a complete front-to-back upgrade of the V67g designed to deliver lower distortion, tighter bass and a smoother sibilance-free top end with greater midrange resolution and detail.