Rode NTK tube upgrade

[SoulSpace]

For those of you with an NTK, I just wanted to share that I upgraded the tube in my Rode NTK from the stock to a mullard and...it makes a big difference. Mellows out (somewhat) the high end sizzle, and gives a much fuller low-mid response, real...tubey. I am extremely pleased with the $79 I spent.

http://store.tubedepot.com/nos-6922-mullard.html

[I <3 The Beatle]

Thanks for the info

i've never gone into or played with a microphone..is it an easy job to swap the tubes yourself?

[SoulSpace]

Real simple. Unscrew the top, remove the two screws over the tube "protector", pull the tube, replace the tube, replace the two screws on the protector. Two minutes...seriously.

Record an A/B test, before/after. It'll blow your mind. This mic with the new tube is actually VERY good (if you want a warm sound).

[I <3 The Beatle]

Very cool, I'll have to look into it.

I actually really like the NTK on acoustic instruments, but for vocals it does seem brittle unfortunately.

Thanks again

Back to my hole

[Sergievsky]

ok, that's 2 posts I've seen that says it makes a big diff, and one that says waste of money. I still might do it though.

[gregl]

I've tried it with several different NOS tubes. There is no question that it makes a significant improvement.

[VO-Guy]

Another vote for changing the tube. Made a difference for me also.

[elral]

i just put in a NOS tesla e88cc in my NTK . It was like 40 bucks and it's a BIG change for the better- richer lows, less harsh highs. The change is easy..

[MaestroNYC]

Anyone replace the stock tube in a K2?

[zaczac]

Hmm, sounds appealing. Still, I love that top end zing on pianos I don't know that I want to loose that. I'm sure it'd be a way more useable sound though.

[kidvybes]

Originally Posted by MaestroNYC

Anyone replace the stock tube in a K2?

...I upgraded both my NTK & K2 with Siemens E88cc gold-pinned tubes purchased on eBay for about $20 each...noticeable improvements on both mics (maybe a bit more noticeable on the NTK which was particularly "brittle" sounding on some vocals)...

...the German manufactured 6922/E88CC/6DJ8 tubes (Siemens) and the Dutch (Amperex) versions seemed to be the most highly praised...if one of these variations say either "Made in Germany" or "Made in Holland" regardless of the brand, odds are they are either Siemens or Amperex tubes relabelled...the best deals can be had on RCA 6DJ8 gold-pinned (marked Made in Germany)...still flying under the radar for reasonable street prices (I've scored a few for less than $10!)...

[frankie c]

My vote is to replace it with a TELEFUNKEN ECC83/12ax7 ...

even a used one is WELL worth the upgrade....

I upgraded my AKG SOLIDTUBE , and it made a difference....

[kidvybes]

Originally Posted by frankie c

My vote is to replace it with a TELEFUNKEN ECC83/12ax7 ...

...bad idea...the ECC83/12ax7 (as well as the 12at7, 12au7, 12ay7 variations) are not compatible with the E88CC/6922/6DJ8...same number of pins but different pinout and circuit voltage design...

...the Rode mics were designed to utilize the 6922 and the compatible variations are 6DJ8/ECC88/E88CC/CCa
(see link: The 6DJ8 / ECC88 / 6922 Tube)

...the 12ax7 is compatible with 12at7/12au7/12ay7 variations with various gain ratings
(see link: The 12AT7 / ECC81 Tube)

...the Tele 12ax7 are highly praised for use in guitar amplifier circuits, while the 6072 (high-grade 12ay7) are preferred in tube microphones that utilize the 12at7 type tubes...

[reddirt]

I used to not use the NTK because it was too bright . Put a nos mullard ($86} in it and I regularly use it . Could be my ears aging though......... No seriously it is better.
Cheers, Ross

[BOWIE]

$79 and $86 for a Mullard ECC88?? Ouch! Mullards of this type are not prized as they are in the ECC83 variation.
As far as 6922/E88CC/ECC88/E188CC/7308/6DJ8 are concerned, Siemens are the best for a clinical, accurate sound w/ Telefunkens a close 2nd.
The favorite "personality tube"is either the Amperex USA or, even better, the Phillips Holland. The Phillips are just rediculously rich and vibrant. I have a super-premium Phillips E188CC in stock if anyone is interested. These aren't cheap though.
ProAudioTubes@aol.com

[kidvybes]

...here's a few examples of German made 6DJ8/E88CC relabelled for RCA...same quality as the Siemens/Amperex but half the price...

eBay: 2 NOS MIB Made in Germany Amperex RCA E88CC 6DJ8 tube (item 200104859147 end time May-05-07 12:52:03 PDT)

eBay: Rca 6922 gold pin tube 6dj8 (item 290111158153 end time May-06-07 14:36:23 PDT)

eBay: 1 RCA 6DJ8 ECC88 NOS Vacuum Electron Tube Vintage (item 140113935228 end time May-08-07 19:43:26 PDT)

[kenevill]

Originally Posted by kidvybes

...I upgraded both my NTK & K2 with Siemens E88cc gold-pinned tubes purchased on eBay for about $20 each...noticeable improvements on both mics (maybe a bit more noticeable on the NTK which was particularly "brittle" sounding on some vocals)...

Any comparisons between the K2 and the NTK? I'm pretty interested in buying one of them but haven't decided which one to get yet. What instruments (and general vocal opinion) do these mics seem to work on... thanks

[kidvybes]

Originally Posted by kenevill

Any comparisons between the K2 and the NTK? I'm pretty interested in buying one of them but haven't decided which one to get yet. What instruments (and general vocal opinion) do these mics seem to work on... thanks

...from my experience with both mics, I would recommend saving up the additional $s and go for the K2 (w/tube upgrade)...the capsule is a newer and improved design than the NTK (noticeably "smoother" sounding w/none of the NTK's "brittle" bite) and the versatility of totally variable-patterns (dial-in the exact pattern for your application) gives the K2 much more capability in terms of use (I find it works equally well on vocals and instrument micing)...

...I have gone thru many of the affordable tube mics over the past few years, and the 3 mics that have proved their worth (IMHO) are the Studio Projects T3 ($500 new, $250-350 used), the Rode K2 ($700 new, $450-550 used) and the Mojave M200 ($1000 new)...all 3 have all survived the cut...

...if you can find a clean K2 in the $500 ballpark, go for it...you won't regret the purchase and the K2 will find a permanent spot in your mic closet...

[kenevill]

Great, thanks for the advice. A Studio Projects T3 was on the list of what I was looking at too but yeah, I've been thinking about a K2 for quite a while.

Cheers

[kedbear]

hi,

It's worth doing a test with tubes if you can, Try putting a mic in exactly the same position infront of a speaker playing the same thing and only changing the tubes. The difference is minimal. I thought i heard significant differences until i did this. I put Mullard 12AX7 M8137 (one of the best tubes you can buy), nos tesla ECC803S (almost exact copy of telefunken 12AX7 diamond bottom), NOS GE 6072A, NOS GE 5751 with tiny differences. I would say it's better to spend the extra $$$ on a mic instead of the tube, unless you can get a good tube cheap to try this test.

[sctt_stone]

I'm assuming you could simply switch back and fourth between tubes as needed.
Is this correct?

[sctt_stone]

Its funny how guys in the high end say the NTK sucks. Its the most expensive mic ive owned and i love it, so i guess ignorance is bliss. Ive been told that you can take any quality mic and eq and compress to make it sound damn close to other more expensive mics. Any thoyughts on that suggestion? Also im assuming you could have several differant tubes and along with eq and compression change the character quite a bit.

[gregl]

I don't think the mic sucks. I have noticed that some NTK's seem to have a different, less sibilent character than others, even with a tube swap. Maybe different manufacturing line or parts source, who knows?
However, I've been working with tube audio for almost 40 years and I have never run across a circuit where the brand of tube makes such a huge difference as the NTK.
I have an AT 4060 (which uses the same tube) and it is not anywhere near as senistive about the brand of tube.
The NTK also has some very large HF peaks (around 8 and 12 Khz) that can easily overload the front end of many preamps, resulting in a somewhat course, sibilent sound. I've heard these sound not so good through some expensive preamps because of this. Attenuation at the front end seems to eliminate the problem in some cases. Some preamps just don't work with NTKs well at all in my experience and one has to wonder about the output circuitry on these mics.
Still, if you get a good one, change the tube , are careful with preamps (use that input pad) they can sound amazing on some sources (male vocals and acoustic guitar for sure).
And last but not least-don't worry about whether someone else thinks theirs sounds good, use your own ears. If it sounds good-use it.

[sctt_stone]

Greg , I do like the sound of the mic even with the stock tube however i have noticed what your talking about im recording into a saffire currently but am getting ready to purchase a Great river MP2-NV . Do you have any experiance with these too in combination? The singer that i work with is extreamly dinamic she can be alto or high sopprano from one second to next. In her alto range i love the NTK on her voice but in her high range it sounds shrill. Do you think that a pre amp and comp will be able to take the edge off or do i need a differant mic or tube or what? Also should i buy better A/D converters .By the way just for fun i put up a sm 57 and she pretty much ripped it apart ,with her voice it sounded like card board. She is actualy working on her vocal performance masters and sounds like a mix between Amy Lee and Christina Aguillara.
So she is extreamly dynamic.

[north3d]

I'd heard that the tube didn't play a big part in the sound on the NTK
But "they" were wrong :o)

I just went from the original JAN Phillips to a
JAN Sylvania 6922 nos-6922
And ... wow ... The harmonic Juice is Flowing
:o)

[Dread]

What tube should I get for my NTK and where will they ship to Australia?

[n8tron]

what tube are you upgrading from?

I've heard that NTKs from different times can be stocked with different tubes. I have an electro harmonix in mine and it sounds pretty good.

[baatjet]

Originally Posted by n8tron

I've heard that NTKs from different times can be stocked with different tubes. I have an electro harmonix in mine and it sounds pretty good.

True... some had Sovteks, some had Chinese "dragon" tubes, others had Electro's. Mine had the Dragons so I bought an E-H and it made quite a difference for the better, the harshness vanished, but it got a much warmer "fullness" in the lows that needs a lowcut, at least on my voice. Still considering changing it to a Tesla or the like.

Dread, I'm sure you can find a tube dealer on Ebay who will ship to Aussieland.

[Yeah, right...]

Originally Posted by MaestroNYC

Anyone replace the stock tube in a K2?

Yeah, I replaced the stock K2 tube with a Telefunken E88CC. Made a BIG difference. Really smoothed the mic out. It's great for vocals, and particularly impressive on acoustic guitar.

When I get time I'm gonna upgrade the PCB. There's a mod around the internet for replacing caps in the NTK, and as it has the same PCB as the K2, it oughta work. It is suggested by the mod's developer that the cap mod will improve the sound more than tube replacement?

You'll find info on the NTK mod HERE

Good luck, Mike

[kidvybes]

Originally Posted by Dread

What tube should I get for my NTK and where will they ship to Australia?

...actually, in Australia you should be able to get a good deal on a nice NOS E88CC (6922/6DJ8) tube...here's the current list on eBay Australia:
e88cc, Vintage Electronics items at low prices on eBay.com.au

...Siemens, Amperex, Telefunken, Mullard, and Philips are all nice quality tubes...happy bidding!..