Anyone have pictures of the inside of a v 69 me?

[redddog]

I'd gotten a V 69 off ebay and I had a couple of questions about it.

First, the case it came in was in bad shape. It looks like it's about 5 years old which causes me and my suspicious mind to question the mic and what it actually is. Was there a V 69 that was releases that wasn't the Mogami version? If so, what is the difference? Is it just the 6 pin cable or is the internal wiring better? (the tube cable doesn't say Mogami on it - it just says "professional." The casing is in good shape and does say "V 69 ME" but how easy would it be to change that out(I told you I was suspicious).

Are there any easily identified markings between the two mics?

And second, are there any pictures of the tube mod? I remeber seeing them but the search I did came up with a dead link that should have detailed the whole process in pictures. I would just love to see a picture of the inside of that mic and the tube swap process.

Thanks guys

[MadGuitrst]

There was a V69 before the V69ME.
I don't know how much was changed, other than using Mogami wires.

I had one and may have some pics somewhere, but I will have to search.
I don't remember all of the component layout but I do remember the tube retainer well, since I changed it a couple of times.

In the mean time, why don't you post pics of the inside of yours?

[Jimbo]

I read somewhere that the original non-ME had a soldered tube. The ME version has a socket. Shouldn't matter if you don't want to swap the tube.

Also, the ME has mogami wiring inside. Yup, all 6 inches of it, and if you think that doesn't make a difference...






...you're probably right

[warhead]

MXL had a very, very limited release initially of the V69 and replaced them all with the current socketed tube version (all that they could get actually in touch with the customer on and get it sent back I guess). I'm talking a handful of units, like 27 units I think. I don't recall the exact reason why they had quickly updated the units but somebody from MXL told me this stuff months ago.

I've seen this talked about on many an internet forum and again, it concerned like 27 mics or something and is a non-issue for 99.99999999999999999999999% of all people reading these forums (OK, probably a higher % than that).

War

[redddog]

Cool. Thanks Boys.

[MichaelJoly]

I don't have pics of a V69 but can talk about internal wiring a bit.

A number of existing clients have sent me their V69 for mods. I do them as a favor and am not really looking to work on these as I'm too busy with my core Oktava mod work. but...

At the request of a client, I started using Evidence Audio (www.evidenceaudio.com) wire inside some of my modded mics. Frankly I was skeptical that changing 6" of capsule to FET wire would make a difference. But I have worked to reduce stray capacitance losses by shortening capsule to FET signal path in all of my mods so I figured I'd give the Evidence Wire a shot and listen.

I did two things in the V69 - I used Evidence Audio conductors stripped out of their jackets, and I rerouted the capsule to FET conductors away from the metal framework. My thinking was the stock routing (wires held tightly to the metal framework) probably introduces some stray capacitive loss. Oh, I also stripped the headbasket down to one layer and installed a conical diffuser at the capsule mount base to increase diffusion and reduce standing waves. The subtle kind of changes that wire type and wire routing make require headbasket acoustical effects to be minimized so the electrical effects can be more audible.

Here's an excerpt of a message I sent to Evidence Audio founder Tony Farinella about the results...

“..The Evidence Audio revealed a more pristine and correlated harmonic sound. It actually sounded like the harmonics were related mathematically (which they are of course) with very rich moving inner melodies on strummed chords. The stock wire in comparison does not sound aligned in the same way. It was bright, but was missing the harmonic intelligence of the Evidence Audio. This is not a simple EQ difference, because I'll bet if measured both stock and Evidence Audio wire on a spectrum analyzer their frequency responses would be the same. This is a qualitative improvement related to phase alignment as a function of frequency that makes recorded sound resemble more closely what the ear would hear if it was in the same location as the mic.”

Now I'm an old-school, commercial, motion picture sound equipment designer who never gave a hoot about what kind of cable a studio or theater sound system was wired up with. Commercial cinema sound means getting the job done, everyday of the year without any failures to avoid expensive admission ticket refunds. My goal in those days was good sound of course, but reliability was paramount.

So I'm glad my clients have badgered me into listening more closely to wire types. I wouldn't say the changes are as dramatic as say the swap from a ceramic to poly cap in the capsule-to-FET circuit, but there is a clearly audible difference once you start to listen for "harmonic correlation" - not just simple spectral differences.