I always had a soft spot for this underrated microphone from about 20-25 years ago. The successor to an even more robustly built Groove Tubes line of microphones, these mics were a secret weapon to those in the know. The ST69 I often called a 'poor man's C12', and once modified it is a really exceptional piece. The transformer is replaced with a top shelf AMI T8 which adds clarity and extends low response. The capsule is meticulously cleaned and re-terminated sans the 'disc resonator' tuning baffle which adds unnecessary top end lift and creates shrillness. All of the components such as capacitors in the PSU and mic are replaced with the very best silver mica, audiophile electrolytic, and polystyrene. The mic is carefully re-calibrated, and even tthe cable is rebuilt. The resulting specimen is a full bodied, smooth, rich sounding mic that is neither dark nor bright, but just very full and non-ear-fatiguing. It's a mic that you can listen to forever or put on harsh cymbals and still get a smooth result... once modified, that is. Frank He made a great capsule for these back in the day (3 micron, K67 style, dual backplate/dual membrane) and all it really needed was to have those tuning baffles removed (which were put on more for marketing hype than audio necessity), and you have something quite special. I believe Frank made the best capsules in Asia at that time period. Not to mention, the stock tube was usually a high quality military grade subminiature tube which rarely gave me any trouble.
As these boards were fragile and have aged 2 decades+ in the field, they often required more and more trace repair to get done, and in 2 cases I had to build a new power supply for them. This led me to discontinue the mod about a year or so ago; although through verbal agreements and stragglers I wound up continuing to deal with a few of them throughout the year. This one represents the last, and I timed it out almost perfectly to coincide with the end of the year and running out of many of the special parts needed. It was fitting that this outgoing unit was among the best sounding ones I ever worked on. Bon Voyage, ST69, and I know this mic will be going into a happy home!
2025 will hopefully introduce some new products under the SAE name, as we transition away from mods and more into being a full time manufacturer of higher end microphones. Stay tuned. Onwards and upwards!
Commentaires