Help identifying static noise when powering up my Sennheiser Me66 with K6 power module

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I

Inovis

Member
Joined 2022
Hi, I have a Sennheiser ME66 on a K6 module and I get the attached noise when I power it up. Sometimes it takes quite a while before the static completely goes away, sometime it does not even go away.

I'm suspecting my capacitors but am no sound engineer!

Can you guys listen to the attached recording to help me figure it out?

Thanks
 

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Netlist

Netlist

Moderator
Joined 2003
Paid Member
Sure, without phantom power it will be silent, but the alleged bad connection is still there.
Either it's the K6 or it can be the mic itself.
Hard to determine without interchangeble gear.
Personally, I would send it to Sennheiser, these are delicate.

Hugo
 
Netlist

Netlist

Moderator
Joined 2003
Paid Member
Because the mic behaves the same regardless of which Phantom power you use, it must be the mic.
I see they can be had for +/- 190 euro or the equivalent in dollars.
Unless you open it and try to find the bad connection, that wouldn't be too pricey.
If the capsule is broken, that's another story.
 
T

turk 182

Member
Joined 2012
why would you turn a phantom powered mic on unmuted?
that's just bad practice, even a good phantom is likely to cause a bad thump when turned on unmuted, fact is the sudden transient is hard to suppress it's been know to cause shattered horn diaphragms in PA situations.
newbie roadies hot swapping mics on phantom powered lines have caused untold damage and headaches.

if the mic works fine otherwise and sounds good i wouldn't worry so much about having it serviced.
 
I

Inovis

Member
Joined 2022
turk 182 said:
why would you turn a phantom powered mic on unmuted?
Click to expand...
Hi Turk. Sorry but I'm not sure I understand. I plug my mic, then turn on the Phantom Power... then turn off and unplug. If there's another way I don't know it.

turk 182 said:
if the mic works fine otherwise and sounds good i wouldn't worry so much about having it serviced.
Click to expand...
The problem is sometimes it takes up to 30 minutes before the mic stop having noise and even then, I keep hearing a little something. That puts me in a situation where I can't rely entirely on my microphone on the Field. It happened to me again this weekend when we had to shoot outdoor and the scene sounds bad because of it...

At this point, I think I'll get a new one while I try to find the issue for the fun of it.

I already opened the mic many times so it would be easy for me to test. I have several DIY projects done so far so I would be confortable testing the capsule and the powering module.

So just to make sure, you guys, according to the provided sound sample, believe it's either a connection issue or bad capsule? Capacitators would not be the culprit?

Thanks a lot everyone!
 
weltersys

weltersys

Member
Joined 2008
Inovis said:
So just to make sure, you guys, according to the provided sound sample, believe it's either a connection issue or bad capsule? Capacitators would not be the culprit?
Click to expand...
The mic element's backplate and diaphragm form a capacitor (condenser)...
Capacitors or their connections could be the culprit.

Unless you have removed all the "green rust" (corrosion/oxidization) from every possible portion of the internal circuitry and external connections, capacitors may be slowly discharging through unintended pathways, creating the noise.
Heat and humidity could affect the resistance of the corrosion paths, making a difference in the static discharge times and intensity.

Caig DeoxIT or similar products and a toothbrush might get positive results if the problem is not in the mic element.

Good luck!
 
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