OK...so I purchased a new Beyer 160 ribbon mic about 2 years ago. after about 18 months of use the thing started sounding distorted, and crunchy in the low frequencies. Their site said it could handle 131 db SPL, which is a ton! I have seen Jeremy at ACME recording use the beyer 160 and 130 on Rabbit Rabbit's guitar rig (VERY LOUD) with zero problems. So I sent the mic, which was still under factory warranty, back to Beyer NY. They said it was fine but could be sent to Germany for further testing if I liked. I told them yes, because I wanted it to sound like it did new. 3-4 months later it finally came back from Germany after many correspondence with Beyer USA, and was now out of warranty. It came in the same box I sent it in, except that it had a sticker on it that said tested and passed as factory new. I couldn't wait to plug that mic in again, I had missed it so much. What to my surprise....it sounded the FUCKING same as when I sent it to them. I called them and they said that it should be fine and that I am clipping the preamp, which i'm not...Syteks and APIs have plenty of clean gain and head room, and I know my gain structure. The question is, what to do now? I dont use the mic anymore because it is fuzzy sounding, and not cool fuzz. Its just not as clean as it was. Ideas?

That sucks! If you can not figure it out with Beyer but still need it fixed call Clarence Kane of ENAK in New Jersey, phone (856)589-6186. As the kids say, he is 'the man'. He does a ton of re-ribboning, etc.

Still, I would try and have it fixed from Beyer for free as it seems it is not yet fixed.

It our of warranty now, and will not be fixed for free by them. I just want it to sound like it did when I bought it. Beyer said the ribbon was fine. hmmmm.

This sounds a bit dubious to me.

Does it really sound exactly the same as it did before you sent it?

Beyer don't actually re-ribbon mics as far as I know. They throw away the guts and replace them with new ones. That's why you can't get the very old Beyers re-ribboned by them because the newer assemblies don't fit.

I'd definitely contact them again. This sounds like a hassle.

There are alternatives for re-ribboning, but I'd personally want to stick with Beyer. Their actual ribbons are fairly unique and sound different from standard ones.

Also if you originally sent it to them when it was under warranty and the problem was not fixed over the few months they had it (and your warranty expired), they should still really do the work needed under warranty. You would think they would just send you a new mic and be done with it. You might need to be a pain in the ass about it...squeaky wheel, you know...

brianbiv wrote: Beyer said the ribbon was fine. hmmmm.

That's slightly worrying.

Maybe you should ask Beyer if they test under high SPL.

Does it sound ok on spoken word? I wonder if their test procedure maybe doesn't take high SPLs into account.

Send them a well written email explaining the situation and your long wait for the repair which went through the warranty period. If they aren't dicks, then they will hopefully help you out.