Thread: Surface Mount Componants? sound like crap !!!!!!!

Well maybe I am missguided? but all the gear I hate the sound of !! Just happens to be full of those little Buggers !!!????

You're tilted at windmills Quixote.

It's not about the technology. It's the economics. Point to point costs more to manufacture. It's not inheriently better, but it's not going to be used in cheap knock off components. On the other hand, surface mount is not going to be used on overpriced boutique gear that is designed to reel in the suckers. There's no magic bullet. You can't tell how a piece of gear is going to sound just by opening the box and looking.

Like I said, API's for more than 10 years have had surface mount 2520's in all of their consoles. They can source the same quality components that originally had long lead lengths to them. Other manufacturers use the cheap parts. And even modern day Neve's also utilize surface mount technology in their construction. Still, ain't nobody complaining about those, except for, well, me. The 54 series Neve I used it NBC didn't last 10 years. It sounded good but it didn't last. And what didn't last was mostly switches. It never had many electronic problems. But when tiny switches start to break all over, it wasn't fun using it anymore. Even Siemens/Neve made a horrendous mistake quite a few years ago with one of their flagship consoles. They put in an undervoltage slew of capacitors throughout the entire console. Those capacitors leaked their goo all over the circuitboards virtually destroying $250,000 consoles all over the world. No surface mount in those. They learned just as hard a lesson as Paul Wolff learned about proper heat dissipation & properly over rated voltage specifications for capacitors, even the premium ones. Nothing that was installed was wrong in theory but it was wrong in practice. So I really think most of the stuff you didn't like the sound of wasn't a good pick to begin with? I'm not wild about a lot of this stuff either but the good stuff is still out there. You can't always buy what's on sale even if you are Jewish like myself.

"Attention Kmart shoppers... Neve microphone preamps on sale in aisle 10." Oh wow! Gotta' go!
Mx. Remy Ann David

Originally Posted by Bassplayer2030

Well maybe I am missguided? but all the gear I hate the sound of !! Just happens to be full of those little Buggers !!!????

Did you list the SMD gear you hate....maybe I missed that.
But it would be interesting to know what equipment it is specifically your unhappy with.
Maybe if we knew some details....what they are, some of us could engage and have an intelligent forum discussion.
You might have a perfectly valid gripe, but not knowing what you're talking about just seems like one persons opinion and rant without any expectation of a response from anyone on here.
I mean were we just supposed to say, yeah OK...you don't like SMD?...or what did you hope to get out of this thread?
I think that's part of what bigtree was getting at....
A lot of people come on here and make wild statements and then get angry because they don't get the validation they were expecting....if you know what I mean?

Sure!!
there is a squeeky cheap sound that I am used to hearing in some budget gear Like Berhinger & Mackie, the high end is like a square wave with no air at all
I noticed it on many things but just for this I will say mixers?
A small PA's at festivals I was doing, it did the job OK ,but to my ear something in the gear sounds wrong,
the model before say for example Mackie 1604 vs 1604VLZ there is a tone with the VLZ that to me is not pleasing,

Now !! I have 87's from the 70's 80's 90's & last year
The same tone that i dislike is now in the top end of the new Neumann's that I am using at my day gig
There was a power supply problem with a mic on a session so we opened it up to see if the fuse was blown
the mic & the supply are all SM ,
My gut reaction is the componants are contributiong to this tone?

I don't think so. I think it's the difference in how they are tweaking the capsules? You know that Neumann aren't made by Neumann anymore but by Sennheiser. And the manufacturer reserves the right to make changes without notice. So who says the Sennheiser guys are not dictating changes in policy and construction techniques? You're blaming things on a couple of devices that are quite inert. Hey how many versions have there been of AKG 414's? Most of the differences are in the capsules. They are all tailored differently through the years. I certainly know that my early release 87's from 1971/72 are not the same 87's they are building today and so, they are not going to sound the same even though they both have the same part number model indicator. You are blaming small items with a multitude of other refinements not related to those components. A 2N3819 FET of silicon is still a 2N3819 In surface mount made from the same chunk of silicon. You can order it in the standard 3 lead epoxy pack or the same one as surface mount. So it's the way the microphones are actually being tuned. Newer mylar diaphragms vs. 20, 30, 40 year old ones. They're all going to have a different voice from each other.

So try this, the 87 has a very easily removable head. Swap your old ones onto your new ones and your new ones on your old ones. And take another listen. Let me know?
Mx. Remy Ann David

I dunno. I think they just sound worse because all those little electrons are being squeezed through those claustrophobia-inducing tiny little wimpy traces, instead of MANLY WIRES, and let out to play and party and mingle and bounce around every once in a while in a big ol' tube! They're just not as happy!

Kapt.Krunch