I thought you fried a ribbon mic, but the way you describe it, you think it died from that but I'm pretty sure it didn't. It's probably the cable or the pins on the microphone. Try opening the mic and putting it back together, that fixed an Audio Technica I have that still works great to this day.

 

My thoughts exactly, a fried ribbon mic....
But pulling out a condenser microphone with 48 volts and a properly wired cable, not so much

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2025 at 4:40 PM

This is just an example; you can also repair something like this yourself if you don't have the money to buy a new one.

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

Here's a clear, English step-by-step repair guide for a burnt condenser microphone caused by +48 V phantom power (typical for BM-800, BM-700, Neewer NW-700, NW-800, MXL 990/991, Apex 435, Takstar, Alctron, etc.).

Why It Usually “Burns”
When +48 V is applied incorrectly (hot-plugging, wrong cable, unbalanced adapter, short circuit, etc.), these parts die in this order:

1. The two 6.8 kΩ (sometimes 10 kΩ) phantom feed resistors
2. The two back-to-back protection diodes across the capsule
3. The impedance converter FET (2SK170, J305, LSK389, BF862, etc.)
4. Output coupling capacitor(s)
5. Very rarely the capsule itself

Tools You Need

• Fine-tip soldering iron (20–30 W)
• Solder wick or sucker
• Multimeter
• Magnifying glass or phone camera
• Replacement parts (very cheap): – 6.8 kΩ 0.25 W metal film resistors (1 % best) – 1N4148 or BAT41 diodes – 2SK170BL, LSK389, LSK170 or BF862 (FET replacement) – 1 µF – 4.7 µF / 63 V film or electrolytic capacitor (output)

Step-by-Step Repair
1. Open the microphone Unscrew the basket/body, remove the circuit board (usually 2–3 small screws).

2. Visual check Look for black/burnt resistors, cracked diodes, burnt smell → 90 % of the time the two 6.8 kΩ resistors are obviously toast.

3. Test/replace the 6.8 kΩ resistors

• Desolder or lift one leg and measure.
• Good = ~6.8 kΩ
• Bad = very high resistance or open → replace both with new 6.8 kΩ metal film.

4. Check the two protection diodes Usually two 1N4148 (or similar) connected from front and rear capsule plates to ground.

• Diode test mode: ~0.6 V one way, open the other way.
• If shorted both ways or open → replace both.

5. Check the FET Most Chinese mics use a single 2SK170BL (TO-92 package). Hot-plugging often kills it. Quick test (multimeter in diode mode):

• Gate → Source and Gate → Drain should both show ~0.6–0.7 V (like two diodes).
• If Gate is shorted to Source/Drain or completely open → replace the FET. Recommended modern replacements (same or better):
• LSK389 (dual JFET – use only one half)
• LSK170 (direct drop-in)
• BF862 (SMD, needs adapter or careful soldering)

6. Output capacitor The big electrolytic or film cap (1–4.7 µF / 63 V) on the output can also die. Replace it while you’re in there – costs almost nothing.

7. Reassemble & test safely

• First test WITHOUT capsule: apply +48 V and measure ~24 V on each side of where the capsule connects (across the 6.8 kΩ resistors).
• If OK, reconnect capsule, plug in, and test.

Parts Kit I Always Keep for These Repairs (< €5 total)

• 10× 6.8 kΩ 1 % metal film resistors
• 20× 1N4148 diodes
• 2–3× LSK170 or LSK389
• Few 2.2 µF 63 V WIMA film caps

Prevention – Never Do This Again

• Always connect the XLR cable first → then turn on phantom power.
• Never hot-plug or unplug with phantom on.
• Never use cheap 3.5 mm or unbalanced adapters without a proper phantom blocker.

95 % of these microphones are 100 % revived just by replacing the two 6.8 kΩ resistors and (if necessary) the diodes/FET.

Good luck! If you send a close-up photo of the board, I can point exactly which parts are dead in 10 seconds.

 

Oh, there are some. Not easy to find, because they don't seek popularity.
But they look for repair jobs and do repairs for little money or for free.

Radio amateurs as @ItsFine said.

 

In our big cities, there are so-called "repair cafes" where trained electricians and other
retirees offer assistance when something is broken; they open it up and fix it.

 

We have cheap mics too, including SE Electronics.

I've even seen students use phantom power on ribbon mics. Granted, they were Beyerdynamic m160s, which are very sturdy, but it didn't damage them.