Hi

I guess some people in here have a Røde K2 microphone or two?!?

-If you should change the tube in a Røde K2, which one(s) (tubes) would you prefer?
&
-Why change the original tube at all?

Thanks in advance

Cheers

 

Depends, if its the top end of my budget I would replace it with the same type and brand it shipped with and I would only replace it
when I hear it is not performing as well as it should.

 

@ Phloppy,

I don't know the 'Rode K2' Model, and as you don't stipulated which brand your Mic uses, at a first glance, it looks like an 'Electro-Harmonix (EH) Double Triode 6922'.

From here, the reasons why an user want to change the (factory) Tube of its (their) Mic(s) can be as diverse as too much microphony, too harsh, too muddy, too bassy,... all related to the audio quality you'll get with the used Tube(s).

As your 'Rode K2' uses a 'Double Triode 6922' kind of Tube, below you'll find several brands that could more or less better suit the result you want to get with your Mic :

https://www.tubedepot.com/t/tubes/p...e88cc-cv2492?gclid=CPH8-Y2zqs4CFYUp0wodR_QP2A

By the way, 'Tubedepot' is a Great vendor of any kind of Tubes for all the gear that use these. It's not the only one, but I experienced really great deals with that vendor.

 

Superb feedback Studio 555!!!

Much appriciated

Knowledge, experience and a great link as well ..... What else could you need?

 

Any other with experience here?

 

I was having a problem with my rode K2 for a little while it just was sounding bad and I read somewhere that humidity can build up on the capsule they said buy some humidity packets the kind they put in beef jerky and in pill bottles those little white square packets with little beads in it it's supposed to suck all the moisture out of the air you put one or two of them in a plastic bag and tie it around the microphone and it sucks all the moisture out of the capsule after a few days it sounded clear again I bought them on Amazon but I was also thinking of changing the Tube for a long time now good info thanks for the Post

 

This is a little off topic, but it still concerns replacing/upgrading tubes. I own a tubepre and replaced the stock 12ax7 tube in it with a Slovak ECC83S made by JJ Electronic. The first thing I noticed about the tubes was the build quality. The stock tube looked sloppily made compare to the Slovac one. The glass and wire inside was definitly cleaner and more uniform looking in the Slovac tube. I didnt think it would make much of a difference sonically considering the tubepre's starved plate design, but boy was I wrong. I had much more saturation and volume out of it with the new tube. I had to be more conservative with my drive and gain settings. Less harsh and brittle sounding than the stock (made in china) tube.
I would recommend trying it, if you dont like it you can always put the old one back.

 

Thanks lyric8

I know indeed the problem!!

 

Exactly my plan subGENRE ! But it coud be interesting to hear why ppl actually replace the original tube!

 

This seems to be Rode's go to tube.

• Hand-selected and graded 6922 twin-triode valve-----I would ask Rode. If your mic is not under warranty, they will still suggest quality replacement. Top of the line tubes are expensive, but there is a difference, and you can hear it. Better or worse or just different, hard to say without ears on experience. The Electro Harmonix is about $30 US. The Amperex is $200. That would require a lot of improvement for the extra money. Must be some Tube Heads here somewhere. I'll ask a friend that works on gear. He knows a lot about tubes. Some gearheads say the best upgrade for Rode large dia. condensers is a different capsule.

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2016

This is a copy paste from my converstion with Herr Durr when he bought his K2:::"every time that I have heard the K2 with a tube swap, and I highly recommend a NOS Mullard 12AT7, and even better, a Telefunken E88CC that you can pick up lots of places such as Tube Depot. That is of course if the mic already doesn't have the stock tube replaced. Yea, I think the K2 is great. I owned the Rode Classic many years ago and that was awesome partnered with an old Joe Meek VC1. Everything sounded great through that, sax, stand-up bass, vocals and as an amazing room mic for a drum kit. Which brings me to ask, what are you going to use it for and what preamp were you going to use with it?"

 

Thanks everybody so far, for all your inputs and informations

I wasn´t awared you were able to change the capsule ..... it so what capsule should it be?

-Mostly strings, woodwinds and brass!

-I´ve no plans of using another preamp besides those that already sits in my audiocard .... what preamp would you suggest if I should change my mind?

 

My snooping around shows this: I would go with a Telefunken tube (a not too expensive quality brand) and an RK-12 capsule. Changing capsule is a bigger job than changing the tube. I read that Amperex really do sound better, but a $200 tube upgrade for a $500 mic seems extreme to me. For the cost of an expensive tube and capsule, you could buy another very good mic like a ribbon or an SM7B, or a very good small dia. condenser. I had planned on replacing the capsule in my Rode, but I have another mic that sounds more like I want for some things (mostly vocals, Blue Reactor), and the Rode still sounds nice other things. Rode mics are really hard to beat for the money as they are. Pre--amps are a whole other thread. I find my ART more than adequate-it has analog and digital outs (and it is road worthy). Now you are really talking about some possible cash flow.....$$$$$$. Buy me a Neve or LAB and I would be grateful, though.

 

Last edited: Aug 6, 2016

Always store you microphones with anti moisture packets.

 

What it always seems to boil down to is how far are you willing to go in quest of how you will translate what you hear in your head to the end result that come out of your speakers. The K2, like the majority of goods created, are fixated on a price point. In this case the weak spots are the tube, capacitors and the capsule. The ssssibilant issue can be corrected by swapping out the tube with either that Telefunken or a NOS Mullard. The instruments that you will record will have a much more pleasing mid/high reponse and might lower the mics noise by another dB or so. It is a pretty quiet tube mic already though. To make it even that much sweeter sounding, the capacitors.in BOTH the mic and the power supply could be changed with higher quality components. Then if you decided to empty your pockets you could call Tom Cambell up and buy a new c12 capsule if he has any left. Supposedly he had bought up all the original old stock from AKG a while ago. If you did all of the above you would have a top of the mountain microphone that would be a real beast. And then...and then you could buy a preamp! To balance the slower reponse of the large diaphram mic to record those instruments you had mentioned I would shoot for something like a John Hardy M1 or a DAV electronics BG-1, 2 channels for $600. The DAV is relatively inexpensive but sounds like a million bucks.

The K2 is already adequetly good. Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) is wonderful, horrible, and everything in between. Ah, the pain is such equisite ecstasy. Reality and fantasy meet head on in the quest for tone. Blood may flow, and along the way you might stub your toe, but you will never know unless you you're in the show. You can always sell stuff if you don't like it.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 6, 2016