Should the capsule in my sphere dlx be angled!?

TLG

TLG

Member
Just looking down at the position of the capsule inside my sphere dlx and it appears to be angled - is that right!?
IMG_8536.jpeg
 
Lolo

Lolo

Active Member
i had a bock 187 with an angeled capsule, and i sent it back to thomann, they gave me another one. when i unpacked it, i was a little frustrated, because the capsule in that mic was also a tiny little bit angled.

but i thought, i´m not going to send it back for this little flaw, and i decided to open it up instead, and look at it myself.
with the right screwdriver (it has to be quite long, but not too thick) it was easy to open it and look at the capsule.

the capsule stands on some kind of rubber column, which is good because it insulates the capsule from sound from the rest of the mic, somehow like a shockmount. it was very easy to turn the capsule straight (just don´t touch the membrane), to make it perfectly 90 degree to the mic body.

i guess in transport, over the ocean in my case, the capsules tend to turn a bit, maybe from the vibration of transport or so. but i think that´s really no problem in the end.

this mic sounds fantastic, and i am about to get a second one.
 
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M

mmd70

New Member
Lolo said:
i guess in transport, over the ocean in my case, the capsules tend to turn a bit, maybe from the vibration of transport or so. but i think that´s really no problem in the end.
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I used to regularly send sensitive scientific equipment back to the manufacturer for repair, via transatlantic air freight. No matter how well packed, the equipment would often arrive in France needing much more expensive repair than when I shipped it out. Eventually, I got so frustrated that I glued several accelerometers inside one shipment. When I downloaded the data, it showed the package may as well have been shot out of a cannon, or dropped out the cargo door of the plane onto the tarmac. I guess if you've ever watched baggage "throwers" at work, this is not very surprising.
 
TLG

TLG

Member
Anyway.. Have finally got the original vendor to supply me with a replacement. Bit gutted to have been using a sub optimal product for the last year though..
 
Serenity

Serenity

Hall of Fame Member
mmd70 said:
I used to regularly send sensitive scientific equipment back to the manufacturer for repair, via transatlantic air freight. No matter how well packed, the equipment would often arrive in France needing much more expensive repair than when I shipped it out. Eventually, I got so frustrated that I glued several accelerometers inside one shipment. When I downloaded the data, it showed the package may as well have been shot out of a cannon, or dropped out the cargo door of the plane onto the tarmac. I guess if you've ever watched baggage "throwers" at work, this is not very surprising.
Click to expand...
Especially if you have "FRAGILE" and "HANDLE WITH CARE" written on the shipment they will see it as an instruction to throw it extra hard.:rolleyes:
 
R

Robert Gheorghe

Member
UniversalAudio said:
It should not be.

What's the serial #?
Click to expand...
Hey Drew,

I have a couple of questions relating to this topic that I’d really appreciate some clarity on:

  1. I own two Sphere DLX mics. I just had one replaced today because it also had an angled capsule—not as severe as the one mentioned in this thread, but still noticeable when examined closely. After unboxing the new one, I swear it also seems slightly angled. Before I go back or raise any concerns, I want to be sure I’m not just imagining things. Are these capsules supposed to be perfectly aligned to the point where any misalignment is invisible to the naked eye? Or is there some acceptable margin of error that wouldn’t impact the modeling? If a bit of variation is normal and doesn’t affect performance, then I’m fine with it.
  2. Has the Sphere DLX gone through a design change recently? I noticed the LED light system on this replacement is completely different compared to my original one.
  3. Are brand-new Sphere mics typically sealed in any way, like with tape or stickers? Mine didn’t have any seals on the box, and the “Getting Started” card inside was slightly bent. This might just be me being paranoid, but I was wondering if my “brand new” replacement might have been B-stock or something similar.
Looking forward to your insights.

Thanks a bunch! 😁
 
UniversalAudio

UniversalAudio

Official UA Representative
Robert Gheorghe said:
Hey Drew,

I have a couple of questions relating to this topic that I’d really appreciate some clarity on:

  1. I own two Sphere DLX mics. I just had one replaced today because it also had an angled capsule—not as severe as the one mentioned in this thread, but still noticeable when examined closely. After unboxing the new one, I swear it also seems slightly angled. Before I go back or raise any concerns, I want to be sure I’m not just imagining things. Are these capsules supposed to be perfectly aligned to the point where any misalignment is invisible to the naked eye? Or is there some acceptable margin of error that wouldn’t impact the modeling? If a bit of variation is normal and doesn’t affect performance, then I’m fine with it.
  2. Has the Sphere DLX gone through a design change recently? I noticed the LED light system on this replacement is completely different compared to my original one.
  3. Are brand-new Sphere mics typically sealed in any way, like with tape or stickers? Mine didn’t have any seals on the box, and the “Getting Started” card inside was slightly bent. This might just be me being paranoid, but I was wondering if my “brand new” replacement might have been B-stock or something similar.
Looking forward to your insights.

Thanks a bunch! 😁
Click to expand...
Be sure to get with support for the definitive answers.
 
P

pantulis

Member
Robert Gheorghe said:
Are brand-new Sphere mics typically sealed in any way, like with tape or stickers? Mine didn’t have any seals on the box, and the “Getting Started” card inside was slightly bent. This might just be me being paranoid, but I was wondering if my “brand new” replacement might have been B-stock or something similar.
Click to expand...
I am interested in this, as my brand new Sphere DLX came without any sealing and I also wondered the same thing. The "Getting started card" wasn't bent, though. Note that I bought it from a local, Spanish distributor.
 
R

Robert Gheorghe

Member
pantulis said:
I am interested in this, as my brand new Sphere DLX came without any sealing and I also wondered the same thing. The "Getting started card" wasn't bent, though. Note that I bought it from a local, Spanish distributor.
Click to expand...
I did reach out to support with these questions but haven’t received a response yet. I’m fairly certain the mics just come without seals. I’ve gone through two replacements in the past couple of days, and neither had any. Both also came with bent or blemished "Getting Started" cards, which isn’t exactly confidence-inspiring.

What’s even more concerning is that both of my replacements were from the same batch, and the quality control on them was honestly terrible—ranging from cosmetic flaws to actual component issues. Even the one I have now still has cosmetic defects, but I can’t be bothered to go through yet another swap. At this point, getting a replacement feels more like rolling the dice than receiving a guaranteed quality product.
 
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