Members surferbeto Posted March 22, 2014 Members Share Posted March 22, 2014 HI all, I have an Audiotechnica AT825 stereo condenser microphone. Bought it new circa 1990. It's been many places with me and served me well. Really good for getting a nice stereo recording of folks jamming in a room. But when I pulled it out to use it last night in my band room, it rattled conspicuously and a goodly amount of very dark gray powder shook out through the sound holes in the cover. It's never done that before. I was afraid to plug it in and see if it even worked for fear that might damage it in its current state. I think some rubber windscreen or shockmount or membrane or (whatever- I really don't know what's inside there) has gotten old and turned to dust at last. But I thought I'd ask you all: has this kind of thing happened to you before? Is it likely that this can be repaired for a price I would care to pay? What happened in there? These mics seem to list for about $350 used on ebay these days. I just printed out the repair form from Audiotechnica and am prepared to send it to them for service and repair. It will cost me $30 to get a quote on repair (price waived if I buy it). If I thought this were a hopelessly expensive problem maybe I'd just start saving for a new mic. Any advice or experience you might share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 The E/V RE20 is notorious for having a similar issue. There's a foam screen surrounding the mic capsule inside the mesh grille. Over time, the foam breaks down and turns into a slightly sticky powdery mess. I suspect your AT825 has a similar problem based on your description. It might be something you can repair yourself, but I wouldn't bother - chances are that at least some of that gunk has reached the mic capsules and has contaminated them. IMO, you'll be better off sending it back to A/T and letting them service the mic. I have no idea what they'll charge, but I suspect it will probably be less than buying a new mic. Once you get a quote and a description of what the issue is, I'd appreciate it if you would let us know - it might help someone else later. Good luck - I hope it doesn't cost you too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members surferbeto Posted March 23, 2014 Author Members Share Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks Phil. Will report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members surferbeto Posted May 9, 2014 Author Members Share Posted May 9, 2014 Hey now! Audio-Technica replaced a part called the "unit holder", cleaned up my mic, and sent it back to me in about two weeks. The bill was $5.90 for the part, $40.00 for a half hour labor, and $19.68 shipping = $65.76 I used my mic to record a band practice last night and it all sounded very good. I'm a happy guy. Rock on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 That rocks! philthumb Both because it's good news for you, and because I love hearing stories about great customer service. Thanks for coming back and letting us know how it turned out - it may benefit someone else down the line, and I really appreciate you doing that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jasco Posted May 14, 2014 Members Share Posted May 14, 2014 The E/V RE20 is notorious for having a similar issue. There's a foam screen surrounding the mic capsule inside the mesh grille. Over time, the foam breaks down and turns into a slightly sticky powdery mess. I just bought an EV RE 20 with this problem from a guy for $100. It took me 3 minutes and a $3 foam mic windscreen to fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I just bought an EV RE 20 with this problem from a guy for $100. It took me 3 minutes and a $3 foam mic windscreen to fix. You must have had the tiny allen wrench that is needed to open it up already on-hand. You were also very lucky that the foam hadn't degraded to the point where it damaged the diaphragm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members prwilliams Posted November 13, 2019 Members Share Posted November 13, 2019 On 5/9/2014 at 8:35 AM, surferbeto said: Hey now! Audio-Technica replaced a part called the "unit holder", cleaned up my mic, and sent it back to me in about two weeks. The bill was $5.90 for the part, $40.00 for a half hour labor, and $19.68 shipping = $65.76 I used my mic to record a band practice last night and it all sounded very good. I'm a happy guy. Rock on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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