The "Vienna" and "Hamburg" editions
are re-engineered versions of the
well regarded ADK A51s or Model “S” – High
SPL Transformer-Coupled Class A
Condenser Microphone that was developed
in 1998.
Even though it was (and still
is) a great mic for the price,
it soon became obvious to me that
the Model S could be improved quite
a bit. The main improvement is
an increase of the signal to noise
ratio. The "Vienna" and "Hamburg" have
greater sensitivity, resulting
in a lower noise floor. To achieve
this, the gain of the FET GAIN
was increased and to offer what
is considered a healthy overload
margin, the pad went from 10 dB
to 18 dB. The idea was that the
user could have a very quiet mic
for vocals and acoustic guitars
and at the flick of a switch, a
mic that could be used on guitar
or bass cabs and drums. The first
updated version of the Model S
was really nice and that's when
the two "flavors" idea
sprang up. I can't recall who had
the idea first, and it doesn't
matter.
What matters is that the Model
S is now available in the Vienna
Edition with a rather flat response
up to the mids, where a subtle
coloration gives a really smooth
midrange, followed by a sparkling
but not hyped top: very natural,
but slightly on the brighter side
of things. Perfect for acoustic
instruments and Modern Pop or Rock
vocals when you don't want an exaggerated "sound" but
perhaps just a bit of "excitement".
The "Vienna" uses
a unique edge connected 1.07" (27.2
mm inner diameter) 5µ capsule.
The second version of the re-worked
Model S is the Hamburg Edition:
actually closer in tone to the
first "revision" because
the capsule is the same as the
original Model S. The head amp
circuit for the “Hamburg” is
very close to the "Vienna" with
similar specs, but the high end
response is different. Coupled
with the 1" (25.4 mm inner
diameter) 6µ capsule, the
tone of this mic is mellower than
the "Vienna" but it also
manages to have greater "presence".
The high frequencies are not as
sparkly but the midrange is more
upfront. Ideal for Guitar amps,
old school Blues/Jazz vocals, etc.
Both the Hamburg and Vienna are
wonderful for Drums, depending
on whether you want fatter or crisper
tone. Both versions have many applications!
Compared to the original A51s
or “Model S”, the newer
versions use much better components
in the audio path, have improved
capsule shock-absorbing mounts
and both have significantly improved
specifications. The HPF curves
were changed from -6dBs @ 100 to
-3dBs @ 100Hz for a more subtle
low-cut, perfect to counter-balance
proximity effect. The tone of these
mics have been fine tuned over
a period of many months and represent
a breakthrough in the quality to
value ratio; likewise, the best
of both worlds in terms of "modern
sound" and "classic tone".
They compliment themselves quite
nicely and will certainly compare
favorably to some of the German
and Austrian classics.
- Jean-Pol Gerard,
ADK Designer and Owner of No-Hype
Studios in Belgium |
