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Has your Countryman B6 cable ever shed it's cable jacket?


Dan Brockett

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Hi all:

 

I recently went to use our Countryman B6, which we have used (and not abused) for a LONG time, probably 15 years. I noticed as I was rigging it that the plastic/nylon jacket up near the mic capsule has actually began flaking off, exposing the wiring underneath? Has this happened to you? I found it weird, I've never seen this on any other rental Countryman mic cables but as we know, the cable diameter on the B6 is tiny and different than the cable on the other Countryman mics and as I said, we've been using this mic for a long time.

Sent it back to Countryman to see what they say, if the cable can be replaced and if so, it it's economically viable to do so. Hope so, really like the B6. Hopefully they'll get back to me, they say on the website it can take up two weeks for them to evaluate gear.  

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2 hours ago, Johnny Karlsson said:

If it's near the head, it's probably caused by the method of mounting the mic.

 

But hey, if you've got 15 years out of a lav mic, I would that's a good run. You got your money's worth for sure. Perhaps it's time for a refresh...?

 

Yeah, I think you're right, I'll see what Countryman says. Usually used with the Countryman vampire but lately I've kind of fallen in love with the Rycote Overcovers, which work so well but are sticky on that cable.

It still sounds fine, even with the exposed wiring but I know it's not smart to use it that way. I was thinking about shrink tubing it but then it would probably get all stiff and not easy to rig. It's more sentimental value than practical value probably, I've recorded all over the world with this mic, lots of interviews/scenes with some amazing talent over the years.

Have rented but never owned the COS11, maybe I'll replace it with one of those? I like the B6 but the cable seems more susceptible to microphonics/handling noise than most of our other lavs.

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2 hours ago, JonG said:

Shrink tubing has been my solution. 

 

I've never worked with such tiny diameters though. It seems that large enough diameter to slip over the mic capsule would be too large to fit the cable? Do they make really tiny diameter shrink tubing where I could split it, wrap it over the wire, then heat it up? The stuff I've used before was literally tube you just slipped over a wire or connection, never seen such tiny diameter shrink tubing?

2 hours ago, Philip Perkins said:

My experience is that all lav mics "wilt" eventually.  Damage from air pollution, sweat from talent, getting pulled and stretched, rain, humidity, dirt etc.  In reality they are a form of expendable, and aren't likely to last like your regular mics at all. 

 

I know what you mean, I think it just is on my mind because the mic still sounds as clear, bright and dynamic as it ever did, it's just the cable jacket is de-laminating it seems. We have half a dozen other lavs so not a life or death thing, just wondering if it's worth trying to fix. 

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2 hours ago, Dan Brockett said:

I've never worked with such tiny diameters though. It seems that large enough diameter to slip over the mic capsule would be too large to fit the cable?

 

I have a couple B6 mics, but they're not handy. I'd think you could use 3/16-inch 3:1 heatshrink, or maybe 1/8-in 2:1, or some similar narrow size and do what you want. Digikey has a zillion options. More managable to search is Markertek:

https://www.markertek.com/category/heat-shrink-tubing

 

But maybe consider some CA/superglue? About the cable getting microphonic, well it is 15 years old. It's probably dry and less flexible. Like my knees.

 

I'd personally send Countryman an email and ask what they suggest (and what they suggest avoiding...like maybe CA glue).

 

Maybe it's time to consider a replacement (and keep your current B6 as a backup). 

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, Dan Brockett said:

It seems that large enough diameter to slip over the mic capsule would be too large to fit the cable?

it works well with commonly available shrink tube, small diameters. Pull off the cap from the capsule first ;-). And btw, if such a mic lasts for 15 years, chapeau!

I love the B6 because of their mounting options in plain sight. Sure their specs are inferior to COS11 and DPA, but often the way you can mount the mic has far more impact on sound than self noise or frequency response. Lately I find myself using the DPA 6060s a lot, but even those are more than double size compared to the B6 and their visual impact does not allow for under the shirt button or plain sight.

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11 hours ago, Johnny Karlsson said:

Just a word of caution: I once attempted to repair a DPA lav with shrink tubing close to the head. The result was that the plastic literally in a split second melted off the cable before the tubing even shrunk to size. YMMV.

 

Ouch! Do recall how you shrank the tubing? With a match or a heat gun? As in: maybe there's a temperature that shrinks the tubing but doesn't melt the cable?

 

Regardless, good warning. 

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Years of lav mic repairs has proven that shrink tubing works best with heat guns. Start the shrink with the heat gun furthest from the tubing so that it starts shrinking slower, building up the heat too fast can & will cause issues with both layers of tubing insulation. Trust me on this one.

 

Eric

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10 hours ago, Jim Feeley said:

 

Ouch! Do recall how you shrank the tubing? With a match or a heat gun? As in: maybe there's a temperature that shrinks the tubing but doesn't melt the cable?

 

With a heat gun! On the low setting too. Eric is probably right that starting farther away from the heat might have helped. It was an old mic though, so the plastic may have been generally "brittle" already, which was the reason it needed repair in the first place.

 

LOL - a match?? Sems like a very bad idea near any gear.

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36 minutes ago, Johnny Karlsson said:

LOL - a match?? Sems like a very bad idea near any gear.

 

I figured you were using a heat gun, but just checking. 🙂

 

I haven't used a match for heatshrink since my rock-n-roll days trying to fix cables after someone (probably always the drummer) trashed them while on the road. I've also stopped using CA glue to get my fingertips back into shape for the next set... 😉 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Update 12/06/19:

 

This is becoming annoying. Countryman received our B6 on November 8th, I called a few days before Thanksgiving and spoke with a nice young lady who located our B6 and paperwork and said simply, "the technician is backed up, but he should be able to get back to you next week."

It is now December 6th, still no word from them which means their technician probably hasn't even laid eyes on our mic yet. Luckily we have other lavs but if this B6 was integral to our kit, this wait time would be unacceptable. All we need is the tech to look at it and tell us yay or nay on actually repairing it. 

This isn't the first time I've poor communication and responsiveness from Countryman. Love their mics but dealing with them seems to continually show poor customer support and responsiveness.

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2 hours ago, Dan Brockett said:

Update 12/06/19:

 

This is becoming annoying. Countryman received our B6 on November 8th, I called a few days before Thanksgiving and spoke with a nice young lady who located our B6 and paperwork and said simply, "the technician is backed up, but he should be able to get back to you next week."

It is now December 6th, still no word from them which means their technician probably hasn't even laid eyes on our mic yet. Luckily we have other lavs but if this B6 was integral to our kit, this wait time would be unacceptable. All we need is the tech to look at it and tell us yay or nay on actually repairing it. 

This isn't the first time I've poor communication and responsiveness from Countryman. Love their mics but dealing with them seems to continually show poor customer support and responsiveness.

Did you call them?  They are in Menlo Park--same time zone as LA?  They've always answered during biz hours....ask them what's up?

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Update:

I just spoke with Countryman, I had to call them yet again, although they said they were going to send me an email with the same information "tomorrow or later this week". The B6 with the insulation shedding off of the mic cable is not repairable, at least by them. They did offer me a replacement (this is the hardwired XLR model) for $221.00 + $16.00 shipping, it retails for $299.00 at most places. 

I have two Trams and three OST 801s, I am thinking of buying a couple of Sanken COS-11s. Not sure if I need a B6, I like the mic but there are a lot of other good and interesting lavs out there, although most like the DPAs are considerably more costly than the B6 too. Opinions? I may have them ship it back to me and try the shrink tubing, just for kicks to see if I can make it work. 

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4 hours ago, Rick Reineke said:

$221 usd is a real good price for an hardwired B6, The XLR Phantom Power adapter alone in well over $100. Most vendors state $299 for a B6 with just a Tx plug (a TA-5 for instance)

Hi,

I have 2 B6 in the original cases never used on consignment with Trew Audi Toronto , if you are interested way cheaper $175 Cad.

Cheers,

V

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