New K&K Trinity work with PMB????

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by wayne8

Well, according to the PMB manual, it says it puts out slightly more than 9 volts when using the adapter but doesn't say how much. I guess one 9 volt supplies the phantom and the other 9 volts supply power to the rest of the unit. The PMB uses two nine volt batteries if you don't use the adapter. In researching, trying to find a replacement, which I guess just isn't possible, I've read that it's fairly common for these adapters to be fried, something about unplugging them while the unit is on or something. Anyway, I'll either use it with batteries or continue to use the K&K belt pack preamp. Interesting that the K&K only uses one 9 volt battery and it, too, supplies phantom for the mic.

The PMB runs on 18v rails. 9v is used for the phantom powering.

There are numerous 18vDC 300mA power supplies currently for sale:

https://www.google.com/search?client...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Just make sure you get one with the proper + and - wiring to its output jack.

[wayne8]

Do you think this one would work?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pigtronix-U...-/172939955494

I found an old Talk Bass thread about trying to find an adapter for the PMB (link below) and there was a lot of talk about rigging up something that would work. They seemed to be in agreement that the PMB adapter was wired tip = -9 volts and ring = +9 volts. Down the page on the above ebay link it says the Pigtronix unit is sleeve positive and tip negative. This is all above my head so I'm not sure if sleeve and ring mean the same thing. The last post on the Talk Bass link talks about a solution that worked well but it entails buying another power supply at around $189 and doing some custom wiring at the jack. Not sure how to do what he's talking about and pretty sure I don't want to spend that kind of money if there's a cheaper, simpler solution.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/rav....889209/page-2

[sdelsolray]

You are confusing (i) the + and - terminals on the power supply's plug with (ii) the + and - connections for an internal microphone. They are wholly different animals.

I think I was wrong above. The RL PMB power supply is a special design:

Here's a link to the manual:

http://web.archive.org/web/200510241...b1/pmb1om.html

[wayne8]

Okay, thanks. I'm just going to use the batteries. I know it works that way. And, from what I've read, it'll go for about 50 hours on batteries, so that's good. And with the external EQ will be easier to use for multiple guitars than the K&K belt pack.

[Ryan Alexander]

I just wanted to follow up on this as I ended up buying a PMB-1 and a K&K Trinity system and had the chance to test them last night. I was able to confirm my earlier suspicion regarding the bias voltage. When running on battery power I measured 8.5v on the ring and the mic worked fine. When I changed over to the AC adapter, the bias voltage went up to 11.4v and the mic no longer worked. I only powered it on the adapter long enough to hear the same hiss that other users have been reporting, and it worked fine on battery power afterwards so no damage seems to have occurred.

So, despite the fact that K&K has taken a hard stance that one of their preamps MUST be used (the Quantum Blender and Trinity Pro both deliver 9v as per the spec sheets), it would seem that as long as the preamp chosen delivers 9v or less it should be suitable for powering these new Trinity systems. My Trinity was just purchased from Shoreline and is dated Oct 2017, so it's definitely a new version.

I also have a Solstice and measured about 14.5v coming from that, and since the AC powered Raven delivering 11.4v didn't work I didn't bother to go any further testing the DTAR.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Ryan Alexander

…I also have a Solstice and measured about 14.5v coming from that, and since the AC powered Raven delivering 11.4v didn't work I didn't bother to go any further testing the DTAR.

Hi Ryan

I have 4 dual-source K&K equipped guitars (around a decade old), and were I installing any these days, I'd be shopping around for the AKG mic that Doug Young has written about in the forum to replace the K&K internal mic.

I get great tone from my K&K silver bullets and have pushed them 'over the limit' since 2005 with Raven, Solstice, and Headway preamps without issue.

I'm glad the new rigs work with 9v sources like the Raven. It's a bummer for those who own Solstice rigs because they are superior to any preamp (including the Quantum) that K&K builds.

This change on the part of K&K means I no longer recommend them to people who are looking for dual source rigs.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Neon Soul

I think I read a while ago that K&K were putting some sort of chip/cap in their mic capsules that will only respond to their preamps, and not third party preamps.

I'm guessing in your case it won't destroy the mic, but it won't work either.

Sorry man.

One of the many reasons I am boycotting K&K.

What are the other reasons? Any idea where this is documented, or why they would make their mic proprietary?

[varmonter]

I will have to say KK doesnt appear to have
Intentionally "proprietaryized" their system.
Only installed a "surge protector" if you will
To protect the mic from burning up when a
MIs-informed user applies the wrong voltage.
The mike appears to work with any pre that applies
A voltage under 11.5 volts.
Personally I think they should standardize all of
This phantom power to 48v .. just saying.
My Felix will apply 12 volts to this mic.
So I won't be purchasing the silver bullet.
Looks like KK shot themselves in the foot with this silver bullet.. ha

[Ryan Alexander]

I have to say, I'm not a fan of this change either and was considering boycotting any future K&K purchases. However, I was having a lot of frustration with a Schatten HFN that was previously in the guitar and since I have owned guitars with Trinity systems in the past I figured it was a safe bet (compatibility issues aside).

I'm not exactly sure why K&K decided to do this, but I would venture a guess that they may have had a lot of warranty claims over the years from people exceeding the recommended voltage. I knew that Larry was running them "over the limit" as he put it with good success for years, but always wondered if that was lucky or not.

Larry - thanks for weighing in, you have posted a lot of great info on this topic over the years I considered trying an Audix L5O and may still pick one up to compare at some point. For now, I'm thinking of sourcing a Trinity belt pack on the cheap so I can use the Solstice for blending. Both the Raven and Solstice sounded great when I compared them last night using just the SBTs - I would give the edge to the DTAR for being quieter and fuller sounding. I can't wait to try the Solstice with the mic!

[Dustinfurlow]

I too, have experienced this inconvenience, though I'm a K&K-endorsed artist I have to say I've enjoyed most the results I got using old-stock Trinity's with the DTAR Solstice. My newer-stock Trinity installed in my Larrivee works great with the Trinity preamp supplied for smaller gigs but when I get optimal EQ and headroom dialed in with a nice PA (by nice, I mean Meyers Speakers tops and subs) my Beneteau which has the old-stock Trinity w/ Solstice blows the Larrivee away like you wouldn't believe...its absurd.

I say all this with some degree of reluctance, because the actual Pure Mini is the back-bone of my live sound, I love K&K still, but I just wish they offered some type of higher/volt output mic for different preamps for players who demand something else that don't want to go through the trouble of drilling more holes in their guitar.

[Doug Young]

There are other good mic options. I use the Audix L5O or Dpa 4061. You dont have to stick with the silver bullet

[Neon Soul]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

What are the other reasons? Any idea where this is documented, or why they would make their mic proprietary?

The other reasons are the unfriendly and standoffish customer service I received from them, and rather poor build quality in their preamps.

I have the Powermix Trinity installed in my guitar. It's their top of the line, most expensive internal pickup system. It has a 3 channel internal preamp that runs an undersaddle, pure western transducers, and a trinity mic, all with 3 band EQ, gain and a volume control.

Anyway, one of the resistors on the Mic channel was faulty from the factory, and eventually crapped out completely. I emailed them about a repair and was told in rather abrupt terms that being in the UK, I was essentially sh*t out of luck. No UK recommended repair guys, no warranty, not even an apology that their product was faulty.

I emailed to ask for the part number so I could get it repaired myself and got a one word response with the resistor value, still no hint of sympathy from them that their product had sh*t the bed.

After getting it back from my repair guy I was informed that the SMD components they use are the cheapest of the cheap. They also glue every component in while they solder them which makes them a pain in the butt to remove. Just poor class workmanship across the board.

So, that is why I'll no longer buy K&K.