Beesneez BU67 - new U67 clone

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

If people are really interested, I’d be happy to share my mic picks. But, what I like might not be what other’s like. Sound is so personal.

the u67 might be one of the most honest mics you will hear & I

Let me see if I can demonstrate this with some audio. It’ll take me a little time to put together.

Always interested in what my AGF brothers opinions are. I think the common bond we all have with the acoustic guitar is a huge help for evaluations of microphones. The acoustic guitar Offers a wide dynamic range, a large frequency spectrum, and lots of Overtones in which to judge.

The Cable company of which I recently ordered a cable from said; that they use Acoustic guitar (along with Voice) as their prime listening references when evaluating their own cables. Claiming that they had over 7 terabytes of acoustic music in which to use.

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by jim1960

I'm not hearing anything I'd describe as harshness on the top end of the BU67.

I'm definitely hearing a little "buzz" way up top. What are you listening on? I wanted to double check so I listened on Dynaudio LYD48s (3-way), JBL 4315s (4-way), and the little JBL LSRs we have at the studio (I should know the model, but I don't, but they are 2-ways with a sub & they have the self-calibration DSP). That little buzz was there in all of those systems.

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

Always interested in what my AGF brothers opinions are. I think the common bond we all have with the acoustic guitar is a huge help for evaluations of microphones. The acoustic guitar Offers a wide dynamic range, a large frequency spectrum, and lots of Overtones in which to judge.

The Cable company of which I recently ordered a cable from said; that they use Acoustic guitar (along with Voice) as their prime listening references when evaluating their own cables. Claiming that they had over 7 terabytes of acoustic music in which to use.

I usually test mics with voice first, because it's the most natural & obvious sound to humans.

In the old days some engineers liked the "keys test". I never subscribed to that, but I do understand the logic of testing the transient response & detail in the high end. That was definitely more of a concern in the days of tape, where you lost some of that, in varying amounts, based on tape formula, tape speed & inherent mechanical EQ fingerprint of the tape machine itself.

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by jim1960

I think the mic sounds quite nice, especially for the price.

And this is the important thing, right?

It's almost detrimental to even start off by comparing this to a classic like the u67. You immediately introduce expectations that may not be the builder's original intent. I almost wish these mic manufacturers would just avoid the comparison altogether and tell us what they're after, like: smooth & honest with tube character. Instead of "u67 clone".

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

Which goes to show you need to trust your ears not the plots...

My quote about flatness comes from my using it for 10 years, and I own quite a few Neumanns and other high end microphones. What goes into a Neumann U89i is what comes out of it. That's exactly why I love it.

And actually I ONLY trust my ears, the graphs were for those you use them. That's why I don't trust any online gear demo. Online video/audio compression, bad mic placement, you name it, I can't live with it. If I'm interested in a mic, I ask about the return policy, or I just rent what I want to buy. My experience with Beeznees mics is that they are good sounding mics, but rarely sound like the originals. And what I hear in the postings in this thread is lightness in the lowend and a slightly different top-end. That said, I would still like to give the BU67 a try. If it brings the U67 tone for that kind of money that's a bargain. I would like to see if the online stuff samples are representative of the actual sound. I actually have a Violet Flamingo that has a great U67 vibe (EF86, 67 voiced capsule) but it's only single pattern.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

I'm definitely hearing a little "buzz" way up top. What are you listening on? I wanted to double check so I listened on Dynaudio LYD48s (3-way), JBL 4315s (4-way), and the little JBL LSRs we have at the studio (I should know the model, but I don't, but they are 2-ways with a sub & they have the self-calibration DSP). That little buzz was there in all of those systems.

I listened on both my Neumann KH120s and on my Focal Clear Pro headphones. I hear what sounds like a little bit of tube distortion on the vocals in the video but it sounds like he was right on top of the mic seeking a bit of proximity effect and I don't know what preamp he was using and how hard he was hitting it. I'm not hearing it so much on the acoustic guitar which, I'm assuming, was further away than his mouth, so maybe the mic doesn't handle high spl as well as other mics?... not a deal breaker for me. I still very much like what I'm hearing from this mic.

My main vocal mic is still going to be my Flea 47 but there are some songs I've written where I think the 67 flavor may work better.

But the bottom line for me is this... past 67 clones have been, imo, universally either terrible sounding or missed the sonic mark completely (the latter applies to the Neumann reissue). Every time one comes out, I am excited to hear it and then I'm disappointed. This mic is the closest I've ever heard a clone come to a 67. And that's not coming from a Beesneez fanboi. I own no other mics from them and in the 87 shootout I posted, I preferred the Serrano over the Beesneez. I just really like how this mic sounds. I'm going to hold off buying it until November and see if it goes on sale. But I'm pretty sure this is my next mic purchase.

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

And this is the important thing, right?

It's almost detrimental to even start off by comparing this to a classic like the u67. You immediately introduce expectations that may not be the builder's original intent. I almost wish these mic manufacturers would just avoid the comparison altogether and tell us what they're after, like: smooth & honest with tube character. Instead of "u67 clone".

I agree with the first part and I really do expect to be disappointed by clones ...I go in hoping not to be but clones usually fall short of the bullseye and the BU67 is no exception. As I said somewhere else in this thread, the U67 seems to be a very hard mic to clone. I'm a 'go' on this mic because it gets me closer than the others and the price is very fair. As I said in the first post, it lacks some fullness in the bottom and some sparkle on the top, but I think there's enough there to satisfy my 67 thirst and I haven't been able to say that about another 67 clone.

I don't mind the mic makers using the vintage designations but your point is well taken.

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

My quote about flatness comes from my using it for 10 years, and I own quite a few Neumanns and other high end microphones. What goes into a Neumann U89i is what comes out of it. That's exactly why I love it.

And actually I ONLY trust my ears, the graphs were for those you use them. That's why I don't trust any online gear demo. Online video/audio compression, bad mic placement, you name it, I can't live with it. If I'm interested in a mic, I ask about the return policy, or I just rent what I want to buy. My experience with Beeznees mics is that they are good sounding mics, but rarely sound like the originals. And what I hear in the postings in this thread is lightness in the lowend and a slightly different top-end. That said, I would still like to give the BU67 a try. If it brings the U67 tone for that kind of money that's a bargain. I would like to see if the online stuff samples are representative of the actual sound. I actually have a Violet Flamingo that has a great U67 vibe (EF86, 67 voiced capsule) but it's only single pattern.

Exactly, nothing beats experience. I've been a professional engineer for almost 30 years (ugh has it been that long). I've used these "classic" mics (though, some of them were just "current" mics when I started) & I appreciate guys like Dave Bock, Wes Dooley, Shannon Rhoades, Matt McGlynn & Chad (Signal Art) more & more because they are building better versions of these old workhorses. They spent enough time fixing classic mics to know what works & what needed to be better.

[DupleMeter]

BTW - I think I mentioned this as "coming soon". Production Experts call out our favorite workhorse mic.

https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/pro...ite-microphone

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

BTW - I think I mentioned this as "coming soon". Production Experts call out our favorite workhorse mic.

https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/pro...ite-microphone

Ah yes I read that article So one thing not quite clear to me was in the Rhoades mic section Was whether the mic was hand built by S. Rhoades and then tuned by him ,, or built by someone else and then sent to Rhoades to be tuned ?

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Ah yes I read that article So one thing not quite clear to me was in the Rhoades mic section Was whether the mic was hand built by S. Rhoades and then tuned by him ,, or built by someone else and then sent to Rhoades to be tuned ?

We bought all the parts, sent them to Shannon, who built it & tuned it. It was his idea to tune the top end to be more 47/251-ish. I’m glad we let him do that.

[Mics]

Hi all.

I have been reading through the comments here and just thought I’d jump in and say a few words.

The BU67 is within a 1/4 dB at all frequencies to the Original untouched Neumann we used to engineer the Sonics. We have hand wound the toroidal transformer to extend to 5hz so the lows can be dialed in to suit. There are a few mentions of a harshness in the preceding posts; even though I didn’t hear them, I analyzed the clip just in case and I didn’t see anything that was out of the ordinary.

In usage, the BU67 is actually smoother than the original we have which is mainly due to the transformer. Here is another clip for you all to listen to. Piano is BM49’s, vocals is BU67

https://soundcloud.com/stefan-nowak

The file is Jol-1807

Let me know what you think.

Cheers.

Ben sneesby

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Mics

Hi all.

I have been reading through the comments here and just thought I’d jump in and say a few words.

The BU67 is within a 1/4 dB at all frequencies to the Original untouched Neumann we used to engineer the Sonics. We have hand wound the toroidal transformer to extend to 5hz so the lows can be dialed in to suit. There are a few mentions of a harshness in the preceding posts; even though I didn’t hear them, I analyzed the clip just in case and I didn’t see anything that was out of the ordinary.

In usage, the BU67 is actually smoother than the original we have which is mainly due to the transformer. Here is another clip for you all to listen to. Piano is BM49’s, vocals is BU67

https://soundcloud.com/stefan-nowak

The file is Jol-1807

Let me know what you think.

Cheers.

Ben sneesby

Hi Ben and welcome to the forum. Also, thanks for the new sample track. I think you've done an amazing job with your BU67 and that track is a great example. This really is the first 67 clone I've heard that has impressed me. It won't be long before I'll be ordering one.

[Mics]

Originally Posted by jim1960

Hi Ben and welcome to the forum. Also, thanks for the new sample track. I think you've done an amazing job with your BU67 and that track is a great example. This really is the first 67 clone I've heard that has impressed me. It won't be long before I'll be ordering one.

Thanks Jim.

We do try very hard. Thus far we have Made just over 50,000 microphones since our inception. We look forward to many more!!

cheers. Ben

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Mics

Hi all.

I have been reading through the comments here and just thought I’d jump in and say a few words.

The BU67 is within a 1/4 dB at all frequencies to the Original untouched Neumann we used to engineer the Sonics. We have hand wound the toroidal transformer to extend to 5hz so the lows can be dialed in to suit. There are a few mentions of a harshness in the preceding posts; even though I didn’t hear them, I analyzed the clip just in case and I didn’t see anything that was out of the ordinary.

In usage, the BU67 is actually smoother than the original we have which is mainly due to the transformer. Here is another clip for you all to listen to. Piano is BM49’s, vocals is BU67

https://soundcloud.com/stefan-nowak

The file is Jol-1807

Let me know what you think.

Cheers.

Ben sneesby

That recording sounds great both the Piano and the Vocal

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Mics

Hi all.

I have been reading through the comments here and just thought I’d jump in and say a few words.

The BU67 is within a 1/4 dB at all frequencies to the Original untouched Neumann we used to engineer the Sonics. We have hand wound the toroidal transformer to extend to 5hz so the lows can be dialed in to suit. There are a few mentions of a harshness in the preceding posts; even though I didn’t hear them, I analyzed the clip just in case and I didn’t see anything that was out of the ordinary.

In usage, the BU67 is actually smoother than the original we have which is mainly due to the transformer. Here is another clip for you all to listen to. Piano is BM49’s, vocals is BU67

https://soundcloud.com/stefan-nowak

The file is Jol-1807

Let me know what you think.

Cheers.

Ben sneesby

If I had not just purchased a new guitar I might be contemplating your 67 or other to compliment my current modest mic locker.

For future reference I am curious about your thoughts I currently have ::
1 ADK Z-Mod 251
1 Brauner Phantom V
2 AEA N 22 ribbons