ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

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ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by DrummerMan » Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:13 am

Years ago I bought a used RE20 probably off eBay, probably for pretty cheap and it sounded like shit. Don't know why I didn't bother trying to return it but that's neither here nor there at this point.

It's super thin sounding. No low end. The foam is disintegrated and gross, so I was considering getting some fresh foam from Full Compass and trying to replace it all. Found some good online guides, so I don't think that process would be too challenging.

My concern is that I don't think changing the foam will actually fix the sonic issues, which I guess could be from foam debris stuck to the capsule/voice coil, but could be something else I suppose? EV will do a flat repair fee of somewhere around $250. Part of me wants to see if I can troubleshoot this thing and save the cash, but another part of me feels like the detail and quality of work the company will do could be worth it, especially if it involves cleaning or replacing any part of the capsule.

So, my quandary is: try and fix it myself, or send it off to EV for more than half the price of a new re20?

Suggestions?
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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by darjama » Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:41 am

I did the foam replacement. It was a PITA but doable, and I'm not the best at these things. I wasn't having a problem with thin sound though, but getting a lot of noise since the diaphragm was moving around. I think given you don't know what the problem is, it might be worth sending it in to get checked out, it should operate as new after that. It might be the bass rolloff switch is broken. Does it affect the sound?

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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by DrummerMan » Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:30 am

The rolloff switch doesn't do anything as far as I can tell, but the sound seems thinner than what a standard bass rolloff should be. Also, the volume is quite low. Have to crank the thing to hear anything.
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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by roscoenyc » Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:44 am

A new one is over $400.

I'd send it to EV for their full service and look at it like it was a deal.
You'll get a working microphone out of it.

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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by Nick Sevilla » Wed Mar 31, 2021 11:41 am

roscoenyc wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:44 am
A new one is over $400.

I'd send it to EV for their full service and look at it like it was a deal.
You'll get a working microphone out of it.
This right here.

https://electrovoice.com/contact-us/
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by kslight » Wed Mar 31, 2021 12:09 pm

darjama wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:41 am
I did the foam replacement. It was a PITA but doable, and I'm not the best at these things. I wasn't having a problem with thin sound though, but getting a lot of noise since the diaphragm was moving around. I think given you don't know what the problem is, it might be worth sending it in to get checked out, it should operate as new after that. It might be the bass rolloff switch is broken. Does it affect the sound?
I have a PL20 and the foam, waiting for inspiration to do this.

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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Wed Mar 31, 2021 1:00 pm

Another vote for sending it in. You'll get an almost new mic back. Very likely with a new capsule.

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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by DrummerMan » Thu Apr 01, 2021 1:49 pm

Thanks for the push to do the smart thing everyone. I think you're right about sending it in. I've got enough projects that I don't have time for on my plate as it is and this will almost certainly produce better results.
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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by DrummerMan » Mon Apr 26, 2021 5:03 pm

UPDATE: I sent my re20 to EV (aka Bosch) and got it back from them just around 2 weeks later. No indication of what they fixed but it sounds fantastic now! Thanks again for the push in the right direction.
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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by roscoenyc » Tue Apr 27, 2021 6:55 am

Bravo!!

That's too good of a mic to have not working the way it should.

Glad they fixed it for you.

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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by standup » Mon May 03, 2021 3:59 pm

I guess because of this thread I dropped my PL20 in the mail to Bosch/EV today. It works, but I’ve had it so long I have no idea if it sounds “right” or not. When I handle the mic I can feel the internals sliding around, so it def needs an overhaul.

I did a vocal with it last week on a quick demo so I can compare when I get it back.

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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by The Scum » Tue May 04, 2021 11:38 am

So what does an RE-20 refurb run? I've got an ancient one that could also probably use it.

(Anyone know what Sennheiser charges for refurb work? Also also got a 441 that could use it, too).
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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by DrummerMan » Tue May 04, 2021 12:53 pm

The Scum wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 11:38 am
So what does an RE-20 refurb run? I've got an ancient one that could also probably use it.

(Anyone know what Sennheiser charges for refurb work? Also also got a 441 that could use it, too).
It's like $250 flat fee, regardless of the issue as far as I can tell. They ended up charging me tax too which brought it to about $270 when all was said and done. Mine was at least 10 years old, probably a good deal older.

I've also got a 441 with an almost imperceptible grounding issue. I'll probably deal with that someday too but it works well enough that it's still completely usable so far, so I haven't pursued that fix yet.
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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by DrummerMan » Wed May 05, 2021 9:50 pm

I just noticed on the back of the return form they actually did specify the repairs.

"Refurbished Microphone with new element, transition, wiring and foam. Microphone passed complete factory testing after repair. Test printout is attached"

From the list of parts, it looks like I've basically got a brand new mic in the old body. So that's pretty cool.
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Re: ADVICE: send in my re20 or fix myself?

Post by Scodiddly » Thu May 06, 2021 5:55 am

DrummerMan wrote:
Wed May 05, 2021 9:50 pm
I just noticed on the back of the return form they actually did specify the repairs.

"Refurbished Microphone with new element, transition, wiring and foam. Microphone passed complete factory testing after repair. Test printout is attached"

From the list of parts, it looks like I've basically got a brand new mic in the old body. So that's pretty cool.
It's like your own personal "Relic" mic!

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