Endora Dual Diaphragm Microphone

Seeker

I think I've written that I've switched to a set of these after years of using the OM-1 microphones from Line Audio on a Schoeps disc. To my ears the sound is sweeter, yet more natural, and because of the revolutionary design - an IC is used instead of FETs or transformers - not only is there huge flexibility in how the microphones can be used, but the noise floor is every bit as quiet as Schoeps (at least to my ears and measurements). Here's a video showing how this one microphone can be used as if it were several different types!

navindra

Seeker Thanks a lot for this.

I needed a microphone for vocals and after being extremely confused by all the various options available, I remembered this other discussion of yours.

I'm a big fan of condensor microphones and I've tried various ones, including a small one I "made" myself some decades ago. So this one looked interesting for sure. I saw they have a near identical model as the Endora in mono (perfect for vocals), so I now have a Serena Microphone Kit on the way.

I'm only just realizing what I've gotten myself into... this is DIY?? I have to be able to assemble this in time for sound checks and the actual recording.

How was your experience with the assembly process? Is there some reason they don't pre-assemble these?

Seeker

navindra This is great news.
You basically have half an Endora,, and it can sound great.
Watch and listen to this video:
As I understand it, the Alice circuit is what's used in Serena as well as Endora.
Me, I think it's genius the way Jules went with an op amp versus older ways of doing things.

As to assembly, not wanting to do anything wrong, I got somebody to build it for me as well as the 5 pin breakout cable. There is a great construction video on the JLI site, and from what I've seen you do, I know you won't have any problems.

If you do, call or email them, and they WILL hold your hand. Tell them I sent you; they know me; they know I use Endora, and that I am an (unpaid) proponent of their microphones.

Can't wait to hear what you do with yours.

navindra

Seeker Wow! Nice video! This is definitely hyping it up for me. 😃

I just ordered a soldering iron and supplies, so hopefully everything arrives and the project goes well this weekend!

Seeker

navindra It's interesting - did you notice he was speaking at a very close distance into Serena, and he wasn't using any sort of pop filter? As for me, what I like about Endora (2 Serenas in 1 mic body) is that what goes into the microphone is what comes out - just about ZERO coloration, very low noise floor. Perhaps you can remember that my former mic setup included two (ruler flat) Line Audio OM-1 microphones and a Schneider disc. I got really good recordings with that, but... Endora, thanks to the op-amp has a much lower noise floor, and, at least to my ears, with the standard JLI capsule (they also sell a K67 capsule I think), has a slightly sweeter, more natural sound. DO let us know how things go with at least a little recording as soon as you can!

navindra

The first part of building this mic was hooking up the XLR connector. This also happened to be the toughest part of the build. I'm glad I didn't start with the Endora because the XLR work is twice as difficult there.

My soldering turned out atrocious. It is not as easy as it looks on the video!

Fortunately, my soldering work with the circuit boards turned out better. Even more fortunate, all of that is completely hidden away and the final product is very professional:

I plugged in Serena for a quick test and WOW WOW WOW! I have never heard a microphone sound this good. Now I'm just worried that I'm not going to be able to do this microphone justice!

I'm also having a lot of regret that I didn't discover this mic before. The specs of this mic vastly exceed the specs of the piano mics that I use now and for a fraction of the cost.

The whole thing looks very much like a Neumann U 87 Ai Studio Microphone which seems to cost almost $4000. I've not had any experience with that tier of microphone, so I don't actually know how they match up. Serena is cardioid only, so I suspect the Endora is a closer match to the Neumann.

The Serena microphone sounds absolutely incredible and I couldn't hear any noise at all in the signal.

Absolutely. Blown. Away.

Seeker

navindra I knew you could do it! As to your reaction to the recorded sound, mine was similar, and I have had experience being recorded with high end mics like the Neumann U87 and Schoeps and somewhat more recently a $2500 Soyuz microphone (that session with a singer). Now that you've done one, if you want to go stereo, you could do another and decide whether X-Y or ORTF suit you more. I have found X-Y to be great for piano. The sound stage is not overly wide, but the stereo effect is there. If you want to save $, LMK, and I'll dig into my plug-in library for a tool that somehow, without distortion, adds time delay to a mono signal and... makes is sound convincingly stereo. Looking forward to hearing something from you soon. Finally - kudos one more time to Jules Rykebusch for his innovative designs and to Brad Confer at JLI Electronics for the work done sourcing the parts for the DIY builder and the instructional materials that make it possible. At this point I no longer remember where I read or saw what, but I do remember reading about the work that went into sourcing the microphone body, the capsules (two are available), and so forth. Really glad for your success with the build.