Suggestions for MKE2 plug replacement please?

S

Simon Eves

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May 12, 2013
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One of the other theatre sound guys I work with seems to spend a lot of time finding lavalier mics on Ebay, and has obtained a couple of Sennheiser MKE2s (one 2-4, one 2-5) but they have Lemo plugs and we use Sennheiser EW G2 and G3 transmitters.

Sennheiser want a ridiculous amount of cash (almost the cost of a new mic) to replace the plugs with the appropriate type.

Does anyone here have any recommendations for a place (in the US) that would do this for us for sensible money, please, and ideally in the next couple of weeks (our first show this summer opens on July 4).

We would want good quality plugs (ideally Switchcraft with strain relief) and it's also essential that they construct the correct diode circuit inside the plug to achieve 5mV/Pa sensitivity, as otherwise they are too hot for the G2 transmitters.

We found one place willing to swap the plugs, but they were so vague about the circuit part we are wary of going with them.

Thanks in advance.
 
Re: Suggestions for MKE2 plug replacement?

Brian jojade said:
What about something like this? (link)
Click to expand...

Thanks, Brian, for finding that. We hadn't considered adapters, but it certainly avoids the problem of recreating the impedance/sensitivity circuitry (only a resistor and a capacitor, but has to be the RIGHT resistor and capacitor!).

I found another adaptor made by Thomann in Germany, which consists of a Lemo line socket and a 1/8" plug and a few inches of cable, which is arguably more sensible than the one-piece Betso solution, as it can be folded instead of being effectively one really long plug which is then harder to strain-relieve, but they didn't have any in stock and their international shipping costs were a bit silly.

I then considered making up our own, and even got as far as soliciting some helpful input from Lemo themselves (their US office turns out to be about 15 miles from where I live!) who suggested a way of customizing one of their other socket models to work with the FVB.00.303 plugs on the mics, but those sockets are $28 each in small amounts, and decent 1/8" locking plugs seem to be $10-12, plus obtaining suitable cable, and then having the time and skills and inclination to build them (none of which I do).

In the end, even though $69 each sounded exorbitant at first, I decided that the Betso adaptors were actually worth it, and have this morning ordered a couple of them from their NY distributor. I just hope they work as advertised :)
 
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