About 12 months ago I bought two SE Electronics SE1a condenser mikes.
They are marvelous value for money, a superb sounding little mike for
around £60 ($130 ish).

However recently they both began playing up, producing cracks and buzzes
when the xlr was moved. here`s what I found:

The internal part of the mike is held into the barrel by just one tiny
grub screw which threads into the outer housing of the xlr and is a
loose fit in the outer barrel. The electrical return path from the
capsule uses the outer barrel back to the xlr housing, so it relies on
the somewhat loose fit of the xlr housing in the barrel to provide
continuity. Moving the xlr was breaking the contact twixt capsule ground
and xlr ground.

To cure it, I added a thin shim of copper screening foil to take up the
gap between the xlr housing and the sleeve. There is a larger recessed
grub screw holding the plastic part of the xlr into the housing, so I
popped a short expansion spring into the recess to improve the
electrical contact to the barrel.

I could in future tap out the tiny grubscrew hole and fit a countersunk
screw which threads through both outer barrel and xlr housing.

Ron(UK)

--
Lune Valley Audio
Public Address Systems
Hire Sales Maintenance
www.lunevalleyaudio.com
--
Lune Valley Audio
Public Address Systems
Hire Sales Maintenance
www.lunevalleyaudio.com