Thank you so much for your reply, Mr.TA. I think that perhaps you know more than anyone else about Beyer DT48's. I was an audio engineer for forty years in Hollywood (records and TV) before I retired in 2007. Of course this does not mean that my 73 year old memory is flawless! I seem to remember that DT48's
were sold by the folks that were the Nagra dealers in Hollywood early on , Ryder sound. I don't remember if they were DT48S's or not. I do get the impression
from you and the other experts that the DT48S's were specifically made for use with the Nagra. Certainly my DT48S's sound a lot different than the DT48's
I describe in my above post.They have a lot more bass than my other DT48's,which are presumably DT48A's judging by what folks have said about them on the forum. I also see that some people like the sound of the DT48A's better then any other model. And some folks like the sound of the DT48S's. I am sure that these folks
are giving honest evaluations, so I wonder what the changes have been in the various models of DT48's over the years! It would seem to me that unless they
were grossly mishandled, the sound of the many models of DT48's would not change over the years due to their all metal construction, but in this I am
of course no expert.
So I would be very interested, Mr. TA in what you think of the above. Also, where did you get the vintage Gotham audio ad? I would be interested in tracking it
down so I could read a full sized version.
A bit of of audio history just entered my mind regarding the serial numbers on DT48's. Gotham audio was owned by a man named Steve Temmer,
who was something of an iconoclast,to say the least. For instance,he guarded his right to be the sole importer of Neumann microphones with a zeal that
I have never seen the likes of. A story illustrating this follows. Around 1969, If I remember correctly, I was working for a small recording studio in
West Hollywood run after his passing by the daughter of the man who had founded it, Henry Russell. Mr Russell had purchased some Neumann
microphones in Germany, bypassing Gotham audio entirely.I don't know if when he bought these mikes, Gotham was the sole importer or not. Anyhow at
the time this was entirely legal.My memory is rather hazy as to the exact details of what happened, but I think Mr. Russell tried to get parts or service on
these microphones from Gotham.This was before I worked for the studio so what I am relating came from the long time employees and Mr. Russell's
letters to and from Mr. Temmer in the studio files.I think perhaps he sent these mikes to Gotham in New York for service. Mr. Temmer wrote him a scathing
letter about having purchased these mikes in Germany thus bypassing Gotham audio entirely. I don't think that he held them for ransom like he was later known
to do in some cases, but the letter called out Mr. Russell in no uncertain terms.Mr.Russell, known to be no shrinking violet himself wrote back accusing
Mr. Temmer of behaving like a Nazi among other things which of course he was not.I remember that he got the mikes back, but I doubt that he got any service
or parts in the deal.Mr Temmer could tell by the serial numbers that the mikes were not bought through Gotham and was suitably enraged.He guarded Gotham's
right to import Neumann and I presume other product lines in a very confrontational manner to say the least.
So my point in relating this incident is that perhaps Mr. Temmer required serial numbers on the DT48's he imported so that he could make sure they
were purchased through Gotham. I imagine that you could find similar stories about Mr. Temmer elsewhere as he was notorious about defending his right
to import Neumann mikes and the other brands he handled into the US.
