Topic: Apex188 Stereo USB Condenser ???

[ArchivalAudio]

Any expereince with the
Apex188 Stereo USB Condenser

http://www.apexelectronics.com/products.asp?type=4&cat=74&id=1360

while it boasts : 24Bit / 96kHz A to D Converter
Looks like out put is actually: 16bit/48kHz Resolution


any ideas if this would work with a Rockbox'ed iPod and a USB dock connector?
States USB 2.0 only - but then also states any USB, aren't 1.0 and 2.0 usually backwards compatible?


looks interesxting anyway

looks like street pricing is any where between $99 to $139 or so

Specifications

    * Type: USB Stereo Condenser Microphone
    * Polar Pattern: Dual Cardioid Patterns (L&R Stereo)
    * Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
    * Sensitivity: -40dB
    * S/N: 75dB (for 1pA)
    * Max SPL: 137dB
    * Power Requirement: USB low-power device (26 mA)
    * Resolution: 24-bit / 96kHz
    * Connection: USB 2.0
    * Included Accessories: Shockmount, USB Cable
    * Dimensions: 8.25 x 1.25 in / 210 x 28 mm
    * Weight: 17 oz / 464g

any thoughts or actual experience would be good to hear feedback
Thanx
--Ian

[illconditioned]

great idea, but poorly implemented by Apex.

my mic had a high frequency whine that I could not get rid of, so I returned it.

The circuit was cool.  There is a usb preamp/adc chip (AK brand, don't recall the number) and an oscillator circuit to generate 48v for the caps.

If it worked, I had thoughts of putting a pair of akg ck61 caps in there, but alas, it did not...

  Richard

[ArchivalAudio]

great idea, but poorly implemented by Apex.

my mic had a high frequency whine that I could not get rid of, so I returned it.

The circuit was cool.  There is a usb preamp/adc chip (AK brand, don't recall the number) and an oscillator circuit to generate 48v for the caps.

If it worked, I had thoughts of putting a pair of akg ck61 caps in there, but alas, it did not...

  Richard

Thanks
Richard,
I wonder if they all have that high end whine
or if they fixed the issues

--Ian

[illconditioned]

I suppose you could buy it and bring it back, or even just try it in the store.

Note that a plugged in computer will probably have more interference that a laptop.

  Richard

[ArchivalAudio]

found this review on a sellers site:

I ordered this microphone from _______ in the hopes that I would be able to use it for portable acoustic recordings of classical music. However the microphone has a loud whine or hiss that prevents the mic from being usable at all. It sounds like a ground isolation problem to me.  The capsules actually sounded very good, but the electronics in the preamp circuit make the device unusable even for close up work.  I am not sure if it is a faulty device or just bad circuit design.

The mic is going back to the manufacturer for testing. Not a good purchase.

FYI: Even with 24bit 96khz A/D converters your max recording resolution is limited to 16bit 48khz stereo.

so perhaps it is a fault of the unit?

--Ian