Topic: Favorite stealth-cardioids?

[Arni99]

I had:
sp-cmc-8
sp-cmc-4u(with low sens mod)
mm-hlsc-1
stc-11 (church cardioids)

any other great sounding mini cardioids out there i haven´t had yet?

ok , DPA 402x series, but their price ......the samples from dimeadozen.org didn´t convince me to do the step towards the dpa402x mics....

[danlynch]

I'm not sure what "samples" you "heard on Dime", but as an owner of a pair of low-cost stealth mics and a also recent owner of a pair of DPA 4021's, I can assure you that the difference is quite striking.

If you would like to sample some fine DPA 402x's recordings, search for "Scott Brown" at archive.org, or you can visit my site linked in my signature and sample the Roger Waters, White Stripes or Fiery Furnaces recordings I've made in the last few months.

[Arni99]

I'm not sure what "samples" you "heard on Dime", but as an owner of a pair of low-cost stealth mics and a also recent owner of a pair of DPA 4021's, I can assure you that the difference is quite striking.

If you would like to sample some fine DPA 402x's recordings, search for "Scott Brown" at archive.org, or you can visit my site linked in my signature and sample the Roger Waters, White Stripes or Fiery Furnaces recordings I've made in the last few months.

thx bro ,
will check out your samples .
but 3000€ for new dpa4022?!?!

[Brian Skalinder]

I can assure you that the difference is quite striking.

Playback system also plays a HUGE role in evaluating recordings.  So, depending on what playback gear we each use for listening, we may or may not hear significant differences between higher, mid, or lower end recording gear.

[edtyre]

high cost:
schoeps mk-4's or ccm4's

low cost:
at 943 & at 853

[Sanjay]

I've always been a fan of the DPA 4022's.

You'll work a bit harder to get a good tape from what i've heard, but the results will be worth it.  (size, room placement, correct technique)

[KLowe]

I'm not sure what "samples" you "heard on Dime", but as an owner of a pair of low-cost stealth mics and a also recent owner of a pair of DPA 4021's, I can assure you that the difference is quite striking.

If you would like to sample some fine DPA 402x's recordings, search for "Scott Brown" at archive.org, or you can visit my site linked in my signature and sample the Roger Waters, White Stripes or Fiery Furnaces recordings I've made in the last few months.

Huge +T's to your website. www.nyctaper.com  Very well put together.

I wish I could figure out how to do something similar.

Thanks for sharing.  That White Stripes is Killer.  You should sell copies of that show 

[Nick's Picks]

im a BIG fan of the at853s.
I like them better than any of the stealth omni's, including DPA

[nameloc01]

if you power the new u853s correctly, they are very much bad-ass.
honestly, i think they are just as good as the DPAs,i think the main difference here between the two is mostly just about the size.

[Nick's Picks]

and the $$
new u853?  haven't heard them.

[Javier Cinakowski]

and the $$
new u853?  haven't heard them.

I love them.  Here is a recording I did with the U853c with the 943 bodies with 4.7k mod (church) ->CA 9100-> mod-sbm-1->iRiver

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/MP3files/PRODUCTS/sp-cmc-8ls.mp3

[nameloc01]

and the $$
new u853?  haven't heard them.

'
well.... would you like to??

[Alchemy]

I had:
sp-cmc-8
sp-cmc-4u(with low sens mod)
mm-hlsc-1
stc-11 (church cardioids)

any other great sounding mini cardioids out there i haven´t had yet?

ok , DPA 402x series, but their price ......the samples from dimeadozen.org didn´t convince me to do the step towards the dpa402x mics....

So which pair of mics sounds best to you? I like my AT831s. For some odd reason, I don't care too much for the sound of DPA microphones. They have a very distinct sound to them, as if someone turned down the midrange. Maybe it's just my ears. 

[stantheman1976]

and the $$
new u853?  haven't heard them.

I love them.  Here is a recording I did with the U853c with the 943 bodies with 4.7k mod (church) ->CA 9100-> mod-sbm-1->iRiver

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/MP3files/PRODUCTS/sp-cmc-8ls.mp3

Sounds nice.

[rdflash]

I like my AT831s

word.

[Arni99]

I had:
sp-cmc-8
sp-cmc-4u(with low sens mod)
mm-hlsc-1
stc-11 (church cardioids)

any other great sounding mini cardioids out there i haven´t had yet?

ok , DPA 402x series, but their price ......the samples from dimeadozen.org didn´t convince me to do the step towards the dpa402x mics....

So which pair of mics sounds best to you?

My DPA4061´s OMNIS I like MOST! Never had such a full natural sound when using cardioids.

SP-CMC-8 sound too thin for ME.
SP-CMC-4U(low sens modded by SP) more bass than the SP-CMC-8 and overall richer sound than the SP-CMC-8.
MM-HLSC-1: these mics can really shine in CERTAIN situations (when there´s plenty of bass coming from the PA).
otherwise it sounds extremely thin but the high frequencies sound lovely .
STC-11 church cardioids: fuller(more bass) sound than the 3 above but also some kind of sound-colouration which i didn´t like. Of course most mics are NOT "transparent" sounding and add their own colouration to the sound recorded.

If I had to choose again from the 4 cardioids above, I would go for the MM-HLSC-1 cause it is more sensitive than the low-sens-modded AND does NOT distort at high SPL.
The church cards are for sure the BEST starter mics around for the given price .

More important is to KNOW, WHICH of someone´s mic will smoke other mics in WHICH situation(acoustics of the venue, crowd behaviour, spot to tape from,  etc. ).

[OOK]

My vote is for 853's   

[danlynch]

I recently just did some post-production on a nice clear recording made by someone in a small venue in Europe, with the Church Cards.  The sound was nice and sharp, but the problem, as with many of the low-cost mics, was that the bass response was weak.  I'm surprised to hear that these mics have "more bass" than the other 3.  After some level modifications and some EQ, they made a really nice recording--but there's just not much "there" there at the bottom end.

I'm listening to my White Stripes recording from Tuesday (FOB DPA 4021s) with a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones.  Its pretty humorous to suggest that there's no midrange in these mics. 

[Arni99]

I recently just did some post-production on a nice clear recording made by someone in a small venue in Europe, with the Church Cards.  The sound was nice and sharp, but the problem, as with many of the low-cost mics, was that the bass response was weak.  I'm surprised to hear that these mics have "more bass" than the other 3.  After some level modifications and some EQ, they made a really nice recording--but there's just not much "there" there at the bottom end.

I'm listening to my White Stripes recording from Tuesday (FOB DPA 4021s) with a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones.  Its pretty humorous to suggest that there's no midrange in these mics. 

I used my church cards at a small club in Vienna and the bass was really "omni-like" , so I guess if the soundguy kills low frequencies NO mic in the world can do a good sounding recording with nice low frequency levels.

[M]

You may want to try looking into some shure mx185's and audix adx40's.

For me the at853's are the best all round so far but I think that will change.  Like it was said before different mics for different situations.   

[Alchemy]

I'm listening to my White Stripes recording from Tuesday (FOB DPA 4021s) with a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones.  Its pretty humorous to suggest that there's no midrange in these mics. 

I'm not even about to get into an argument about how something sounds over the internet. Whatever sounds best to your ears is correct. I think it is pretty evident from the posts in this thread that we all have our own opinions about "good sounding" stealth cardiod microphones.

[Arni99]

I'm listening to my White Stripes recording from Tuesday (FOB DPA 4021s) with a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones.  Its pretty humorous to suggest that there's no midrange in these mics. 

I'm not even about to get into an argument about how something sounds over the internet. Whatever sounds best to your ears is correct. I think it is pretty evident from the posts in this thread that we all have our own opinions about "good sounding" stealth cardiod microphones.

sure, but after 4 shows with my dpa 4061 omnis the need for cardioids is fading and fading and......
after the next bad sounding venue I will change my mind for sure HAHA!

[George]

I own a pair of at853 cards (with mini xlr) and a pair of dpa4061's.  Their both great mics and I selected both for a particular reason.  The dpa's can sound stunning in the right environment.  I taped a MMW show with them last year when I first got them and I was floored (and still am) at how incredibly holographic they sound.  It's still like I'm sitting in the venue watching the show.  The at's serve their own purpose.  I generally use them for seats that are farther away from the stage, they do sound pretty good to great, but not in the same realm as the dpa's.  The at's definitely lack that low end punch I'm used to hear with my dpa's.  Midrange on the dpa's?  I'd say its very smooth and silky.

[dactylus]

wasn't DPA supposed to be releasing a mini 406x-type card? (not the one that is already available for vocal mic'ing off the headband)

I heard that the dpa mini 406x-type cards are coming within the next 90 days - i was told to monitor the dpa web site for release info...

 

[Dede2002]

I had:
sp-cmc-8
sp-cmc-4u(with low sens mod)
mm-hlsc-1
stc-11 (church cardioids)

any other great sounding mini cardioids out there i haven´t had yet?

ok , DPA 402x series, but their price ......the samples from dimeadozen.org didn´t convince me to do the step towards the dpa402x mics....

Arni,

Very nice thread

[DaveG73]

I'm not sure what "samples" you "heard on Dime", but as an owner of a pair of low-cost stealth mics and a also recent owner of a pair of DPA 4021's, I can assure you that the difference is quite striking.

If you would like to sample some fine DPA 402x's recordings, search for "Scott Brown" at archive.org, or you can visit my site linked in my signature and sample the Roger Waters, White Stripes or Fiery Furnaces recordings I've made in the last few months.

Huge +T's to your website. www.nyctaper.com  Very well put together.

I wish I could figure out how to do something similar.

Thanks for sharing.  That White Stripes is Killer.  You should sell copies of that show 

I would also love to know how to set up something similar.

If you feel like giving a tutorial on how you got it set up I would be very interested.

Dave.

[Nick's Picks]

you know..., I forgot about the Audix micro line.
those sound better than the ATs, but re much larger. 

[George]

you know..., I forgot about the Audix micro line.
those sound better than the ATs, but re much larger. 

Indeed.  The 1290c's sounded great in the limited amount of use I got out of them.  Very smooth and fun to listen to.  In comparison, the at853 cards sound a little unrefined/rough around the edges (in terms of midrange). 

The downside was that they are simply too long and heavy to stealth with if your going for a minimal/no hassle rig.

[danlynch]

It wasn't even originally my idea, but came from a post by T-section user dmaster:
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,82802.msg1120045.html#msg1120045

I pretty much used all of his suggestions, added a few ideas of my own, used some trial and error, and of course added the content.  Oh yeah, and I layed out the cash for bandwidth.

I'm not sure what "samples" you "heard on Dime", but as an owner of a pair of low-cost stealth mics and a also recent owner of a pair of DPA 4021's, I can assure you that the difference is quite striking.

If you would like to sample some fine DPA 402x's recordings, search for "Scott Brown" at archive.org, or you can visit my site linked in my signature and sample the Roger Waters, White Stripes or Fiery Furnaces recordings I've made in the last few months.

Huge +T's to your website. www.nyctaper.com  Very well put together.

I wish I could figure out how to do something similar.

Thanks for sharing.  That White Stripes is Killer.  You should sell copies of that show 

I would also love to know how to set up something similar.

If you feel like giving a tutorial on how you got it set up I would be very interested.

Dave.

[prof_peabody]

I recently just did some post-production on a nice clear recording made by someone in a small venue in Europe, with the Church Cards.  The sound was nice and sharp, but the problem, as with many of the low-cost mics, was that the bass response was weak.  I'm surprised to hear that these mics have "more bass" than the other 3.  After some level modifications and some EQ, they made a really nice recording--but there's just not much "there" there at the bottom end.

I'm listening to my White Stripes recording from Tuesday (FOB DPA 4021s) with a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones.  Its pretty humorous to suggest that there's no midrange in these mics. 

I have had a chance to use a variety of equipment AT853, AT933, AT944, KM140, 4023...  A lot of people complain about lack of bass on low cost rigs.  And this is true, most low cost rigs have terrible bass response.  I've used a couple different SP batt boxes and the CA-9100; all I can say is that running the AT mics under phantom power is one of the best improvements you can make to the sound quality of these rigs.  Anyone who is using a 9V battery box should look at moving to phantom power set-up.  If you take a look through the Team Audio Technica thread you'll see a lot of similar comments from other tapers.  A phantom rig does not add much cost either.

For stealth DPAs, I really recommend the 4023 over the 4021.  The disconnecting lemo connectors are very handy.  My only problem with the DPAs for stealthing is the really flat frequency response... I don't think a lot of pre-amps handle the high end response from the DPAs very well and forces you into a V3 or 722 to get a really nice sound. 

[danlynch]

Nice post.  I understand your point about the freq response on the DPA's, but I'm really quite pleasantly surprised with the quality of the pre-amp on the BCM 660.   I had my doubts about whether it could handle the 4021's, but now I'm pretty confident that the 660's pre-amp is up to the task under any circumstances.  If it could withstand the burst of PA from the White Stripes at 20 feet, its ready for anything.

[Nick's Picks]

you know..., I forgot about the Audix micro line.
those sound better than the ATs, but re much larger. 

Indeed.  The 1290c's sounded great in the limited amount of use I got out of them.  Very smooth and fun to listen to.  In comparison, the at853 cards sound a little unrefined/rough around the edges (in terms of midrange). 

The downside was that they are simply too long and heavy to stealth with if your going for a minimal/no hassle rig.

I dont know if I"d go that far.
they are easier to stealth than 140s, or mk4s,IMO.

[prof_peabody]

When I said high end, I meant high frequencies...

[Arni99]

I just mailed my local DPA-Distributor asking for the rumors about the new DPA cardioid mini mics.....

[Arni99]

I just mailed my local DPA-Distributor asking for the rumors about the new DPA cardioid mini mics.....

just got info .
here the original german mail from the Austrian distributor:


"Es gibt bereits den Prototypen und Nullserienmuster bei Studer Austria anzutesten.

MFG

Reinhold Fliedl
Studer Austria GmbH, Geschäftsführung

Lemböckgasse 47a, 1230 Wien
Tel.:+43 1 8651676, Fax.:+43 1 8651676 99
mailto:Reinhold.Fliedl@studer.at
http://www.studer.at "

he says the prototype of the mic can be testetd yet at www.studer.at .

[dactylus]

I just mailed my local DPA-Distributor asking for the rumors about the new DPA cardioid mini mics.....

just got info .
here the original german mail from the Austrian distributor:


"Es gibt bereits den Prototypen und Nullserienmuster bei Studer Austria anzutesten.

MFG

Reinhold Fliedl
Studer Austria GmbH, Geschäftsführung

Lemböckgasse 47a, 1230 Wien
Tel.:+43 1 8651676, Fax.:+43 1 8651676 99
mailto:Reinhold.Fliedl@studer.at
http://www.studer.at "

he says the prototype of the mic can be testetd yet at www.studer.at .

Cool - I was told that they should be out within 30-90 days and that there were "other cool things" coming out soon as well from dpa.  Not sure as to what that might be yet!

                           

[Dede2002]

Reinhold Fliedl
Studer Austria GmbH, Geschäftsführung

Lemböckgasse 47a, 1230 Wien
Tel.:+43 1 8651676, Fax.:+43 1 8651676 99
mailto:Reinhold.Fliedl@studer.at
http://www.studer.at "

he says the prototype of the mic can be testetd yet at www.studer.at .

Where? Just can't find anything

[Arni99]

you gotta visit this shop in VIENNA, then you can test it .
maybe I go there tomorrow...I have 3 weeks vacation now. it´s only 20 minutes by car from my place.

[dactylus]

you gotta visit this shop in VIENNA, then you can test it .
maybe I go there tomorrow...I have 3 weeks vacation now. it´s only 20 minutes by car from my place.

If you do decide to check this out in person please let us know what the scoop is on these new mini cards if you can...

+T

 

[WiFiJeff]

you gotta visit this shop in VIENNA, then you can test it .
maybe I go there tomorrow...I have 3 weeks vacation now. it´s only 20 minutes by car from my place.

If you do decide to check this out in person please let us know what the scoop is on these new mini cards if you can...

+T

 

I posted on these mics back in April after talking with DPA US.  They have a prototype in, too, and are very excited about them.

DPA released a mini-cardioid mic two years ago, it had a very steep bass roll-off and was meant for use just a few inches from an actor's mouth.  The first of the new series, which may be out before year-end, is meant for lapel mounting, but DPA US says it works better than other mini-cardioids even for instrument recording at a distance.  There is also planned for next year another version of the mini-cardioid more like the bigger DPA 602x "compact" cards.

DPA is also about to release a shotgun mic, so I think my mic budget for the next few years is now committed.

Jeff

[Mr.Fantasy]

As opposed to making another thread for this question.....

....and since people have been posting about stealth mics here.....

.....Would Nakamichi Cm300's (modified somehow for phantom power [whole other can of worms i'm sure]) be suited for stealthing......

...or maybe my question is ......what makes a good stealth mic?

[stantheman1976]

Good stealth mics can be hidden easily and don't sound like crap when they are hidden.

[Arni99]

today I drove to the DPA-wholesaler for AUSTRIA in vienna.
well....there IS something coming...mini cardioid, BUT when or what is still not decided.
he said, DPA and SCHOEPS are the only companies in his opinion, which are capable of building excellent mini cardioids. they had lots of headset-DPA cardioids there which are about the same size as the 406x series.

he told me, IF I want some DPA mics or DPA related amplifiers(ie. MMA6000) I should just give them a call and they could order it directly from denmark within 2 days and the give me best-price guarantee!

problem is: my dpa 4061´s terminate into a single 3.5mm jack and for using them with the mma6000 preamp the remodification would cost 57 euro x 2mics =>114 euros.
well new mics cost 600 euros .
the mma6000 would cost 400 euros with 2 microdot jacks(standard).

anyway, cool to know that DPA-guys and technicians are just 15 minutes from my home .
he told me a friend of him used the edirol r-09 plugin-power and the dpa 4063 which is for low voltage (3V) and it sounds great.

[illconditioned]

For general use I would recommend the Church cards.  Smooth and balanced sound, detail is pretty good.

For omnis I *really* like the Senn MKE2 type.  These are balanced and very clear, stunning quality.  Put on your glasses, over the temples (halfway between front of glasses and ears).  Sounds great on both headphones and speakers.  I like the "rich" sound of the DPA 4060/61, but they don't sound as realistic imo.

Can't wait to hear some DPA cardioids, though!

  Richard

[Javier Cinakowski]

I love the mke2 as well.  Very nice sound.   

I just tried the U853 omni not long ago and dropped some jaws with that recording.  They sound very much like the mke2, but the bass is a bit sloppy.  Next time out I will use the HPF and see what happens.

I am really diggin the new Uni-Gaurd caps, gonna try the hypers out soon...


I dig the Church Preamp a whole lot, but I would take the AT853 over his mics.

[Arni99]

For general use I would recommend the Church cards.  Smooth and balanced sound, detail is pretty good.

For omnis I *really* like the Senn MKE2 type.  These are balanced and very clear, stunning quality.  Put on your glasses, over the temples (halfway between front of glasses and ears).  Sounds great on both headphones and speakers.  I like the "rich" sound of the DPA 4060/61, but they don't sound as realistic imo.

Can't wait to hear some DPA cardioids, though!

  Richard

you know i had them all during the last 12 month ....me gearslut!  
mm-hlso(mke2), sp-cmc-8, sp-cmc4u(low sens modded),church stc-11 cardioids,  mm-hlsc-1=> i ordered them again now as these are my favourite  cardioids of all tested. taping with them you always know they have "something in reserve" they can rely on....high SPL just can´t kill these mics , that´s why i love them PLUS they are high-sens mics and don´t need 4.7k mod resulting in low levels at acoustic-moderate loud shows.
with 4.7k modded you run into problems NOT using an external preamp .
same with DPA 4061...impossible to use line-in on the r09 without an external preamp at extremely loud shows.
dpa 4060 would match perfectly to the r09 for any kind of show IMHO.

[larrysellers]

The mm-hlsc-1 are the mics I use the most (out of the at853 and the audix 1290). Even when I used to run the LSD2, I would mount the highlines on the shock. Really a great pair of mics. Good luck.

Edit: damn dyslexia

[Arni99]

The mm-hlsc-1 are the mics use use the most (out of the at853 and the audix 1290). Even when I used to run the LSD2, I would mount the highlines on the shock. Really a great pair of mics. Good luck.

my shock are my ........ ...stealth 100%

[Nick's Picks]

why people by the 4061 over the 4060...I'll never understand.
you would be hard pressed to clip the 4060s.

[Arni99]

why people by the 4061 over the 4060...I'll never understand.
you would be hard pressed to clip the 4060s.

no problem though IF you buy an mma6000 preamp with the 4061´s.

[Nick's Picks]

exactly.

[hi and lo]

why people by the 4061 over the 4060...I'll never understand.
you would be hard pressed to clip the 4060s.

Actually.. I've heard several 4060 recordings that are definitely overloaded in the low end. A couple of Tool tapes come to mind. The problem went away with 4062s.

[Arni99]

I had too much bass but not distorted, when i taped uriah heep with my dpa 4061 and my edirol r09 4 weeks ago.
the amount of bass coming from the stacks was overwhelming.
with adobe audition 2.0 I chose a 266Hz HPF and now it sounds great .
I taped 4 different concerts from the same spot that day and all sound very different soundwise.

[Arni99]

266hz?

thats pretty much scrubbed the low-end alright.

hi and lo - arni99
are you guys running line-in, or, mic-in?

i had to use mic-in with the 4061´s although it was extremely loud .

here the info file from my dime torrent(which has NO HPF!...only normalizing was done in post for the torrent)

URIAH HEEP at Lovelydays Festival 2007 (AUDIENCE)

date: July 6th 2007
city: St. Pölten(AUSTRIA)
venue: VAZ (outdoor show)

source/lineage:
mics: DPA4061 (terminated into 3.5mm plug instead of 2x microdot-plugs)
battery-box: SP-SPSB-9 (12 Volt)
recorder: Edirol R-09 on MIC-IN at recording level 17
recording format: 16bit/44.1kHz WAV=>FLAC level 8
post: normalized

CD1
Intro
So tired
Cry freedom
Falling in love
Words in a distance
Stealin'
Between two worlds
The wizard
Free me

CD 2
Sunrise
Gypsy
Look at yourself
July morning
Bird of prey
Easy livin'
Lady in black + Outro (Land of hope & glory)

[Arni99]

I'm going out on a limb here, but, it seems that you're overloading the R09 mic pre, and experiencing brickwalling, and not so much mic distortion.

no brickwalling ...i taped even louder shows on mic-in and never had preamp problems on the r09 mic-in preamp.
it´s just too much bass but not brickwalled or distorted.
the 4061s are low-sens and that means about 10-12 dB less input than 4060´s or MM-HLSC-1 cardioids.
it´s like using 4.7k modded mics which have about the same decrease in sensitivity.

[muj]

the dpa's bass is nice....what's your playback system? is your room small?

[danzz1234]

what would be best btw an iriver h320 and a mm-hlsc-1 to stealth at very loud situations?

ive searched for an answer and it seems that the mics directly plugged into the iriver will work fine.. or is it better to get a bbox?

[Arni99]

what would be best btw an iriver h320 and a mm-hlsc-1 to stealth at very loud situations?

ive searched for an answer and it seems that the mics directly plugged into the iriver will work fine.. or is it better to get a bbox?

a bbox is better for the mic´s dynamic range and soundpressure level handling.
bbox provides 9V to the mics...the iriver about 3,xV as far as I remember.

[moooose]

my taping experience is quite short, but this is my 0.2 anyway: AT853u sound great and are not too expensive. Love also the interchangeable caps.

[Alchemy]

what would be best btw an iriver h320 and a mm-hlsc-1 to stealth at very loud situations?

ive searched for an answer and it seems that the mics directly plugged into the iriver will work fine.. or is it better to get a bbox?

a bbox is better for the mic´s dynamic range and soundpressure level handling.
bbox provides 9V to the mics...the iriver about 3,xV as far as I remember.

Minor correction...I think the iRiver supplies 1.5 volts of "plug in" power.

[Arni99]

what would be best btw an iriver h320 and a mm-hlsc-1 to stealth at very loud situations?

ive searched for an answer and it seems that the mics directly plugged into the iriver will work fine.. or is it better to get a bbox?

a bbox is better for the mic´s dynamic range and soundpressure level handling.
bbox provides 9V to the mics...the iriver about 3,xV as far as I remember.

Minor correction...I think the iRiver supplies 1.5 volts of "plug in" power.

according to the iriver FAQ´s here at TS.com:
"The iriver provides 2.5v of plug-in power (1v more than most mini-discs I believe), which allows it to power electret condenser mics such as dpa-4061s or at853s (terminating in a stereo mini-plug of course) without the need of a battery box.  However, providing external power such as that provided by a battery box will likely improve dynamic range and spl handling of such mics."

It´s NOT enough power for DPA 4060/4061/4062 but might be enough for 4063 and 4067 as these are low DC-mics which need 3V and not 5V as the 4060/4061/4062.
I tried my DPA 4061 with my iriver´s plugin-power...ok you can record....but the sound is NOT overwhelming . big difference when i use my 12v bbox....lots more mic-signal coming in to my iriver .

[Alchemy]

what would be best btw an iriver h320 and a mm-hlsc-1 to stealth at very loud situations?

ive searched for an answer and it seems that the mics directly plugged into the iriver will work fine.. or is it better to get a bbox?

a bbox is better for the mic´s dynamic range and soundpressure level handling.
bbox provides 9V to the mics...the iriver about 3,xV as far as I remember.

Minor correction...I think the iRiver supplies 1.5 volts of "plug in" power.

according to the iriver FAQ´s here at TS.com:
"The iriver provides 2.5v of plug-in power (1v more than most mini-discs I believe), which allows it to power electret condenser mics such as dpa-4061s or at853s (terminating in a stereo mini-plug of course) without the need of a battery box.  However, providing external power such as that provided by a battery box will likely improve dynamic range and spl handling of such mics."

It´s NOT enough power for DPA 4060/4061/4062 but might be enough for 4063 and 4067 as these are low DC-mics which need 3V and not 5V as the 4060/4061/4062.
I tried my DPA 4061 with my iriver´s plugin-power...ok you can record....but the sound is NOT overwhelming . big difference when i use my 12v bbox....lots more mic-signal coming in to my iriver .

off by a volt, thanks

[nihilistic0]

personally, I prefer the AT853 over DPA's.  A little more laid back sounding, decent transparency

For me, I think the bass response is about right, as I don't really like it when some mics (like CSB) capture way too much bass. 

After taping Porcupine Tree recently, I found that if the AT's get fed some loud tight bass that just on the edge of overloading the mic, the response is very nice indeed.

sample: http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=CCB5B8E94B0D0FE9

[Belexes]

Great thread.

I have the SP-CMC-8's and they have been okay, but a little thin on the bottom end.  Based on this thread, I think I am going to try:

STC-11's

and, since everyone seems to like the AT853's, I will obtain a pair of SP-CMC-4U's, and probably retire the SP-CMC-8's.

Looks like I'd need the 4U's with a low sens mod if I am stealthing loud rock concerts? Correct?

[prof_peabody]

Great thread.

I have the SP-CMC-8's and they have been okay, but a little thin on the bottom end.  Based on this thread, I think I am going to try:

STC-11's

and, since everyone seems to like the AT853's, I will obtain a pair of SP-CMC-4U's, and probably retire the SP-CMC-8's.

Looks like I'd need the 4U's with a low sens mod if I am stealthing loud rock concerts? Correct?

If you go phantom you won't need the mod...

[Javier Cinakowski]

Great thread.

I have the SP-CMC-8's and they have been okay, but a little thin on the bottom end.  Based on this thread, I think I am going to try:

STC-11's

and, since everyone seems to like the AT853's, I will obtain a pair of SP-CMC-4U's, and probably retire the SP-CMC-8's.

Looks like I'd need the 4U's with a low sens mod if I am stealthing loud rock concerts? Correct?

If you go phantom you won't need the mod...

No need to go phantom.  those phantom adapters are a pita.  the 3-wire/mini xlr's  OR the 4.7k low sens mod sound just as good as phantom modded 853's...much smaller and convienient too....

[Alchemy]

A nice way to power the 853s for high-SPL recordings is with the AT8532 power unit. You would need two of them of them (one for each mic in a stereo config)...and their only output is a full size XLR connector. I have a set of XLR cables and when I thought of stealthing with them, I realized it wasn't pratical.

[prof_peabody]

A nice way to power the 853s for high-SPL recordings is with the AT8532 power unit. You would need two of them of them (one for each mic in a stereo config)...and their only output is a full size XLR connector. I have a set of XLR cables and when I thought of stealthing with them, I realized it wasn't pratical.

I stealth this set-up all the time in Houston, home of the wands and patdowns.  What's not practical about it?

[prof_peabody]

No need to go phantom.  those phantom adapters are a pita.  the 3-wire/mini xlr's  OR the 4.7k low sens mod sound just as good as phantom modded 853's...much smaller and convienient too....

It's my understanding that only phantom will give you the full dynamic range of the mics.

[Alchemy]

A nice way to power the 853s for high-SPL recordings is with the AT8532 power unit. You would need two of them of them (one for each mic in a stereo config)...and their only output is a full size XLR connector. I have a set of XLR cables and when I thought of stealthing with them, I realized it wasn't pratical.

I stealth this set-up all the time in Houston, home of the wands and patdowns.  What's not practical about it?

The size of it all, no? Two of the power packs, plus two XLR connectors on the adapter cable.

From your signature, it looks like you run a PS2 and the phantom adapters, right? I think I'm talking about something different.

[prof_peabody]

A nice way to power the 853s for high-SPL recordings is with the AT8532 power unit. You would need two of them of them (one for each mic in a stereo config)...and their only output is a full size XLR connector. I have a set of XLR cables and when I thought of stealthing with them, I realized it wasn't pratical.

I stealth this set-up all the time in Houston, home of the wands and patdowns.  What's not practical about it?

The size of it all, no? Two of the power packs, plus two XLR connectors on the adapter cable.

From your signature, it looks like you run a PS2 and the phantom adapters, right? I think I'm talking about something different.

I use the AT8533X phantom power modules (samson makes something similar).  They used to come with the old AT853rx mics, but you can buy them at B&H or SP for ridiculously expensive prices...

[Alchemy]

Ah, OK, thanks for posting that picture.

I was talking about two of these, which from my understanding is the other way to power the AT mics on phantom power. (You wouldn't use the adapters in this case.)



These don't seem to be very popular. I don't know why. This power unit with the 853s sounds amazing.

[illconditioned]

No need to go phantom.  those phantom adapters are a pita.  the 3-wire/mini xlr's  OR the 4.7k low sens mod sound just as good as phantom modded 853's...much smaller and convienient too....

It's my understanding that only phantom will give you the full dynamic range of the mics.

I'm the resident AT expert here, lol.

Any power method - phantom, 3-wire batt box, or 2-wire box with 4.7k mod will work the same.  When properly wired, these mics need only a few volts to operate.

Those phantom adapters are just another way of getting a few volts to the mics (and providing a balanced transformer output in the process).  What is good about the phantom adapters is convenience.  You can plug into any "standard" gear and run them like "full size" mics.  And you can do longer cable runs due to the balanced output.  But for any standard "stealth" or "stand" use we might have these methods are all equivalent.

  Richard

[kozakz]

I think AT8532 are not popular because they are too expensive and they are hard to get devices. It is a pity that AT ships most of its 853's gear with AT8531 which do not provide enough power for the mics.