Gear / Technical Help > Microphones & Setup

Stealth DPA 4061's -- What batt & pre setup?

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SMsound:
I want to get a pair of DPA 4061 to run stealth in classical concerts. I almost always open tape, so I have questions about how to set these up for stealth.

Ideally I want to be able to give them 20 or 30dB of gain.

What are you all using to power them and as a preamp? I know DPA sells microdot-to-XLR power adapters, but this seems like an awkward solution...  Is there a recorder where a 1/8" TRS connection goes into the preamps?

Also, I see lots of setups that just use a battery box/no preamp, then 1/8" TRS to connect 2 DPA 4061 to the recorder. What's the deal with these -- do people just skip the preamp and live with a worse signal/noise ratio, or what am I missing?

BradleyJY15:
I used to have a pair of these, taped with them for around 20 years.

https://www.core-sound.com/products/high-end-binaural

Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B):
I've seen 9V battery boxes with microdot connectors with a 1/8" output. Unsure who's making them now (I know Church Audio has made them in the past).

Personally I run my small DPA's into the DPA d:vice/MMA-A which allows you to run into an iPhone (or iPod Touch). Super stealthy if that's needed.

One thing I've found though is the user error rate running into an iPhone is a bit higher than a dedicated recorder. After some practice I've reduced the errors but it's still easier to screw something up this way.

jefflester:

--- Quote from: BradleyJY15 on January 11, 2023, 04:50:51 PM ---I used to have a pair of these, taped with them for around 20 years.

https://www.core-sound.com/products/high-end-binaural

--- End quote ---
Yeah, me too. For rock concerts, plenty enough signal level from just the battery box to go line-in to a 1/8" deck, I used them with a Sony TCD-D100 DAT and then an Edirol R-09 and then an Edirol R-09HR.


If you used the more sensitive DPA4060 you'd probably be okay going mic-in, but an external preamp in front is likely lower noise then the one built into the deck. Any of the small 1/8" in/out preamps could do it for you, like a Church or an SP. Like:
https://soundprofessionals.com/product/SP-PREAMP-20/

The pair of microdots to the 1/8" TRS is always the tricky part, there is no standard product. You could cobble together adapters like this:
https://www.newegg.com/p/35G-00J9-000T1
or this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/304432987368?chn=ps&var=603468772869&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1SJYsDPk6QIaKKhcZoYK72w18&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=603468772869_304432987368&targetid=&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9031026&poi=&campaignid=17597089569&mkgroupid=&rlsatarget=&abcId=9300988&merchantid=101647606&gclid=CjwKCAiA2fmdBhBpEiwA4CcHzfMQxF2RvhZ0pW5hSeoyZwQu48XZvoqPyKYkzK32CWXD6HxCExJ7PRoCCHQQAvD_BwE
...
with a Y-cable to combine the L/R mono TS 1/8" jacks to a 1/8" TRS stero plug to go into the preamp/battery box/deck:
https://soundprofessionals.com/product/MS-SSA-2M/
https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Plated-Connector-Splitter-RFAdapter-Headphone/dp/B096XNHTH3/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3AP76P6APFVFY&keywords=3.5mm+y+cable+stereo+to+mono&qid=1673476074&sprefix=3.5mm+y+cable+stereo+to+mono%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-6

Darktrain used to make full adapter cables, not sure he still does:
https://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=181231.0

There's also a link in that topic with further discussions on the same topic:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=179317.0
and this one with a detailed DIY build:
https://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=160895.0

aaronji:
For classical, maybe it is worth considering the 4060 over the 4061. There is a ~ 10 dB difference in sensitivity. As far as powering, I would get a 2 x microdot to 3.5 mm TRS y-cable, which you could use with most small battery boxes or pre-amps (as stated above). The MMA-A is another option, as are a used MPS-6030 or MMA-6000 (if you can find one).

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