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Gear / Technical Help => Cables => Topic started by: dolphinsmile on December 18, 2008, 01:44:18 PM

Title: extension cables question!
Post by: dolphinsmile on December 18, 2008, 01:44:18 PM
i had those akg 391, with the extension cables from the cap to the body. i dont beleive they were actually active cables but i may be wrong, in fact i still have them somwhere.
my question is, are there any cables that came be used in the same way? for example, i have a pair of peluso that the cap can be unscrewed from the body. can an extension cable, thinner than the regular or the same, be used to connect them in the same way as the akgs?
this may be a stupid question but no harm in asking. :)
Title: Re: extension cables question!
Post by: tgakidis on December 18, 2008, 02:29:09 PM
I think the answer is no.  I am not sure, but i think....

1.) You need the right fittings.
2.) You need some way to power the caps the length of the cable.

I am sure someone much smarter then me will answer your question.  ;D

Title: Re: extension cables question!
Post by: nak700s on December 28, 2008, 08:46:32 PM
essentially that is the same thing I am hoping to do with my mics to scale them down...
Title: Re: extension cables question!
Post by: ghellquist on January 13, 2009, 01:49:49 AM
Generally you need more than a cable.

This is true if you run a normal condensor mic. The transducer part of it is simply a gold membrane moved by the sound wawes, in front of a backplate. The electrical signal is indeed quite tiny and extremely sensitive to interference and you need the electronics real close to the membrane. This is why we have the active cables - there is at minimum one transistor in the cap end of the cable. This also means that this is possible with some microphones and not with others.

Sometimes you can get away with a very short cable between cap and head amp (the rest of the mic), but it will be quite difficult to make it work.

So if you want smaller mic head, there are other solutions. Ready made systems comes to my mind (say, Schoeps has these lovely capsules and active cables, and a bit of a price). Smaller mics, say DPA 4060 if you want to go really tiny.

// Gunnar