gunnar wrote:
Okay, we're talking about IEC Type I capsules, not the cheap electret
ones. For the most part, the reason B&K made "recording" versions of
their measurement microphones was cost. People didn't want to spend
$12,000 for a pair of recording mikes.

Well, obviously you know more about this than I do. I remember having
read though that B&K did a rather extensive redesign of their capsule
to optimize the sound for recording. Maybe my memory is wrong there.

Yes, they did. That optimization was to lower cost. There are a lot
of carefully-controlled characteristics in the IEC Type I capsules that
you don't need in a recording mike. Also, of course, the recording mikes
are available with cardioid designs as well.

Regardless I really like the DPA 4003 sound and I think the newer
4006TL is coming close (the 4003 and 4006 have the same capsule but
different electronics). They are nothing like low-priced though but do
keep their value on the used market. An added benefit is the selection
of acoustical grids that can be used to tailor the frequency response.

They are good mikes and I like them a lot. They don't have anything
like the flat response and careful phase response of the measurement
mikes, but they are a whole lot cheaper than the measurement mikes.

I have also used the Microtech Gefell M296 which to my eyes looks
derived from their line of measurment mics (but as stated, I am no
expert). This is also a lovely mic, but it is more specialized than the
smaller DPA-s in my experience. While the 4003 always sounds good, the
M296 may not be the right tool every time.

All of the nickel-diaphragm Gefell capsules are built with the same
basic procedure pioneered with the Western Electric 640AA measurement
capsule, as slightly modified by Schoeps in the fifties (the Schoeps 221b
is another example of a nickel-diaphragm capsule). But the overall
construction is quite diferent.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."