Help Me Pick A High-End Lav Mic, (Price No Object)

[Pandora]

Could anyone here explain to me the differences in sound
characteristics between the following mics I am considering (such as
sensitivity, warmth, fullness, etc.): Sanken Cos-11, Sony ECM-88,
Countryman B6?
Are there any mics I am not considering that I should? Size of the
mic is not important, but I'm looking for an omni. The application is
spoken word. (Looking for opinions from folks who've actually worked
with any or all these mics.) A lot of the lavs I've heard seem rather
flat and dry. Are there any that sound full and present?

[Don Cooper]

Pandora wrote:

> Are there any mics I am not considering that I should?


DPA.


Don

[Eric Toline]

Help Me Pick A High-End Lav Mic, (Price No Object)

Group: rec.audio.pro Date: Sun, Oct 19, 2003, 2:21pm (EDT-3) From:
(Pandora)

Could anyone here explain to me the differences in sound characteristics
between the following mics I am considering (such as sensitivity,
warmth, fullness, etc.): Sanken Cos-11, Sony ECM-88, Countryman B6?<<<

The Sanken has lots of fans but I find the top end too bright for my
tastes.

The ECM88 is a wonderful sounding mic with the least cable noise of any
lav due to it's dual vertical diaphgrams & some phase cancellation
tricks.

The Countryman B6 is a killer sounding lav having the benefit of being
ultra small & waterproof. You can also change the top end response by
changing the end caps.

One more B6 advantage is that you order it wired for any wireless unit
on the market. As with any Countryman lav it's available in colors & can
be ordered as a combo unit so you use it wireless or hard wired.



Are there any mics I am not considering that I should? Size of the mic
is not important, but I'm looking for an omni. The application is spoken
word.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Just about all lavs are omni. The Countryman EMW series for a lot less
money than any of the above will do the job for you very nicely. If you
decide to the EMW route you can order it with a mild presence peak to
help compensate for chest placement.

All of these lavs need either 48v phantom power or a wireless
transmitter to power them.


(Looking for opinions from folks who've actually worked with any or all
these mics.)<<<<<<<<<

ok, so far so good.

A lot of the lavs I've heard seem rather flat and dry. Are there any
that sound full and present?<<<<<<

Don't now what you've heard but a lav is never going to sound like a
good mic on a boom pole.
The main complaint about lavs is that they always sound too full and
present with no sense of acoustic space around them.

Is your requirement for film/video use or audio only?


Eric

[Kurt Albershardt]

Pandora wrote:
>
> Are there any mics I am not considering that I should? Size of the
> mic is not important, but I'm looking for an omni. The application is
> spoken word.

Small size (think Countryman E6 or B6) might let you get the mic closer
to the speaker's mouth which could make as much or more difference than
the particular mic chosen.

Best overall quality might well come from one of the DPA 40xx units as
Don suggested.

More details on the application?

[Ty Ford]

In Article >,
(Pandora) wrote:
>Could anyone here explain to me the differences in sound
>characteristics between the following mics I am considering (such as
>sensitivity, warmth, fullness, etc.): Sanken Cos-11, Sony ECM-88,
>Countryman B6?
>Are there any mics I am not considering that I should? Size of the
>mic is not important, but I'm looking for an omni. The application is
>spoken word. (Looking for opinions from folks who've actually worked
>with any or all these mics.) A lot of the lavs I've heard seem rather
>flat and dry. Are there any that sound full and present?


I have Countryman B6, E6, EMW mics. The ECM 88 falls between the B6 and EMW.
The ECM 88 has very low cable noise and while it's not as small as a B6,
it's a lot more unobtrusive than an ECM 77.

What they sound like depends on where you put them, and what you put them on.

Regards,

Ty Ford

**Until the worm goes away, I have put "not" in front of my email address.
Please remove it if you want to email me directly.
For Ty Ford V/O demos, audio services and equipment reviews,
click on http://www.jagunet.com/~tford

[Noiseboy]

In article >,
(Ty Ford) wrote:

> In Article >,
> (Pandora) wrote:
> >Could anyone here explain to me the differences in sound
> >characteristics between the following mics I am considering (such as
> >sensitivity, warmth, fullness, etc.): Sanken Cos-11, Sony ECM-88,
> >Countryman B6?
> >Are there any mics I am not considering that I should? Size of the
> >mic is not important, but I'm looking for an omni. The application is
> >spoken word. (Looking for opinions from folks who've actually worked
> >with any or all these mics.) A lot of the lavs I've heard seem rather
> >flat and dry. Are there any that sound full and present?


Check out the DPA 4060.

http://www.dpamicrophones.com/eng_pub/index.html

[Len Moskowitz]

Pandora > wrote:

>Are there any mics I am not considering that I should?

DPA 4060

--
Len Moskowitz PDAudio, Binaural Mics, Cables, DPA, M-Audio
Core Sound http://www.stealthmicrophones.com
Teaneck, New Jersey USA http://www.core-sound.com
Tel: 201-801-0812, FAX: 201-801-0912

[DBX 160]

Tram 50's are my first pick.



(Pandora) wrote in message >...
> Could anyone here explain to me the differences in sound
> characteristics between the following mics I am considering (such as
> sensitivity, warmth, fullness, etc.): Sanken Cos-11, Sony ECM-88,
> Countryman B6?
> Are there any mics I am not considering that I should? Size of the
> mic is not important, but I'm looking for an omni. The application is
> spoken word. (Looking for opinions from folks who've actually worked
> with any or all these mics.) A lot of the lavs I've heard seem rather
> flat and dry. Are there any that sound full and present?

[Pandora]

Application would be micing the groom during a wedding so over-clothes
placement. Of course, capturing the bride and working outdoors are
factors. I may actually prefer a mic not so small as the B6 as a
furry may be required. I read somewhere that the COS-11 is unusually
resistant to wind gusts? Would something such as the EMW be more
appropriate?






Kurt Albershardt > wrote in message >...
> Pandora wrote:
> >
> > Are there any mics I am not considering that I should? Size of the
> > mic is not important, but I'm looking for an omni. The application is
> > spoken word.
>
> Small size (think Countryman E6 or B6) might let you get the mic closer
> to the speaker's mouth which could make as much or more difference than
> the particular mic chosen.
>
> Best overall quality might well come from one of the DPA 40xx units as
> Don suggested.
>
> More details on the application?

[robert]

<<<I read somewhere that the COS-11 is unusually
resistant to wind gusts? >>

The COS-11 is certainly a high quality mic to be considered, and, I
agree it does pretty well to keep wind at bay. It comes with a very
small, metal mesh wind screen which you can then add an inexpensive
(radio shack) foam wind screen on top of for a little more protection
and it will still be very small and discrete. The wind screens may
help cut down the high frequencies that a previous poster noted (just
a matter of taste).

I'd love to try a DPA but have not used one yet. Also, Tram mics
offer great mounting accessories and are a good all around mic.
But... many sound critics don't favor the trams. I think they sound
great on some people and a little to nasaly and brash on others.
Their wind screen is larger and does a pretty good job. You can take
a black sharpie and color the ugly gray windscreen to a more
acceptable black.

robert

[Len Moskowitz]

Pandora > wrote:

>...I read somewhere that the COS-11 is unusually
>resistant to wind gusts? Would something such as the EMW be more
>appropriate?

Any of the lavs can be made very resistant to wind noise by adding a
Rycote Lavalier Windjammer (~$40 per pair).

--
Len Moskowitz PDAudio, Binaural Mics, Cables, DPA, M-Audio
Core Sound http://www.stealthmicrophones.com
Teaneck, New Jersey USA http://www.core-sound.com
Tel: 201-801-0812, FAX: 201-801-0912

[Pandora]

I went over to Core Sound and checked out the 4060. The thing that I
found interesting is that I'm looking to use the lav with a Sharp
minidisc recorder. Would MD plug in power be adequate to power the
4060? I saw that they have high SPL, but how is their sensitivity to
low volume? I noticed
a number of references to their use with music, but how are they with
spoken word? The only other mic set-up for MD I've been able to find
is the Sanken
COS-11BP, which come with a AA battery in the line, but this battery
box seems a bit longer (at around 4") than what I'd like. It also
terminates in
an XLR connecter so I'd need to add the extra size of an XLR to 1/8"
adapter.
I wonder how the sound of the 4060 and the COS-11 might compare?



(Len Moskowitz) wrote in message >...
> Pandora > wrote:
>
> >Are there any mics I am not considering that I should?
>
> DPA 4060