[mcp6453[_2_]]

I just bought an Audio-Technica AT U857QI. It's very dark to the point
that I wonder if something is wrong with it. What's a fair test to
evaluate the mic? The response curve doesn't indicate that it has a high
frequency rolloff.

It's the same mic now being used for the litigants on Judge Judy. It
sounds great there. Are they EQ'ing the hell out of it?

[[email protected]]

mcp6453 wrote:

I just bought an Audio-Technica AT U857QI.

** You shure about that number ??


..... Phil ;-)

[geoff]

On 16/02/2021 2:10 pm, wrote:
mcp6453 wrote:

I just bought an Audio-Technica AT U857QI.

** You shure about that number ??


.... Phil ;-)




Ha ha. Maybe he was sold it by some cad.

I think he meant 'QL'.

geoff

[[email protected]]

mcp6453 wrote:

===================
I just bought an Audio-Technica AT U857QI. It's very dark to the point
that I wonder if something is wrong with it. What's a fair test to
evaluate the mic? The response curve doesn't indicate that it has a high
frequency rolloff.

It's the same mic now being used for the litigants on Judge Judy. It
sounds great there. Are they EQ'ing the hell out of it?

** Nothing would stop them do all manner of signal processing on a mic used like that.

That "double foam " pop filter might be an issue with some dullness.

Bet the response curve was measured *without* it in place.


....... Phil

[Dieter Michel]

Hi,

I just bought an Audio-Technica AT U857QI. It's very dark
to the point that I wonder if something is wrong with it.

What's a fair test to evaluate the mic?

do you have any other mic that you could connect
in place of the U857 in order to check whether
anything is wrong with the preamp or whatever
device the mic is connected to?

Actually, I have an Audio-Technica AT873R here.
That's a handheld mic, but it uses a UE-capsule
as a transducer element like the U857Q.

I would not consider the AT U873R to sound surprisingly
unexpected in any way. As opposed to the U857Q, the U873R
uses a hypercardioid capsule, but according to the specs
the on-axis frequency response of the UE-H capsule should
not drastically differ from that of a UE-C (as built into
the AT U857).

Did you buy the AT U857Q new from a dealer? If so, you
could tell him about your concerns and let him check the mic.

If not and you really want to use the mic, there would be
the (final) option to buy a UE-C capsule and replace the
one of the mic you already have. I see that UE-capsules
can be bought off EBay for relatively manageable money,
e.g. article number 333095212263:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Audio-Technica-UE-C-Cardioid-Mic-Element-for-U851-U853-U857-U873R-U891-Black-/333095212263

It sounds great there. Are they EQ'ing the hell out of it?

I don't think so. These (relatively) small-capsule
condenser mics may have their tonal drawbacks, but
I would not expect them to sound in a considerably
surprising or unexpected way without EQ, especially
not in such a way that one would suspect a malfunction.

Of course, your impression may be different depending
on what you consider as dull or dark.

All the best,

Dieter

[Scott Dorsey]

In article ,
mcp6453 wrote:
I just bought an Audio-Technica AT U857QI. It's very dark to the point
that I wonder if something is wrong with it. What's a fair test to
evaluate the mic? The response curve doesn't indicate that it has a high
frequency rolloff.

Does it sound different if you switch the polarity?

It's the same mic now being used for the litigants on Judge Judy. It
sounds great there. Are they EQ'ing the hell out of it?

I don't know. I hate these stalk microphones. Everybody is using them now
because they sound closer and have better GBF than a microphone on the lectern
but too few people actually know how to use them and you wind up with a
lot of popping and grinding noises. Speakers move them around and they are
never pointed in the right place, which in the case of the cardioid version
leads to them sounding muffled, of course.
--scott


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