Microphone recommendations

[BoredSysAdmin]

If you already have a phantom power/mic amps, then you could get a slightly cheaper Dayton EMM-6 which has a calibration file.

 

[Trell]

That was the joke. lol

I'm slow witted

 

[highfigh]

Same as with many other things concerning the audio gear, for me it's a one time job. What would be IDEAL, if you ask me is to borrow the damn thing, set the sound and return it. I don't need a mic (I'm absolutely certain I'll be selling it later on and that's what's making me lean toeards the new miniDSP UMIK-1; easier to sell).

@highfigh what about any of these? I could get one of them if you know they're good.

Are you concerned with the low frequencies or broad-band response? If you have a laptop, the mic is usually pretty decent for testing and works pretty well until it has to deal with the highest frequencies, basically because of the directionality and location of the mic in the lid blocking the sound. That can be helped to an extent by positioning the laptop with the screen facing the speakers but it's an awkward task if you want to test the response from 1 meter. I'm not interested in doing that because I never sit that close- I check from my listening position because I'm interested in the sound, not the specs. The response shown in REW tells me where the speakers and room have problems and whether the changes I make are helping or hurting and when I decided to find out why I hated what I was hearing, placing the panels to treat the problems was easier because I could see the improvements as I moved them. At this point, I don't even think about the system, I just use and enjoy it. Occasionally, I check it with my laptop but even that is rare because I use a desktop for everything when I'm at home and the laptop is used when I'm working offsite. Since the treatment panels aren't going to move, not much is going to change the sound, other than the quality of the recordings and the variations in sound quality that I have heard are drastic. To be honest, I don't know how some recordings were considered 'finished' or 'good' when I hear them- some sound terrible.

 

[highfigh]

Why would it fail? I see no reason. I have a simple stereo amp with 2 LS50s I don't see anything failing soon. My gear has an easy life, playing 89dB the lodest. If the stereo amp goes, getting another neutral Yamaha shouldn't require EQ, no? But I would first try to fix it anyway. I don't see in these conditins why would my tweeter ever fail, but getting another LS50 wouldn't require new EQ, right?

Most of my files are on my NAS. If that goes, again, I won't need to do EQ with the new one. I said numerous times here, I don't sawp gear, I don't go for upgrades, I don't change just out of curiosity, I'm not in it for the gear. I'm trying to reach the "set&forget" point and I'm almost there. When I EQ my KEFs, the market can forget about me as I will forget about it.

Honestly, I couldn't be happier with what I got. Years go by, but still when I fire it up... Man!!! Just last night I put some good Chemical Brothers tunes through my new headphones... I was blown away. Same goes for the speakers; I played Different Corner by George Michael the other day. It's just heavenly.

Holding onto the REQ gear just because in 10 years time my amp might die... And honestly I don't even see her dying. I bet she's playing 4watts most of the time and it's a walk in the park to deliver whatever little LS50s ask when they dip under 3.6 ohms (even for 90dB SPL).

I just don't see it.

I would be very surprised if you see a difference in response after changing to a different amplifier. I can think of very few that don't handle the audible spectrum with minimal variation and they tend to not be solid state. Even a lot of tube amps that are spec'd at 30-15KHz (like my Conrad-Johnson) will test better but they knew that someone, somewhere, would nail them for one piece that doesn't do what better specs show. I had mine tested at one point and the response was good out to 26KHz but that was long before REW was available and I couldn't test it for myself.

 

[killdozzer]

Anyway, there's a huge discount (hals the price) on the Behringer that @highfigh mentioned. But where would I go from its 3pin XLR...

Is it possible get an adapter, plug it in the laptop and have the miniDSP wizard recognize the microphone?

I'm asking only bc of this huge discount. If not, I'll probably just go the regular way.

it has to deal with the highest frequencies

Well, with LS50, yes, it would have to. Kiddin', I'd like to do it thoroughly or not at all. Probbaly my first aim will be as flat as possible. Then a nudge in the direction of my preference (probably those +3dB in the lowest the preferred curve shows), later on it will be corrected with a sub.

LATER EDIT: *half the price. sorry.

 

[highfigh]

Same as with many other things concerning the audio gear, for me it's a one time job. What would be IDEAL, if you ask me is to borrow the damn thing, set the sound and return it. I don't need a mic (I'm absolutely certain I'll be selling it later on and that's what's making me lean toeards the new miniDSP UMIK-1; easier to sell).

@highfigh what about any of these? I could get one of them if you know they're good.

The Behringer at the lower left (ECM-8000) seems to be discontinued, but I found that it worked well enough for what I have done. If you look at the specs for those models in your link (I didn't look at all) show differences in high frequency response and dynamic range- extreme SPL isn't needed for testing because, as the Audix mic shows 140dB, that level is going to permanently damage the hearing of anyone who is exposed to it in the room. I looked at the Superlux mic and it shows 20-19KHz, but that doesn't indicate how close it comes to flat the response. That's the reason for the calibration- any variations that are known can be negated when looking at the measured response, to prevent over or under equalization.

You mentioned borrowing a mic- I would ask your brother if he knows anyone who might be willing to let you use one of their mics- they might want to take it to you and handle it, though- high quality mics are very expensive and people who own them protect them.

 

[highfigh]

Is it possible get an adapter, plug it in the laptop and have the miniDSP wizard recognize the microphone?

I'm asking only bc of this huge discount. If not, I'll probably just go the regular way.

Well, with LS50, yes, it would have to. Kiddin', I'd like to do it thoroughly or not at all. Probbaly my first aim will be as flat as possible. Then a nudge in the direction of my preference (probably those +3dB in the lowest the preferred curve shows), later on it will be corrected with a sub.

LATER EDIT: *half the price. sorry.

The Behringer, as I mentioned, seems to be discontinued- the link shows long-term unavailability.

The main argument FOR using a Umic is that it uses a USB connection and it will work with any computer- the Behringer requires a USB interface, like the Tascam I bought for my business. If it's used frequently, it can be a justifiable expense but for a one-time application, I don't think it's practical unless someone is just looking for some way to spend money.

Generally, smooth is preferable to flat- we don't perceive sound as a flat response and flat is used for design purposes, to compare the input with the output and to compare one product with others. Our ears and hearing are also unable to perceive the slight variations that make a flat response preferable and, in fact, absolutely flat doesn't necessarily sound great. In addition, a speaker with totally flat response only shows that flatness in controlled testing conditions because that doesn't happen in a listening room, where the interaction are where the real variations occur. Making the response flat in a listening room is difficult and expensive, so smooth is the typical goal because it's much easier to attain.

 

[killdozzer]

The Behringer at the lower left (ECM-8000) seems to be discontinued

My bad. I linked the wrong site. I do have it on offer 50% off (perhaps exactly because it is discontinued).

As it often happens, what seems to be a shorter, cheaper way, turns out to be the more complicated and more expensive way. When I saw I could get that Behringer for 50$, I thought I'd ask if I can use it. But if it requires finding an interface... I guess it's of the table.

Mind you, here REQ is in its earliest stage. Rarely anyone bothers. There's almost no second-hand equipment worth mentioning. The market is small and quite honestly overcrowded (I mentioned in one thread, my city has 800k people, if that and it has roughly 9-12 specialized audio shops). This means that pushing sales can and will collide with any rational approach. Some shops do offer doing the set up for you, but they also stock Audioquest next to boutiqy overpriced drech like some plain stereo 2x80 amps that go for double the price of a decent avr, but do nothing exceptional.

But I got my advice and thank you all for participating; I should see if some interesting discounts appear as Christmas approaches and just buy the miniDSP.

I’ll sell it later on and return a part of the funds.