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Re: Re: (probably) basic electret mic question

Subject: Re: Re: (probably) basic electret mic question
From: Walter Knapp <>
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2002 17:05:58 -0400
kennjava wrote:

> The Emkay part intrigues me. It's about $25 US, but this company has
> often OEM'd capsules for pro mic and hearing aid manufacturers. Could
> be amazing. If I try some I'll report in.

It's that self noise spec of 30dBA that will kill you for nature recording.

Walt



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>From   Tue Mar  8 18:22:41 2005
Message: 9
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2002 16:08:14 -0400
From: Walter Knapp <>
Subject: Re: (probably) basic electret mic question

kennjava wrote:

> So I've looked at the choice available from Digikey. It's a bit
> daunting; I was hoping that someone here could help narrow down my
> choice ? I'm looking for the omni electret with the best combination
> of output level, response and noise. What has worked best for you folks?

Most seem to choose the WM61a as the best of the choices, which is not
saying much for nature recording. They are ok for experimenting, but no
real workhorses there. Self noise is still over 30dB.

Next step up is to look at things like Sony tie tac mics. They are
quieter, and not too huge in price, like about $50-$70, maybe less on
ebay. I used the ECM-145 in my home brew parabolic, and that worked very
well. It had the added advantage that a walkman minidisc recorder could
power it. Typically these mics are in the 50-15,000 frequency range,
self noise somewhere in the mid 20's or maybe a bit lower, and pretty
sensitive. They are tiny which makes mounting a bit easier. Sony is not
the only brand, I went with that because it could be powered by the
recorder. I used a audio technica tie tac before that, but got tired of
digging it out to change the tiny watch batteries.

What is really missing is the high quality condenser capsules in a
decent price. If you can find them at all.

Walt



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