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Re: ME62 vs. AT-3032 (was Sennheiser MKH 418 and stereo recording

Subject: Re: ME62 vs. AT-3032 (was Sennheiser MKH 418 and stereo recording
From: "Rob Danielson" danielson_rob
Date: Wed Nov 21, 2007 11:47 pm ((PST))
At 1:28 PM +0000 11/20/07, Christian Van Horn wrote:
>Hello all! I'm curious to see what anyone interested has to say about
>this mic comparison. The 3032 on the left seems slightly more "open"
>and natural to me, which came as a BIG suprise. Also, I cant detect
>much difference in self noise with my old ears. I am about to purchase
>a set of 62's for use both in a parabolic and as a stereo pair...now
>I'm thinking it over. What do you all hear? Chris
>

..and a surprise quite a few recordists have capitalized on. Some 
might recall that it was Eric Benjamin who suggested and later bench 
tested the AT-3032's after discussion on this list about the need for 
(lower-cost, low-noise) omni mics because of their versatility. 
http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/naturerecordists/2005-08/msg00362.html
 
Eric first made the report of the model's astonishingly low 
self-noise of 8dBA on the MicBuilders list: 
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/micbuilders/message/4617

Walt's comparison between the MKH-20 and AT-3032's is very 
informative: 
http://frogrecordist.home.mindspring.com/docs/samples.html#AT3032samples

Regarding assessment of Rich's comparison:
http://ad2004.hku.nl/naturesound/RichPeet/at3032Left+2dB_me62Right.wav

As I recall, Chris, Rich set the ME62 and AT-3032 together side by 
side pointed directly at the metronome. I detect less "hiss" (>5k Hz) 
and less "fizz" (3-5K Hz) in the left, AT-3032, channel. The drone 
around ~300 Hz seems a bit "dirtier" in the ME62 to me.  Whether the 
result of less hiss or better frequency response, the highest octaves 
on the left channel seem more distinct.  I would agree that the 
effect is greater transparency with the AT-3032 noticeable in 
slightly longer and brighter reverb "tails" from the metronome click 
and the distant ticks from other rooms. In field use, the AT-3032 is 
less bright (>5K Hz) than my MKH-30, MKH-40, MKH-80 and Rode NT1A and 
NT2A mics. Eric noted that the AT-3032's noise, though lower than 
that of a Schoeps Mk2 or Sennheiser MKH-20 is spread over a wider 
spectrum and so it may seem more apparent under the quietest 
conditions.

Allan Haighton reported that he was pleased with 3032's in his 
Telinga dish. I'm sure others have tried other dish combinations. Rob 
D.
-- 







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