Posted by: "Rob Danielson"
> In the ME66 tests and recordings I've heard posted, the ME66 did not
> seem to have self-noise performance on par with that of other mics I
> accept as in the neighborhood of 10 dB(A) like the mkh-20. I recall
> one ME66 having more noise in a side by side test with a mkh-40 with
> 12dB(A) self noise.
I'm not so sure you can directly compare such widely varying polar
patterns as you are always recording different soundfields. Best to
stick with comparing self noise within one class of polar pattern.
> Sennheiser doesn't state the mic capsule type in the current spec
> sheet for the ME66 but I seem to recall that it is elecret, "ME."
> With 10dB(A) noise performance, it might be the lowest self-noise
> electret mic we know of. I have compared a ME62 [15dB(A)] with
> another mic with 14dB(A) self-noise and the ME-62's noise was
> considerably greater and lower in the frequency spectrum.
They are back electret.
> Based entirely on clues and I may be entirely wrong, I've been
> assuming Sennheiser's self-noise numbers on the ME series are not
> "apples and apples" with some of their other models. Hopefully,
> someone can provide something more concrete. Walt may own both
> models. Rob D.
I don't own either the MKH-50 or the ME66. I have borrowed the ME66 and
ME67 from a friend to try once. To my mind they are not as good as the
MKH shotguns. In the early days of the group there was considerable
discussion and argument on this very subject. However, I don't really
consider the MKH-50 a shotgun and class it's characteristics more in
with the MKH-40, it has no interference tube and a older capsule design.
For a short shotgun compare ME66 to a MKH-60, and for a long shotgun a
ME67 to a MKH-70. The ME are well short of those, though they are usable
for nature recording and quite a few use them and like them.
One difference is that the MKH have much smoother polar patterns than
ME. Not a big issue if just recording a single caller and not the
ambiance, but if you are recording the ambiance too this matters.
One comment, if you are buying a shotgun for reach you are going the
wrong way. A shotgun narrows the angle of pickup, but in my opinion (and
most others) will provide no extra reach over even something like a
omni. Obviously if their sensitivity is higher they will do a little
better, but this may not be all that noticeable as you tossed out a lot
of signal when you narrowed the field. That's the primary reason the
extra sensitivity is designed into shotguns. Otherwise the reach of a
shotgun is gained by amplification of the signal it puts out after the
fact. That amplifies the noise as well, thus the need in shotguns used
for reach of very low self noise. You buy a shotgun for the narrower
pickup. Though that pickup is not near as narrow as a parabolic. And
the parabolic has considerable gain before the mic.
I view my MKH-60/30 M/S as for picking up a narrower field than, say,
the MKH-40/30 M/S or the even wider SASS/MKH-20. I do not consider it's
reach all that much better. For real reach I use the Telinga.
Note the use of MKH-50 in nature recording is rare, I'm not sure but
what it's pretty rare everywhere. I believe there is some confusion as
the MKH-60 & MKH-70 are the desirable shotguns in nature recording. I do
have the same polar pattern as a MKH-50 in the multiple patterns of the
MKH-80's, which is one reason I've not gotten a MKH-50. The other reason
is they are very uncommon in the used market.
Walt
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