Tom,
If I understand this right, the MX391 seems to be none other than our good =
ol' friend the WL-183, mounted on a small boundary plate with a grille cove=
r.
Lately I've been comparing my WL-183s and AT3032s with a view toward some i=
nternational travel I have coming up in a couple months. To my ear, the WL-=
183s (aka MX391s) definitely seem to deliver a bit more high-end bite compa=
red to AT3032s, but slightly less fine detail when I strain to listen close=
ly. I can also easily hear the increased noise floor of the 183s. Your reco=
rdings seem to confirm these things.
In robust soundscapes the WL-183s/MX391s can be fine. For the quietest soun=
dscapes, where lower noise and maximum detail might be more important to yo=
u, I would suggest leaning toward the 3032s.
For traveling, however, size, weight and powering requirements might be pos=
sible tipping factors. Other tipping factors might include wind tolerance a=
nd handling noise, which can vary a lot depending on how your mics are moun=
ted.
Curt Olson
http://minnesotasoundscapes.com
Tom R. wrote:
> I took the opportunity to record last Sunday's dawn chorus (90minutes bef=
ore dawn in fact) during a period of good weather with very light winds. T=
here were only a few early flights heading to/from the London airports and =
very light road traffic so background noise was reasonable apart from the s=
ound of neighbours' heating furnaces switching in and out.
>
> The AT 3032s were fed to a Marantz 661 and the Shure MX391s to an Olympus=
LS-10. Both sets of mics were mounted on nearly identical head spaced bou=
ndary rigs i.e. those shown in the photographs here
>
> https://picasaweb.google.com/G0SBW.PM/AT3032MX391BeachTestFebruary142012?=
authuser=3D0&feat=3Ddirectlink
>
> The same 90 seconds of time from the 3032 and MX391 recordings have been =
joined together; with the 3032 going first. These snippets are of from the=
last third of the dawn chorus.
>
> No wind protection was used and a small amount of wind rumble can be hear=
d in a couple of places. The recordings were made 48/24 and converted to 3=
20 MP3 before uploading to Soundcloud. Other than fade ins and fade outs t=
he recordings are as/is from the recorders. The comparison is here
>
> http://soundcloud.com/g0sbw/at3032-mx391-dawn-chorus
>
> I am finding it difficult to choose between them. I think the ATs are mo=
re detailed but the Shures seem warmer.
>
> Cheers, TomR
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