For what it's worth, I have been running tests on my microphones to decide
whether it was really worth the money to advance to a quieter preamp.
Lacking sophisticated test equipment, I have been using a Sennheiser ME66 as a
reference mic (checked against another for consistency). The result is that the
AT3032 mics I bought on eBay several months ago do not seem to be performing as
well as has often been reported, but still better than the published specs. I
am getting a sensitivity of around 20mV/Pa and self noise of around 11dB.
The manufacturer's spec is 16dB and some have reported as good as 8dB noise. My
figures work out to -115 EIN, which means that I would benefit less from a
high-end preamp than if these mic were operating at an EIN of -118.
Some day I would like to have a Sound Devices preamp in hand to hear what other
qualities it contributes besides improved noise, but for this cash-strapped
recordist, the high end just doesn't seem worth it. If my figures are correct,
I would see only a 1dB improvement in noise over my ART USBDualPRe, which was
only $80. $900, or even the older price of $700, for a 1dB improvement? I can't
justify it.
One other thing I discovered is that my Rode NT4 seems to be more sensitive
than expected, around 20mV (same as the AT3032) rather than the 12mV published
by Rode. Has anyone else seen this?
John
--- In John Crockett <> wrote:
>
> Greetings All,
>
> I've been saving my pennies for a Sound Devices USBPre2, the only SD
> device in financial reach for me, only to discover that the price has
> recently jumped a couple of hundred dollars. Yikes. It no longer
> seems reasonable given that I am not a pro. I use my recordings in a
> professional capacity in a concert setting, but played over a concert
> PA system, recording noise levels are not really an issue once we're
> in the mid to upper echelon.
>
> I only need this for powering a pair of AT3032 mikes in a PBBA. All
> my other mikes are PIP or self-powered and not so quiet (NT4, ME66,
> EM172). I am currently using a ART USBDualPre preamp because it is
> what I have on hand. It has an EIN of about -120dBu, and it is
> clearly adding noise to the mikes, but 3032/dualpre combination is
> still a couple of dB quieter than my Rode NT4, which is the mike I
> use most often.
>
> For recorders, I have a LS-11 and a Sony MZRH1 Hi-MD. I sort of wish
> I had bought the LS-100 instead of the LS-11, but I was saving
> pennies for the sound devices, so that is as it is. My thinking also
> was that recording technology, storage media, powering capacity, may
> all improve. For instance, SD cards are clearly replacing CF, and may
> themselves be replaced. But mike preamps are pretty much at their
> theoretical limit. They are not going to get much better. Spend the
> money on a good external preamp that will work with any recorder with
> a line input, for a long time to come. That was my thinking until
> this price jump.
>
> So, what would you do in this case?
>
> Stick with the ART USBDualPre and accept the 1 - 2 dB of extra noise
> compared to the best?
> Buy a portable Phantom unit (ART or Rolls) and use it with the LS-11
> or Hi-MD?
> Look for a used SD MixPre on eBay for <$600?
> Buy a mid-cost recorder with decent preamps (LS-100)?
> Continue saving even more pennies for a Sound Devices unit and hope
> the price doesn't become an ever-receding horizon?
>
> If you have experience with any of these, which do you think would
> yield the best results for the price? My recordings run the gamut
> from individual species close and at a great distance, to both noisy
> and very quiet soundscapes.
>
> I am somewhat inclined toward getting a Phantom supply and seeing how
> much benefit that brings. I've also been happier with the EM172 array
> than I expected to be and perhaps should stop questing after the holy
> grail!
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
> John
>
> John Crockett
> Westminster, Vermont
>
> Let us live in harmony with Earth
> And all creatures
> That our lives may be a blessing
>
>
>
>
"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.
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