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#1 |
Trustee
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,483
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Shoot Out: Three Handheld Dynamic Omnis
I was fortunte to get three dynamic omnis together in
the same room for a comparison. They are the AKG D230 (Austrian, $140), the Electro-Voice RE50N/D (American, $160), and the Beyerdynamic M58 (German, $200). IN COMMON: Come with two-year warranties, zippered nylon cases, and owners' manuals. All claim to be high-output dynamics which are well- insulated from handling noise. IN YOUR HAND: The AKG and the EV are of traditional length. AKG's the most balanced in the hand. The EV is top heavy (and somethings loose inside the head, you can feel it knocking upon being gently shaken). Beyer feels solid and is extra-long, which is okay. Beyer seems made of cast aluminum whereas EV is old-school stamped steel. AKG is also cast aluminum. HOW THEY LOOK: EV is gloss black and noticably more reflective for on cam use (the base of the head and the shaft, but not the basket). The AKG is semi-gloss medium gray. The Beyer really stands out here, in a good way. Non-reflective matte gray surface -- even the basket is this way. Easily wins for "unobtrusiveness" to light glare/reflection. Best "grip" too; the others are smooth. HANDLING NOISE: Before plugging them into the XLRs, I ran my hand over them to get an idea what to expect. The AKG and Beyer were quiet. Here's one area where the EV really stood out. Actually, this is something you can't miss from the first time you handle the EV: all touch along the shaft of the mic yields a rather annoying high-pitched metallic noise. Even the lightest touch evokes this. I think it may be due to the stamped steel construction of the outer shell. Upon hearing this, I was prepared for the worst when it came to the actual recorded noise handling tests. Surprisingly to myself, I was wrong. All three seem about equally well insulated from handling noise, with the metalic noise of the EV just barely audible. Not to say the handling noise is the same with each. While the insulation is the same (or even better on the EV), the handling noice is directly related to microphone sensitivity, with the most sensitive, the AKG (2.5 mV) having the most handling noise: tapping the head gave -25 dB and shaft rubbing gave -40 dB. The EV (2.0 mV): tap gave -38 dB and rub gave -51 dB. Beyer (1.3 mV): tap gave -41 and rub gave -54. In general, though, handling noise was well controlled on all, with none being objectionable. OTHER INCIDENTAL NOISE: Again here, directly related to mic sensitivity. AKG: ambiance (-58), deep breath (-30), P pop (-22). EV: ambiance (-65), breath (-45), P pop (-32). Beyer: ambiance (-69), breath (-46), P pop (-34). The Beyer came with a foam windscreen so I checked the effect of that: breathing went from -46 to -51. P pop was quite reduced: -34 to -53. SENSITIVITY: Corresponds with the manufacturers ratings. To equalize to the same recorded volume as the AKG, the EV needs a 4 dB boost in post and the Beyer needs an 11 dB boost. OKAY, OKAY. BUT HOW DO THEY SOUND?: They were tested for both male and female spoken word, with the mic held 6" from the mouth. Here are the observations. EV with male voice: nasally, unnatural, lots of mid, not complimentary, less harsh than the Beyer. EV with female voice: most canned sounding, least dynamic range. Event though the mic was only 6" from the mouth, it *seemed* as if it were 2 feet away. Beyer with male voice: bit fuller than the EV with more presence and naturalness, some nasality and some harshness, not complimentary. Beyer with female voice: good clarity, presence peaked, unpleasant harshness. *Seemed* to be 1 foot away from mic. AKG with male voice: warm, full, complimentary, pleasant sounding, the most natural sounding of the bunch. AKG with female voice: smooth, full, most like a voice over. *Seemed* the half foot away that it was. FINAL IMPRESSIONS: The Beyer, despite being the most expensive of the group, sounds the worst due to an unpleasant harshness. It's low sensitivity is also a concern. Great non-reflective coating though. Long handle might be nice in that the interviewer doesn't have to hold the mic so close to the interviewees mouth. The EV, despite sounding a bit more canned than the Beyer, atleast wasn't as harsh, so overall gets better marks. It's a traditional looking mic, that's heavy and not well balanced. The female who did the female vocals for these tests is not an audiophile, so I was curious to see from her what her thoughts were. I just asked her "Which one sounds the best to you". Her reply was: "I know which one sounds the worst: The Beyer. I like either of the other two better. Probably the AKG is the best." So we come to the AKG. The AKG is in a different league from the other two. With its fullness, warmth, and naturalness it's the only mic here that would be up to voice-over work. It looks modern and feels the most natural in the hand. And being the cheapest mic in the test, it is by far the best value. Actually, it's the only "good" mic in the bunch. |
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#2 |
Wrangler
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Thank you for the hands-on review! Found it very useful.
Question: What do mean by "complimentary" when referring to your recorded male/female voices?
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"Ultimately, the most extraordinary thing, in a frame, is a human being." - Martin Scorsese |
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#3 |
Trustee
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,922
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Complimentary means just that. the AKG is kick ass for the money. Even for more money , it's still the same. It imparts a warmth yet retains accuracy, if you really must get knobular about it!
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#4 |
Trustee
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,483
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If a mic is "not complimentary", it means the recorded vocals sound worse than they really are.
"Complimentary" means they sound as good as, or better than, real life. |
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#5 |
Trustee
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Burlington
Posts: 1,976
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Now if we can get someone to compare the AKG D230 to the AudioTechnica AT804. (I'm assuming the neodymium version of the EV635a would be too similar to the RE50 to warrant a test, but I could be wrong.)
I have an 804 and like the sound very much but I haven't compared it directly to anything else. It certainly won't win any on-camera appearance awards, the styling looks straight out of 1972. The picture at the following link is very gracious, the mic is much more old-school champagne colored than this image. http://www.audiotechnica.com/prodpro/profiles/AT804.html Sensitivity is 3.5mv and the mic is very small and light. It would be good if you are super-limited on what you can carry. Like most AT's, it's pretty bright, but I wouldn't call it harsh. It has good clarity, but might not sound as beefy and warm as the AKG. In situations with high ambient rumble, this could be an advantage over the AKG. The AT is also lower cost than all the others mentioned, but I can't remember exactly what I paid. |
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#6 |
Trustee
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,483
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Hi Jay,
Yes, that would be an interesting test. That AT804 has pretty good sensitivity for a dynamic. Has it been around for some time? If anyone were to be interested in a cheap dynamic hypercardiod, the Samson R11Q (~$25) isn't too bad. I compared it to the D230. On-axis vocals show the Samson having a greater sensitivity than the EV and Beyer I tested. For vocals, at 0 degrees with the AKG, I got -25 dB. In the same situation, the Samson gave me -26. Off-axis, at 90 degrees, the AKG gave a respectible -28 dB. In the same situation, the R11Q showed its hypercardioid nature, and gave -39 dB. For the money, I was pleasantly surprised at the Samson's sound quality. It is a little nasally and not as full as the AKG D230, but it's not bad. Not much different from the RE50N/D and the M58, as I recall. I must note that the Samson was not tested side-by-side with the EV and the Beyer--this is just from memory. Where the Samson shows it's price difference is in handling noise. Now, I got this mic for interviews in louder-ambianced situations, so the handling noise won't be a big concern, I don't believe. Here are the numbers on handling noise. I tapped the heads of the D230 and the R11Q. The a-bit-more-sensitive AKG capsule gave me -21. The Samson gave -6 dB! I blew on the mics. the AKG gve me -33 dB. The Samson gave -27 dB. I rubbed their bodies lightly (no comments from the "peanut gallery" here, please), and the AKG gave -45 dB and the Samson gave -27. I rubbed the D230 hard and I got -38 dB and the R11Q gave -24 dB. Anyways, today I begin a Super Duper "shoot out", and boy am I excited about it. I believe it will be the first time ever on the internet that these mics are compared side by side. One on one. Head to head. Mono on mono (no pun intended and, yeah, I know I need a life; beats standing on the street corner, right Beas?) The Combatants: Sennheiser ME64 vs. Audio Technica AT4073 vs. Sanken CS-1 vs. Neumann KM 184. And just to spice it up a bit, the Audio Technica AT4071 will be tagging along. I will be doing on-axis tests at 2 feet, (podium), 4 feet (camcorder-mounted interview), and 15 feet (across a room). I'll also take a brief look at the off-axis at 45 degrees, 90 degrees, and 180 degrees. Let the games ..... begin! |
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#7 |
Trustee
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Burlington
Posts: 1,976
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Yes I think the 804 or something similar has been in the AT lineup for the last 15 years or so.
I'll also suggest an inexpensive hypercardioid, the AKG D880. It's being released now as a modular wired/wireless body, the original wired-only design is on clearance for $50 most everywhere that still has them in stock. Good sensitivity and a very wide flat frequency response for a dynamic. Pretty comparable to a Shure Beta58 and has minimal handling noise too. That's a pretty divergent group of mics you'll be testing. One method that may help is to test each mic individually first as opposed to only testing all mics together at given distances. In other words, explore one mic dynamically, listening live at varying distances til you find where it sounds best. Sometimes that gives you a different perspective on a mic's strengths rather than on comparative weaknesses at a fixed artificial distance. I know I get severly ear-fatigued listening to mics in comparison, but find it easier to navigate a single mic into a zone where I can tell it's getting the sound I want. |
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