Hi all-
Looking to buy a truly superior measurement microphone with an emphasis on excellent impulse/time domain behavior.
The B&K 4133 was the hot product way back in the 70's, but I do not know what mics are in favor now?
I looked at the B&K (and also DPA) sites and did not really find *any* mics listed for speaker/room measurement. Do they no longer make mics for this use or did I miss it somewhere? Where else should I be looking? Thanks.
Looking to buy a truly superior measurement microphone with an emphasis on excellent impulse/time domain behavior.
The B&K 4133 was the hot product way back in the 70's, but I do not know what mics are in favor now?
I looked at the B&K (and also DPA) sites and did not really find *any* mics listed for speaker/room measurement. Do they no longer make mics for this use or did I miss it somewhere? Where else should I be looking? Thanks.
The microphones have not changed and the 4133 is still the go to choice. They have a newer variant, 4191 but it seems identical. There are a number of tradeouts for different applications. You can use a 1/4" microphone but the noise floor is much higher. You do get an upper frequency limit above 100 KHz however above about 60 KHz there are a number of physical effects that constrain accuracy and you need to remove the grid for precision measurements at frequencies above 70 KHz.
The main players are still B&K and now Gras. However there are others. Microtech Gefell and Ono Soki are well respected. A handful of other companies make similar microphones which are all good. And you can get similar results from a much less expensive Earthworks.
When I was discussing this with the key designer at Earthworks he said the best transient results are from the Microtech Gefell MK301. But I'm not sure he had done a comparison between the different B&K's and Gras capsules. I use both a 4135 and a 4136 depending on what I'm measuring. They all have fundamental limitations. I would suggest reading the B&K 4135/4136 manual to get a much better appreciation for the limits of these microphones and how to work with them. https://www.pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_A...on_Manuals/B&K 4135-36 Instruction Manual.pdf
You will need a preamp and a power supply/measuring amplifier to interface any of those. The new prices on the capsules and preamps etc. are all in the thousands.
The main players are still B&K and now Gras. However there are others. Microtech Gefell and Ono Soki are well respected. A handful of other companies make similar microphones which are all good. And you can get similar results from a much less expensive Earthworks.
When I was discussing this with the key designer at Earthworks he said the best transient results are from the Microtech Gefell MK301. But I'm not sure he had done a comparison between the different B&K's and Gras capsules. I use both a 4135 and a 4136 depending on what I'm measuring. They all have fundamental limitations. I would suggest reading the B&K 4135/4136 manual to get a much better appreciation for the limits of these microphones and how to work with them. https://www.pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_A...on_Manuals/B&K 4135-36 Instruction Manual.pdf
You will need a preamp and a power supply/measuring amplifier to interface any of those. The new prices on the capsules and preamps etc. are all in the thousands.
I've always liked the Earthworks measurement microphones, but I've also never been able to afford the B&K microphones.
