Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Behringer Measurement Condenser Microphone ECM8000

Category: Microphones for ham radio

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Behringer Measurement Condenser Microphone ECM8000
Reviews: 1MSRP: 60
Description:
Ultra-linear condenser microphone for measurement and recording applications
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/ECM8000.aspx
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0015
W6LBV Rating: 2012-07-23
"Straight Arrow" Audio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
If ever there were a microphone that was designed and manufactured WITHOUT any thought being given to its use in Amateur radio. the Behringer ECM8000 would have to be that microphone.

The ECM8000 is a specialized microphone that is intended, in conjunction with test instruments, for measurement of ambient sound levels over the full sonic range. It offers a flat, almost theoretically ideal frequency response curve and an omnidirectional pattern that is produced by its internal electret (condenser) cartridge.

The microphone is small, light weight, has a standard male XLR output jack, and does require external voltage to function. It ships with its own microphone stand adapter.

As part of some “direct-to-CD-recording” voice testing that I was doing with other mikes, out of curiosity I included the ECM8000 to see whether it might also be usable as a general purpose voice microphone.

The results produced by the ECM8000 were both useful and similar to those of other condenser microphones: a fairly high sensitivity to ambient sound, relatively high output level, and, as expected, a relative lack of “coloration” of the recorded voice. Clearly it could be used with Amateur transmitters.

But why would any ham want to buy such a microphone? Perhaps for two reasons. First, if one is going to be making sound measurements, such as determining room acoustics or measuring the spectral output of a sound source, a microphone of this design will be needed anyway. Second, in a perverse kind of way, it provides a great platform for experimenting with transmitted audio.

Since the microphone’s output is flat with respect to frequency (+/- 0.25 dB from 15 Hz to 20 kHz), the ECM8000 provides an almost perfect “linear source” for input to a DSP-based TX audio processor (either internal or external to a rig). Any modifications to the “sound” of the transmitted audio would then be due entirely to the effects of the DSP box, and not just superimposed on the already non-linear response of a conventional microphone. One could see directly what kind of frequency enhancements are best for a particular voice.

Not every ham, of course, has a need for this kind of test device. But with the ECM8000's relatively low price and its adaptability for doing several different tasks, it could be a worthwhile addition to some shacks.