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Reviews For: sE8 - SE Electronics small diaphragm condenser microphone

Category: Microphones for ham radio

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Review Summary For : sE8 - SE Electronics small diaphragm condenser microphone
Reviews: 1MSRP: $299
Description:
The sE8 is a small diaphragm condenser microphone that will require 48V phantom power to operate. The pattern is cardioid with a fairly generous off axis pattern making it fairly forgiving to work with. The mic has roll off filters that can be selected for flat, 80Hz and 160Hz The mic has a pad that can be set to -10db or -20db Included with the mic is a hard mic clip and a wind screen.
Product is in production
More Info: https://seelectronics.com/products/se8/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0015
KC2RGW Rating: 2022-08-25
First impressions are good - a very flat response microphone Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Another mic experiment that is so far, so good.

This is a small diaphragm condenser mic with a cardioid pattern that is well defined but also forgiving to work with a nice wide "bubble" for consistent response.

This mic will require an outboard mic pre-amp to provide the 48V phantom power. I would recommend a compressor/gate as well to manage the dynamics and the background noise of your shack.

You will likely want a shock mount to stop rumble from your desk from being too intrusive, this mic does not have an isolated capsule for handling.

The mic has selectable pad and high pass switching. I'm using it with the 80Hz high pass to cut room boom and desk rumble and I have the -10db pad engaged to dampen the sensitivity a bit.

This is a quite sensitive mic as with most condensers so it will pick up whatever is going on around you. As such it will require a gate and dynamics processing to manage it well unless you live alone and have a dampened room. Use care in setting up the input gain on the pre-amp or it will pick up your neighbors talking.

This mic has a very flat frequency response with maybe a slight smooth lift in the highest frequencies (5k+) beyond the passband of most radio uses.

The distance to work this mic is 6-10" away, directly on center for the most natural response. It is sensitive, as are mics of this type to plosives. With the included foam windscreen they are fairly well managed at the right distance. You will need a full pop filter to work this microphone more closely.

I have a heavily baritone voice and proximity warmth is not something I need at all, so working a bit farther out on a small diaphragm mic helps to tame the low-mid boominess of my voice.

After setting up the mic with outboard processing, I'm pleased with the results, it's a very natural sound and really picks up the detail and articulation in my voice without being harsh and exaggerated like many mics that have a built-in presence curve.

If you are looking for a smaller mic to work 6+ inches from your mouth, mics in this class can be something to explore.

So far I haven't had any RF issues with it, where it can be hit or miss with condenser mics in this regard. Time will tell.

If you are a musician, this type of mic is extremely handy to use for many purposes, drum overheads, acoustic guitar, vocals, snare drums. They are a swiss army knife and also with a stereo pair make a great general portable recording microphone.