# Rode NT2A



## Mshack (Aug 16, 2012)

Hi! Anyone using Rode NT2A in omni mode to with Room eq? First I thought that I would go for the ECM8000, but figured out that my Rode would have far flatter frequency response than my lousy and tiny room. Anybody have experience with NT2-A or better yet a file or some info for calibration?


----------



## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Typically large-capsule mics aren’t suitable for taking measurements. Besides, an ECM with a custom calibration file effectively has flat response...

Regards, 
Wayne


----------



## Mshack (Aug 16, 2012)

Is that true? Why? I know I wouldn't use it for any critical measurement, but for home studio/audio measurements it not being suitable is a different thing. According to Rode datasheet graphs there's a +4db rise in 10000-14000 Hz, but from 30 to 8000 Hz is fairly flat, +/-2db. I know not of the effects of large diaphragm capsule and the graph is heavily smoothed, but would I really be needing anything more accurate?

This is a fairly common mic. Does anyone have experience using it for room measurement or comparing it to say ecm8000? What is your opinion on the needed accuracy/flatness?


----------



## Barleywater (Dec 11, 2011)

No body is stopping you from putting microphone through its paces in measurement setup. Would be cool to see how omnidirectional the omnidirectional setting is. Comparing to calibrated measurement microphone is apples v oranges. 

Andrew


----------



## Mshack (Aug 16, 2012)

Barleywater said:


> Comparing to calibrated measurement microphone is apples v oranges.


Maybe. But my monitoring room (and most rooms out here) and a professional monitoring room is night and day. Wouldn't even consider a professionally calibrated mic. NT2a is a quality, mid-priced mic and the datasheet tells its quite omni, but with a slight 4000hz coloring from the sides. ECM is cheapo from china and not properly calibrated after all. Dunno, just wondering. Anybody used this mic for measurement?


----------



## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Mshack said:


> ECM is cheapo from china and not properly calibrated after all.


Which is why we have Cross Spectrum labs calibrate them. After calibration, the cheap ECM will be more accurate than the Rode, at a cost of maybe 1/5th the price of the Rode.

Among other things, large diaphragm mics don’t have the high freqeuency extension that small diaphragm mics do. Also, any mic will influence the soundfield by its mere presense, so obviously a physically small mic is more desirable than a large mic.

Basically, it all gets down to how accurate you want your measurements to be. If you’re content with the Rode’s frequency response limitations and the potential for its size interfering with the upper-frequency portion of the measurement, then go for it. :T

Regards, 
Wayne


----------

