# CSL-Calibrated EMM-6 Microphone Sale



## Anechoic

I apologize if starting Yet Another Dayton EMM-6 thread seems excessive but since this is time sensitive, I wanted to make sure I got your attention.

Parts-Express is having a sale on EMM-6 microphones: $39 + shipping!

Being the magnanimous guy I am, I figured I'd calibrate a few EMM-6 mics and pass the savings on to you!

CSL-calibrated EMM-6 microphones, starting at $70 + shipping.

Of course that pricing is for the little people. Home Theater Shack members are special people (special in a good way of course  ).

Any Home Theater Shack member who has an account as of September 17 gets $5 off. Just include your HTS username in the "additional information" section of the order form and I'll refund the $5.

The PE sale ends on Thursday, Sep 24. When it ends, so does my sale.


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## Sonnie

*Re: CSL-Calibrated EMM-6 microphone sale*

Herb... is there much difference between the ECM8000 and the Dayton EMM-6?

This certainly sounds like a good deal.


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## Anechoic

Based on the two units I measured (the results of which are plotted in my other EMM thread) they seem substantially the same. The only difference I noticed is that the EMM-6 low freq response between 20 and 100 Hz is flatter than the ECM8000, but the response below 10 Hz seems to drop off faster.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## wado1942

*Re: CSL-Calibrated EMM-6 microphone sale*

I'd be willing to bet they're the same microphone as the Behringers made in the same factory by the same people, just sorted & labeled differently.

I was VERY unhappy with the Behringers. They would probably be OK just for measurement purposes, but Behringer way too noisy for anything else. They publish 3 different sets of specs for the same microphones and I don't know which ones to believe. Though the specs INSIDE the box seem to be close.

Strangely, almost all pencil omnis use the exact same Panasonic capsules including some of the Earthworks mics. The main difference is #1, how the capsules are preselected/sorted and #2, the internal electronics. After my dissapointment with the Behringers, I returned them and got a set of Avenson STO-2s which come as a matched pair in a nice little wood case. They're cleaner and quieter which is great for me since I do recording work.


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## Roadkill

Thanks for doing this for us!!


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## NEO Dan

wado1942 said:


> After my dissapointment with the Behringers, I returned them and got a set of Avenson STO-2s which come as a matched pair in a nice little wood case. They're cleaner and quieter which is great for me since I do recording work.


IMO you ought to be ******** exstatic at ~$550 a pair. Did they come with cal files down to 5Hz???:whistling:


Back on topic:bigsmile:
I've yet to delve into fullrange speaker design but I do like to measure subs, so the cal down to 5Hz is right up my alley. My pockets are lean but this looks like a great deal. Could you expand a bit on what were getting, is it SPL and Phase? And I'm curious about your reference and it's "traceability?" If you could PM me a total price shipped to ZIP 43081...


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## Anechoic

*Re: CSL-Calibrated EMM-6 microphone sale*



wado1942 said:


> Strangely, almost all pencil omnis use the exact same Panasonic capsules including some of the Earthworks mics. The main difference is #1, how the capsules are preselected/sorted and #2, the internal electronics. After my dissapointment with the Behringers, I returned them and got a set of Avenson STO-2s which come as a matched pair in a nice little wood case. They're cleaner and quieter which is great for me since I do recording work.


The other issue is the manufacturing tolerances and consistency. I mentioned in the other ECM8000 thread that the map capsule seems to be positioned differently in the mic housing form unit to unit and I think this is a major cause of a lot of the high-frequency variations amount ECM8000's. You're correct that the Earthworks mics use those capsules (I thought that was supposed to be a secret!) but I think they're choosier in which capsule they use and take more care in enforcing the manufacturing tolerances.


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## Anechoic

Roadkill said:


> Thanks for doing this for us!!


Thank you all for sending me your hard-earned dough! Believe it or not, you guys here have helped me weather this economic downturn and I'm happy to try to give a little back. :T


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## Anechoic

NEO Dan said:


> IMO you ought to be ******** exstatic at ~$550 a pair. Did they come with cal files down to 5Hz???:whistling:
> 
> 
> Back on topic:bigsmile:
> I've yet to delve into fullrange speaker design but I do like to measure subs, so the cal down to 5Hz is right up my alley. My pockets are lean but this looks like a great deal.


I heard that. Depending on how my own pockets look, I might be willing to buy a few extra units and extend the offer for HTS users a little longer, but it's a BIG "might." Hmm, maybe I should look into a lay-away plan... 



> Could you expand a bit on what were getting, is it SPL and Phase? And I'm curious about your reference and it's "traceability?"


I don't do phase measurements since condenser mics aren't minimum phase so to give a microphone phase measurement requires a known reference. The manufacturer of one of my mics gave me a theoretical phase curve for the mic, but I've been experimenting with it over the past few weeks and I don't think it's actually correct. So for now it's SPL only, but I am working on getting good phase measurement process.

As for the reference/methodology, traceability and accuracy, I refer you to the other posts I've written on these issues.



> If you could PM me a total price shipped to ZIP 43081...


I'll PM you, but for everyone else, domestic shipping (USPS Priority mail) is a flat $9 and international shipping ranges from $25-$35USD depending on the country. Total price depends on the mic option you chose.


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## Anechoic

Sheesh people, I know this is a limit-time sale, but wow! :unbelievable:

Also, if you meet the membership requirements, *don't forget to put your HTS username on the order*!

If you're expecting a refund and don't get it within 24 hours, please PM me.


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## randytsuch

For someone who doesn't know much (me), can you give a little more information on the different levels of calibration?

I saw the explanations on your website, but I don't know what that means in practical terms.

If I buy a mic, it would be to help check my in room sub frequency response.

Randy


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## Anechoic

randytsuch said:


> For someone who doesn't know much (me), can you give a little more information on the different levels of calibration?


None of us really now all that much, some of us are just better than others at hiding it. 



> I saw the explanations on your website, but I don't know what that means in practical terms.
> 
> If I buy a mic, it would be to help check my in room sub frequency response.


Short answer: If you're only really going to use it for low-frequency measurements, the basic model will be fine. 

Long answer: The reason I have different options is that omni-directional mics (which are supposed to have the same response to a given sound wave no matter what direction it comes from) don't actually act omni-directional at higher frequencies. High-frequency wavelengths are relatively small, so when they come into contact with the microphone, they reflect off the mic in different directions so the response of the mic to those high-frequencies is heavily dependent on the orientation of the microphone to the sound wave.

The more-expensive mics I sell basically contain information to let a user know and account for the directional effects at higher frequencies. For example, if someone is using to use the microphone for high-frequency room-calibration purposes, it's useful to know the directional characteristics of the microphone so they could adjust their measurement methodology accordingly.

Low-frequency wavelengths are so long (~10ft at 100 Hz, ~20ft at 50 Hz) compared with the microphone that almost all mics act omnidirectional at those frequencies. So if you're only going to measure low-frequency stuff, it doesn't matter what direction you hold the microphone in and therefore the basic model (which doesn't include any of the high-freq directional information) should suffice.

Does this help?


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## windowman99

I have an interest in getting a pair for recording use. Is there anything special you can do to match a pair? I'd think sensitivity and freq. response would need to be very close to each other....
Would this involve any extra cost?


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## vxboogie

Anechoic said:


> Any Home Theater Shack member who has an account as of September 17 gets $5 off. Just include your HTS username in the "additional information" section of the order form and I'll refund the $5.
> 
> The PE sale ends on Thursday, Sep 24. When it ends, so does my sale.


Well, I just ordered one, but I didn't see where I could put in my username, maybe it was because I did it via PayPal. Or maybe I was just too excited by the Deal!!!

Thanks for the great deal. Any way to still get the $5 off?

Mark


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## nwboater

I would like to buy one of the calibrated mikes, but not sure which one to get. I'll primarily use it for subwoofer calibration but would also like to be able to use it for full range testing of our Klipshorns.

Sorry to bother you when you are offering us such a good deal.

Also can you ship via US Mail to Canada? We find it's by far the cheapest way.

Thanks,
Rod


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## wado1942

*Re: CSL-Calibrated EMM-6 microphone sale*

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bad mouthing the EMM-6s since I have not used them personally. But the Behringers are good only for relative measurement because they're VERY inconsistent and noisy. Yeah, it absolutely pays to get calibrated, matched microphones.
BTW, I payed about $400 for my STO-2s which is fine for somebody needing a matched pair of omnis that will pull the double duty of absolute measurements and recording.


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## Anechoic

windowman99 said:


> I have an interest in getting a pair for recording use. Is there anything special you can do to match a pair? I'd think sensitivity and freq. response would need to be very close to each other....
> Would this involve any extra cost?


There's pretty much no practical way I could get you a pair of matched ECM8000's or EMM-6's. The variation between units is just too unpredictable. I've had mics that matched up pretty well but those are pretty rare - I'd have to probably buy a something like 30 mics to see if they matched, and if they didn't I'd have a good amount of money sitting in slow-selling inventory during a recession.

Sorry.


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## Anechoic

nwboater said:


> I would like to buy one of the calibrated mikes, but not sure which one to get. I'll primarily use it for subwoofer calibration but would also like to be able to use it for full range testing of our Klipshorns.


If loudspeaker measurements are your primary use (as opposed to room acoustics), you should be okay with the basic model.



> Also can you ship via US Mail to Canada? We find it's by far the cheapest way.


I typically ship US Postal Service Priority mail, which is $21 to Canada for 6-10 day delivery. I can also ship US Postal Service parcel post to Canada for $10, just be aware that there's no tracking and I have no idea how long it will take. If you want to do parcel post, PM me and I'll send you a PayPal invoice directly.


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## eclectic2k

Anechoic said:


> CSL-calibrated EMM-6 microphones, starting at $70 + shipping.
> 
> Of course that pricing is for the little people. Home Theater Shack members are special people (special in a good way of course  ).


Thanks! This is great. I have a dbx RTA mic I've been putting off having cal'ed for some time now. At this price I've just decided to order up the EMM-6 w/basic+ cal.

Should be more than enough for my occasional speaker test or room response checks. :bigsmile:

Now I'll finally have a good reason to get back to completing some measurements


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## ubl_

Nice offer, thanks!:clap: 
Just ordrered a calibrated mic.

/Ulrik


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## randytsuch

Anechoic said:


> None of us really now all that much, some of us are just better than others at hiding it.
> 
> 
> 
> Short answer: If you're only really going to use it for low-frequency measurements, the basic model will be fine.
> 
> Long answer: The reason I have different options is that omni-directional mics (which are supposed to have the same response to a given sound wave no matter what direction it comes from) don't actually act omni-directional at higher frequencies. High-frequency wavelengths are relatively small, so when they come into contact with the microphone, they reflect off the mic in different directions so the response of the mic to those high-frequencies is heavily dependent on the orientation of the microphone to the sound wave.
> 
> The more-expensive mics I sell basically contain information to let a user know and account for the directional effects at higher frequencies. For example, if someone is using to use the microphone for high-frequency room-calibration purposes, it's useful to know the directional characteristics of the microphone so they could adjust their measurement methodology accordingly.
> 
> Low-frequency wavelengths are so long (~10ft at 100 Hz, ~20ft at 50 Hz) compared with the microphone that almost all mics act omnidirectional at those frequencies. So if you're only going to measure low-frequency stuff, it doesn't matter what direction you hold the microphone in and therefore the basic model (which doesn't include any of the high-freq directional information) should suffice.
> 
> Does this help?


Thanks for the long explanation, that does clear things up for me, hopefully it helped others also.

Randy


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## Anechoic

Update:

As an FYI, I am getting absolutely inundated with orders. My Friday and early Sat orders (particularly he Basic and Basic+ orders) should ship by mid/end of this week. However the polar measurements take me a while to do so the Premium models might take longer to ship out. In any event, I have to ship everything out by Sep 30 since I'll be traveling in the Bay Area for a wedding on Oct 1-4 and don't want to get people too mad at me.

(to be honest I'm also getting afraid that PE might run out of mics - keep your fingers crossed!).


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## Mauricio Cajueiro

Hey Anechoic!
Nice you having this sale.
Can I get them here in Brazil?, I have a an international cc, paypal and a WAMU account.
I´ve been living in Brazil for about 2 years now, and I was wondering if you could ship it over here...
Thanks,
Mauricio Cajueiro.


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## Euterpe

Anechoic said:


> I apologize if starting Yet Another Dayton EMM-6 thread seems excessive but since this is time sensitive, I wanted to make sure I got your attention.
> 
> Parts-Express is having a sale on EMM-6 microphones: $39 + shipping!
> 
> Being the magnanimous guy I am, I figured I'd calibrate a few EMM-6 mics and pass the savings on to you!
> 
> CSL-calibrated EMM-6 microphones, starting at $70 + shipping.
> 
> Of course that pricing is for the little people. Home Theater Shack members are special people (special in a good way of course  ).
> 
> Any Home Theater Shack member who has an account as of September 17 gets $5 off. Just include your HTS username in the "additional information" section of the order form and I'll refund the $5.
> 
> The PE sale ends on Thursday, Sep 24. When it ends, so does my sale.


Ok, just to well understanding, your "deal" concern, microphone EMM-6 calibrated, right?

I have edit my request and I've seen the purchase link, sorry.

Thank you.


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## Euterpe

I've orderer this offer, wait and see.

I have missed to add my username :-( but only my member User: #41933, that's could be fine as well to the 5$ off?

Thank you.


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## Jodez

Newbie to sound calibration. I'd like to set my speakers/sub levels, would this mic be a better tool than a Radio Shack SPL meter for the job? What would I use with the EMM-6 for such calibration? Would "Basic" suffice or would "Basic+" be better?


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## wado1942

You still need an SPL meter to calibrate levels etc. Ideally, both a measurement mic & SPL meter should be used together.


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## Jodez

wado1942 said:


> You still need an SPL meter to calibrate levels etc. Ideally, both a measurement mic & SPL meter should be used together.


So what the EMM-6 would only do is plot the full frequency response characteristics of my room? Not for setting levels?


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## windowman99

Well, not the reply I was hoping for, but at least it's honest. Looks like whatever I get will have to be bought as a matched pair from the start.


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## Anechoic

Mauricio Cajueiro said:


> Hey Anechoic!
> Nice you having this sale.
> Can I get them here in Brazil?, I have a an international cc, paypal and a WAMU account.
> I´ve been living in Brazil for about 2 years now, and I was wondering if you could ship it over here...
> Thanks,
> Mauricio Cajueiro.


Shipping to Brazil is $27USD. You can place an order at the site and select Brazil as the ship-to country.


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## wado1942

> So what the EMM-6 would only do is plot the full frequency response characteristics of my room? Not for setting levels?


You are correct. The frequency response of the Rat Shack SPL meter isn't nearly accurate enough for frequency response but it IS accurate for determining average level using pink noise. With a measurement mic, there's no way of determining absolute SPL but it WILL give you a good plot of the sound of your room & an approximation of the response of your speaker system.


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## yobbo

Just ordered mine, thanks for the work. Now I will be able to improve a few of my projects, and help a couple of friends with theirs.


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## nwboater

Anechoic said:


> If loudspeaker measurements are your primary use (as opposed to room acoustics), you should be okay with the basic model.
> 
> Guess I didn't ask the ? properly. I'm not really interested in measuring just the speakers. My goal is to work on room acoustics, but full range, not just for the future subwoofer. Only mentioned the Khorns because I believe their dispersion (being corner horns) may be different than the typical direct radiator speakers.
> 
> Thanks for your good support with this.
> 
> Rod


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## ndurantz

wado1942 said:


> You still need an SPL meter to calibrate levels etc. Ideally, both a measurement mic & SPL meter should be used together.


So I am admittedly ignorant here. :scratchhead: I have a nominal set-up in my living room (Orb Mod 1's 5.1 with Super 8 sub). I have wanted to calibrate my room for awhile, but not even sure as to the steps to go about that. Maybe someone can point me to a thread that describes how to do this? I need to know what I am into prior to purchasing the equipment.:spend: Nonetheless, this does seem like a great deal!


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## hans14914

I have been meaning to buy a calibrated mic from you for some time for use with a room analyzer, like REW. With a more "simple" program like REW, does the polar respsonse and noisefloor actually make a difference? For use novices out here, could you please provide some software pairings for the various level of mics your are offering? I think that would help alot of us. If REW can only take advantage of the basic mic, and that is the only package you plan on running, then the Plus options make no difference. However, if a more advanced program, say Accourate or Audiolense could use them, and you plan on purchasing that down the road, it seems to make sense to buy the more expensive mic now.

Any info you could supply regarding usability of the calibration levels would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Hans


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## varocketry

*Thanks for the email*

Shackmaster:

I've spent the weekend reading the FORUMS on the microphone offering and upstream to understand. I am interested in the topic as I have a Kenwood THX sound system that I purchased several years ago that I probably never have set up properly. 

I need help with Home Theatre Sound System Setup 101 -- it appears most of the forum discussions are graduate level (404) discussions far more advanced than my current understanding.

I'd love to get advice and guidance in setting this current system up properly to enjoy better surround and theatrical sound.

Jim


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## wado1942

ndurantz said:


> So I am admittedly ignorant here. :scratchhead: I have a nominal set-up in my living room (Orb Mod 1's 5.1 with Super 8 sub). I have wanted to calibrate my room for awhile, but not even sure as to the steps to go about that. Maybe someone can point me to a thread that describes how to do this? I need to know what I am into prior to purchasing the equipment.:spend: Nonetheless, this does seem like a great deal!



I've written a rudimentary article on acoustics. This is more about arranging your speakers/room for best sound but that's where it starts.
http://www.gcmstudio.com/acoustics/acoustics.html

You may also look into reading some of Bob Katz's articles at www.digido.com
His site is geared more toward pro-audio but the same principles apply to home theater.


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## Euterpe

wado1942 said:


> I've written a rudimentary article on acoustics. This is more about arranging your speakers/room for best sound but that's where it starts.
> http://www.gcmstudio.com/acoustics/acoustics.html


Hum, very interesting article, thank you to share with us your knowledge.

Do you have a translation in french to this article?

Regards


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## AudioIronHorse

I ordered a calibrated mic. Do I need a microphone preamp to power it in order to use REW? Any suggestions to which one if it is needed?
Thanks!
D


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## ndurantz

wado1942 said:


> I've written a rudimentary article on acoustics. This is more about arranging your speakers/room for best sound but that's where it starts.
> http://www.gcmstudio.com/acoustics/acoustics.html
> 
> You may also look into reading some of Bob Katz's articles at www.digido.com
> His site is geared more toward pro-audio but the same principles apply to home theater.


Whew! Ok. I will have to pour over this later, but I am looking foward to it. Thanks! :T


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## Anechoic

AudioIronHorse said:


> I ordered a calibrated mic. Do I need a microphone preamp to power it in order to use REW? Any suggestions to which one if it is needed?
> Thanks!
> D


You'll need something to provide phantom power for the microphone. I'll let others give pre-amp/soundcard recommendations, but I'm partial to the Presonus firewire line of sound cards.


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## Andysu

*Re: CSL-Calibrated EMM-6 microphone sale*



wado1942 said:


> I'd be willing to bet they're the same microphone as the Behringers made in the same factory by the same people, just sorted & labeled differently.
> 
> I was VERY unhappy with the Behringers. They would probably be OK just for measurement purposes, but Behringer way too noisy for anything else. They publish 3 different sets of specs for the same microphones and I don't know which ones to believe. Though the specs INSIDE the box seem to be close.
> 
> Strangely, almost all pencil omnis use the exact same Panasonic capsules including some of the Earthworks mics. The main difference is #1, how the capsules are preselected/sorted and #2, the internal electronics. After my dissapointment with the Behringers, I returned them and got a set of Avenson STO-2s which come as a matched pair in a nice little wood case. They're cleaner and quieter which is great for me since I do recording work.


Well yes I have to agree it’s a name change of short. Tell me, this isn’t the same microphone as my ECM8000.










Even the microphone supplied with JBL LSR series looks the same

Although there is some slight cosmetic difference with the JBL calibration microphone!










Even dbx have their own calibration microphone. hold on I’ll get the spray paint out and spray mine black!:bigsmile:










The parts that make up the microphone itself are cheap right? I think there no more than £5.00 pounds! Might as well buy the parts and stick them on penile with blutac.:rofl2:










Microphone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphone


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## Dennis H

Anechoic said:


> You'll need something to provide phantom power for the microphone. I'll let others give pre-amp/soundcard recommendations, but I'm partial to the Presonus firewire line of sound cards.


 Hi Herb,

Do the Presonus cards work with ARTA?


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## Anechoic

Dennis H said:


> Hi Herb,
> 
> Do the Presonus cards work with ARTA?


Yup. And I can say that definitely since I use a Presonus Firebox with ARTA.


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## nwboater

nwboater said:


> Anechoic said:
> 
> 
> 
> If loudspeaker measurements are your primary use (as opposed to room acoustics), you should be okay with the basic model.
> 
> Guess I didn't ask the ? properly. I'm not really interested in measuring just the speakers. My goal is to work on room acoustics, but full range, not just for the future subwoofer. Only mentioned the Khorns because I believe their dispersion (being corner horns) may be different than the typical direct radiator speakers.
> 
> Thanks for your good support with this.
> 
> Rod
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for quoting myself here, but perhaps Anechoic missed this. I would like to order a mic, and know the sale ends soon. Which one should I order considering the above?
> 
> Thanks very much,
> Rod
Click to expand...


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## Anechoic

nwboater said:


> nwboater said:
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for quoting myself here, but perhaps Anechoic missed this. I would like to order a mic, and know the sale ends soon. Which one should I order considering the above?
> 
> Thanks very much,
> Rod
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry about that. My guess is that you would be okay with the Basic+ model.
Click to expand...


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## nwboater

Anechoic said:


> Sorry about that. My guess is that you would be okay with the Basic+ model.


 Thanks for the follow thru - I ordered the Basic + last nite.

Rod


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## Anechoic

Well boys and girls, the sale is over.

This is what I'm left to deal with:









(this is shipment #1 of 6)

So I'm going to be pretty busy in the lab trying to process all these mics. First batch went out already and the next batch should go out later today.

I'll try to pop back in later with some observations by my initial impression is that the ECM8000 is a batter mic below 20 Hz and the EMM-6 is a better mic above 20 Hz.

The good news for those that missed the sale is that when I'm done filling all the orders I should have some extras that I'll sell for the discounted rate. I'm not going to offer the $5 off for HTS members, but I will post here first to give HTS members a shot at it. Those extras probably won't go on sale until the 2nd week of October, but since I'll already have them, they should ship quickly.

Thanks a lot guys for giving me my own little stimulus program.


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## todd612

Newbie here. I have the Radio Shack 33-2050 meter for measurement. I understand it is very low resolution compared to this EMM-6. Now if I was to buy this, can I also use this for other uses (like a regular vocal microphone for karaoke)? It's not a lot of money, but if I just to cal my sub I think the RS meter is fine, right? Thanks!


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## melberi

Hi Anechoic,

I ordered the Premium service the day this deal came out and I have a question about the sensitivity measurement. Is the sensitivity figure an open-loop voltage (load impedance >> source impedance) or a voltage delivered to a preamp input impedance which may be low enough to make a difference?

EMM-6 source impedance is quoted as 200 ohms. My microphone preamp (EMU 0404 USB) has an input impedance of 1500 ohms. The voltage at the preamp would then be 1500/1700 = 0.882... times the open-loop voltage or approximately -1 dB.


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## Euterpe

melberi said:


> Is the sensitivity figure an open-loop voltage (load impedance >> source impedance) or a voltage delivered to a preamp input impedance which may be low enough to make a difference?
> 
> EMM-6 source impedance is quoted as 200 ohms. My microphone preamp (EMU 0404 USB) has an input impedance of 1500 ohms. The voltage at the preamp would then be 1500/1700 = 0.882... times the open-loop voltage or approximately -1 dB.


Very interesting question, I would like to use the same preamp as well.


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## Anechoic

melberi said:


> Hi Anechoic,
> 
> I ordered the Premium service the day this deal came out and I have a question about the sensitivity measurement. Is the sensitivity figure an open-loop voltage (load impedance >> source impedance) or a voltage delivered to a preamp input impedance which may be low enough to make a difference?
> 
> EMM-6 source impedance is quoted as 200 ohms. My microphone preamp (EMU 0404 USB) has an input impedance of 1500 ohms. The voltage at the preamp would then be 1500/1700 = 0.882... times the open-loop voltage or approximately -1 dB.


Interesting question indeed.

It's an open-loop voltage measurement.


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## melberi

Anechoic said:


> Interesting question indeed.
> 
> It's an open-loop voltage measurement.


Thanks, it is good to know!


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## Anechoic

Hi everyone,

I've been getting a bunch of messages essentially asking "where's my microphone"?

Since you've given me your hard-earned money, that is a completely reasonable question deserving of an answer.

I've shipped out ~35 mics so far. Up to this point I've been attempting to get mics out a few at a time every day on first-come, first-served order basis out of a sense of trying to be fair. I've come to realize that this was horribly inefficient so what I've been doing is processing mics in lots of 75 to try to get them out.

Orders placed before Sep 21, should go out by Weds (a few might dribble out on Thursday). I mentioned earlier in this thread and on the order page that orders placed after 9/21 won't ship until Oct 6. However, I might be able to get a few basic orders out before than.

Please be patient. If this isn't acceptable to anyone, you may of course have your order refunded. If you have a specific need, contact me directly and I'll see what I can do for you.

Thx


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## nwboater

Anechoic said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I've been getting a bunch of messages essentially asking "where's my microphone"?
> 
> Since you've given me your hard-earned money, that is a completely reasonable question deserving of an answer.
> 
> I've shipped out ~35 mics so far. Up to this point I've been attempting to get mics out a few at a time every day on first-come, first-served order basis out of a sense of trying to be fair. I've come to realize that this was horribly inefficient so what I've been doing is processing mics in lots of 75 to try to get them out.
> 
> Orders placed before Sep 21, should go out by Weds (a few might dribble out on Thursday). I mentioned earlier in this thread and on the order page that orders placed after 9/21 won't ship until Oct 6. However, I might be able to get a few basic orders out before than.
> 
> Please be patient. If this isn't acceptable to anyone, you may of course have your order refunded. If you have a specific need, contact me directly and I'll see what I can do for you.
> 
> Thx


Anechoic,

I'm in absolutely no hurry for mine as I don't have the other equipment I need to use it and wont for awhile. So feel free to take your time with mine.

Rod


----------



## nerdful1

Drat, just found this thread that was emailed to me. Is it too late? I know he is on a wedding trip. 
I definately want one to go with my ISF gear.


----------



## Anechoic

Update: about 2/3 of the orders have been shipped out. A few trickled out today, a few will trickle out tomorrow, and the bulk of the remainder should go out on Wednesday. Some people made special requests when making their orders - those orders will hopefully go out by the end of the week.

BTW, I will have extras. Stay tuned.


----------



## antilog

Sorry I didn't check this thread before emailing. Not a hurry, just checking status.


----------



## Anechoic

Don't sweat it, I was away for the weekend and now that I'm back I just wanted to give a status update. You good people have given me your money and you all have every right to know when you should expect to get what you paid for.


----------



## nerdful1

Just want to confirm that I want one of the extras. I will now look back on the postings on how to get this money out of my pocket and into yours. Too bad about the end of the 5.00 discount, but is more than worth it overall. And no rush for me, take care of the ones in dire need first.

Edit: done, but forgot to include my hts name.


----------



## Anechoic

I had hoped to wrap up all the orders by yesterday, but they didn't happen - all the mics are finished, but printing invoices, keeping track of orders and packing everything is taking forever. On the plus side, a few of you (accidentally) got free upgrades with your orders. Enjoy! 

As for everyone else - final order group will ship tomorrow.


----------



## Euterpe

Mine was delivery yesterday in good shape, I gonna start soon as possible and follow up this experiment 

Thank you.


----------



## yobbo

Mine has arrived this morning in Australia in good nick. Thanking you.


----------



## easyrider

Hello,

I just got here. :hissyfit: 
Are there any mikes left over? :spend:

Thanks!
Bill


----------



## Anechoic

Okay people, I just returned from the Post Office where I dropped off the last group. With one exception, everyone's mics should be on their way, or already delivered. 

About those leftover mics - I wrote before that I would get around to selling those next week. I lied 

I have seven mics left over. I'm selling them at the discounted price, but without the additional $5 discount for HTS members. However, I'm posting this here a couple of days before I post in other forums to give you guys a little head start.

*There is a limit of two microphones per person*. If you order more than two, I will cancel the order refund your money (and you'll lose you place in line).

Shipping: Mics will go out no later than Wed, Oct 14 and I should be able to get Basic and Basic Plus orders out before then.

Order here.


----------



## JimP

I do have a question about about how to take care of the mic.

Previously, on my ECM8000 mic, I'd leave it on the light stand with the cord attached so I'd have less stuff to put together whenever I got the urge to run REW.

I see that the EMM6 comes inside of a plastic bag with those drying crystals. Is that really necessary once the owner gets it if the mic is kept in an air conditioned space ?


----------



## NewbieMark

I just placed an order for one.
I know I missed the $5 HTS discount, but this is still a good deal.
Thank you for doing this.
Mark


----------



## Anechoic

> I see that the EMM6 comes inside of a plastic bag with those drying crystals. Is that really necessary once the owner gets it if the mic is kept in an air conditioned space ?


As long as you're not actually using it in the rain, you should be fine treating it the same as your ECM8000. The bag and desiccant (I think) are just for shipping purposes.


----------



## Anechoic

One unit left as of noon today. If you order and get a "sold out" message, check here first and than contact me directly - I think the inventory counter might be malfunctioning. When I'm sold out I'll post an update here.


----------



## JimP

It sure is nice having a new mic with its own calibration file.

No more wondering if you happen to have gotten a mic that the generic file didn't correct.


----------



## Anechoic

Also, wrt to deals on ECM8000/EMM-6 or other similar mics - if any of you ever stumble upon a sale on that type (or really, any type) of microphone, please let me know and I'll be happy to do the same thing and buy a bunch of them and pass on the savings.


----------



## Anechoic

Update: all gone guys!

Edit with yet another update: see update on next page, I have *1* left.


----------



## DanTheMan

Shoot! I'm late to the party. Please let us know if such a thing ever happens again. I just ordered my new soundcard and mic pre, downloaded REW, but I have no calibrated mic.


----------



## Euterpe

Ok, let's talk about what's in the box










All is top shape, very good packaging, safe and lightweight.

Regards


----------



## AudioIronHorse

Waiting for my mic to come.. So now I need to get a power source for it. Is the Behringer PS400 phantom power supply from PE satisfactory? I see it's only $19.99. Is this power supply recommended for this mic or should I look at getting something else?
Thanks all,
D


----------



## JimP

Darin,

That's only the phantom power supply. That by itself isn't enough.

Most of us use a mixer that has a built in power supply for the mic.


----------



## Anechoic

DanTheMan said:


> Shoot! I'm late to the party. Please let us know if such a thing ever happens again. I just ordered my new soundcard and mic pre, downloaded REW, but I have no calibrated mic.


There are still the regularly-priced calibrated ECM8000 that I sell, although I am running behind right now. And as I wrote above, if you see a sale on ECM8000/EMM-6's or other mics, let me know and I'll be happy to cal them and pass along the savings.

I'm thinking about transitioning the line to EMM-6, but the biggest thing holding me back is that I can free next day shipping for ECM8000's while shipping for the EMM-6 is considerably more expensive if I want to get them next-day or 2-day delivery.


----------



## Anechoic

Euterpe said:


> Ok, let's talk about what's in the box
> 
> 
> All is top shape, very good packaging, safe and lightweight.
> 
> Regards


That's a fantastic picture. I may have to steal it 

I should mention that about halfway through the production run I changed the labeling for the business-card CD's, and very late into the run I ran out of business-card CDrs so I started sending them out in mini-CDs and full size CDs to avoid further delays. Just in case someone is looking at their CD and wondering why it doesn't look the same.

(Euterpe, did you get a mic clip? I ask because I have an extra here so I know somoeone out there didn't get one, but I'm pretty sure I know the serial# of the mic the clip is from).

A few brief observations of the EMM-6s:

1. They are _much_ more consistent unit-to-unit compared with the ECM8000 although there are still some outliers.

2. IMO the mic clip and the mic case are flimsier than the ones included in the ECM8000

3. I don't like that the box for the EMM-6 is slight larger than the mic case, which means the case can bounce around during shipping. When I sent out my mics, I put some bubble-wrap or wadded paper in the box to tighten things up.

4. The sensitivity values I measure for the EMM-6 are consistently 1 dB off from the value in the included sheet. As I wrote before, I have two acoustic calibrators that have been varied from two separate third-party NIST-traceable labs and they agree, so I think my values are correct.

5. I kept one EMM-6 for myself (well, actually I dropped it and put a dent in it and I figured it would be unfair to send it to a paying customer) so I'll do some distortion measurements and eventually get around to taking it apart.


----------



## Euterpe

Thank you Anechoic, I'd like photography

Sorry, I've missing to put the clip picture.(include on the box)

But I didn't seen any serial N° on the clip... are your sure there is one on it?





































Warm regards


----------



## AudioIronHorse

Thanks for your reply Jim,
Hmmm... So what mixer/power supply do I need? Kinda looking for the most economical solution. I will be using this mic in conjunction with REW and would like to be able to measure the full frequency response of my subs and speakers.
What about the Behringer MX-400 4 channel line mixer? Would this work? 
Sorry... I'm still new to all this.
Thanks again for your reply and hopefully you guys can point me in the right direction!
Darin


----------



## brucek

> So what mixer/power supply do I need? Kinda looking for the most economic solution.


Most members here use the Behringer XENYX 802.



> 'm still new to all this.


Be sure to read and become familiar with the REW HELP files and the REW Cabling and Connections Basics.

Also note the REW information Index and the Download Page.

brucek


----------



## AudioIronHorse

Thanks Brucek!
I'll get that one then!
Really looking forward to playing with REW. I've used it before with a radio shack meter, but couldn't do full range.
Thanks again,
Darin


----------



## Anechoic

Euterpe said:


> Thank you Anechoic, I'd like photography
> 
> Sorry, I've missing to put the clip picture.(include on the box)
> 
> But I didn't seen any serial N° on the clip... are your sure there is one on it?


When I was referring to the serial number, I meant the "CSL-Exxx" number that I assign to the mic, not something that came with the mic itself.


----------



## Anechoic

Yet Another Update:

A leftover order got canceled so I have *1* left. Go and get it.


----------



## DanTheMan

OK, I just ordered it. Hopefully I actually got it. It was still available on the site.

Thanks,

Dan


----------



## Anechoic

DanTheMan said:


> OK, I just ordered it. Hopefully I actually got it. It was still available on the site.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dan


Yup, I got the order and it's shipping out tomorrow.


----------



## DanTheMan

Thanks Anechoic!

Dan


----------



## Anechoic

Data for the people:










It's only about 1/3 of the EMM data I have, but it's a good start.


----------



## DanTheMan

I may be wrong, but that average looks a bit better than the behringer version of the mic. In any case, mine arrived today in perfect working order.

Thanks again,

Dan


----------



## Anechoic

Hi again,

I was using the weekend to clean up the huge stacks of empty boxes I accumlated during the EMM-6 sale and it turns out that one of those boxes... wasn't quite empty.

I have one more that's going out as a Premium or Premium+. If you want it, come and get it. If ordered before 1pm EST, it will go out the same days.

(I swear I'm not trying to game you guys by dribbling out mics, it's just that I *am* that disorganized!)

Edit: well, that was fast!


----------



## Anechoic

Q for people who've ordered the EMM-6 or ECM8000 from me: are you getting shipping and delivery notifications via email from the USPS?


----------



## jpk

Yes I did get the shipping notice from USPS! And thanks again for the sale on this mike, I've been wanting to get one for some time.
Joe


----------



## nwboater

Anechoic said:


> Q for people who've ordered the EMM-6 or ECM8000 from me: are you getting shipping and delivery notifications via email from the USPS?


I did get email shipping notices, and mine has arrived here in Canada. Thanks very much.

Rod


----------



## minaximal

yep, i keep checking every day to see if it has left UK customs, as it has been stuck in there for 4 days, it's making me think they will slap lots of import tax on, but i also wonder if the usps system actually carries on tracking when out of the US's postal control?


----------



## nerdful1

Unexpectedly got mine very fast, thanks!
Wife eyeballed it, and asked if it would be good for her webinars...quickly put it in safe place.
(Drat! V2.0) All this time, thought either /or my panasonic sv3700 DAT or Otari mx-50 had phantom power and mic preamps. The Otari has preamps, but no power, and is a bit on the heavy side for a test preamp...
Now to look for a schematic with modern low noise chips, or discrete.... I forgot, are 9v dry cells inherently noisy for phantom power, can be bypassed? Then the mic is not the quietest in the flock.


----------



## minaximal

oops see post below


----------



## minaximal

here is a nice comparison between mics:




Anechoic said:


> Data for the people:



bottom pic i believe was of forty mics.


----------



## Anechoic

I ask about shipping notices because it seems like there are a lot of people who never get any emails from USPS even though I always indicate that I want the customer notified. I suppose it's just the US gov't at work. Thanks all for your updates.

minaximal: I do think the USPS stops updating their tracking info once they hand it off to the foreign postal service, but I thought that the delivery notice is relayed back to the USPS. I may be mistaken though. As for import taxes, I use the value of the actual mic ($40USD in your case) to set the value to minimize the hit. Also, you can build a decent phantom power rig using a couple of resistors and 9V batteries. IIRC Shure has a couple of circuit designs on their website.

nerdful1: you're only two states away, so it's basically next-day shipping to your house.


----------



## DanTheMan

I got my mic the morning of the 3rd day after ordering and I ordered. I ordered in the evening, got notified the next day of shipping by both Cross Spectrum and USPS, two days later I received the mic and it tested good.

I wish other sellers worked as well.

Dan


----------



## nerdful1

I figure I could strap on a couple 9 volt batteries till I build a nice little phantom power preamp box to fit in my ISF equipment bag.
What would 9v vs 48v limit me to. I am not looking for SPL, or recording, just sane frequency response room testing. Then, it is easy to clip enough 9 volts together for anything. (I've clipped 10 together for antique tube portable radios). Is just that I am eyeballing the mic in front, the Otari a few feet away...


----------



## JimP

Were the sale mics with the basic calibration, calibrated down to 5 or 10hz?


----------



## Anechoic

JimP said:


> Were the sale mics with the basic calibration, calibrated down to 5 or 10hz?


All mic cals I do for 1/2-inch form-factor microphones are down to 5 Hz now. I made that change a few months ago because it got to be too much of a hassle trying to remember which order at 5 Hz, which had 10 Hz, etc.


----------



## Anechoic

nerdful1 said:


> I figure I could strap on a couple 9 volt batteries till I build a nice little phantom power preamp box to fit in my ISF equipment bag.
> What would 9v vs 48v limit me to. I am not looking for SPL, or recording, just sane frequency response room testing. Then, it is easy to clip enough 9 volts together for anything. (I've clipped 10 together for antique tube portable radios). Is just that I am eyeballing the mic in front, the Otari a few feet away...


You would probably want to use at least two 9V to get you up to 18V. The only thing lower phantom power gets you is a lower high-SPL limit by a few dB. If you're not going to be using it at high SPL's, it's not a big deal.


----------



## Anechoic

For people who are still interested in the discounted EMM-6 special - if I can get 20 or more orders, I can offer the discounted pricing again. I have to run right now, but I'll set up a sign-up page on my site later for people who might be interested.


----------



## Anechoic

Okay, I posted a sign-up page where you can enter your contact info if you're interested in the deal. If/when I get enough interested people, I'll contact everyone and put up a page where people can place orders.

Oh, and to sweeten the pot a little, HTS members get the same $5-off deal (in addition to the already discounted pricing) as before.

edit: So I'm an idiot... I put up the form but forgot to put up a "submit" button. It's fixed now.


----------



## Anechoic

Update: If I can get 5 more people, I'll pull the trigger.


----------



## nerdful1

Just a big thanks for offering your services.
Tonight I was rummaging through my stuff from xlr xfmrs, to heath and sound technology thd im distortion analyzer boxes, to Revox and Otari clunkers. Decided to order the 8 ch Behringer whatever box and be done with it....

Now, should I send a modified original RS spl meter to you to be calibrated? At the moment I forgot what I did, except the bass is supposed to be better. Before finding you and the Dayton, I was about to bring it to the SPL calibration place in Portland.


----------



## Anechoic

nerdful1 said:


> Just a big thanks for offering your services.
> Tonight I was rummaging through my stuff from xlr xfmrs, to heath and sound technology thd im distortion analyzer boxes, to Revox and Otari clunkers. Decided to order the 8 ch Behringer whatever box and be done with it....
> 
> Now, should I send a modified original RS spl meter to you to be calibrated? At the moment I forgot what I did, except the bass is supposed to be better. Before finding you and the Dayton, I was about to bring it to the SPL calibration place in Portland.


You're certainly welcome to send it to me for calibration if you want to assess it's performance or generate a correction curve for it. Pricing is described here. Hit me up and let's figure out what you need.


----------



## Dennis H

Anechoic said:


> Interesting question indeed.
> 
> It's an open-loop voltage measurement.


 Herb, can you explain a little more about how you do that? Most phantom power boxes and mic preamps have a pretty low input impedance. My Emu Tracker is 1500 ohms and the Presonus Firebox you said you use is 1300. I'm on the list for the latest round and I'm wondering if/how I should adjust the sensitivity you measure.


----------



## Anechoic

Dennis H said:


> Herb, can you explain a little more about how you do that? Most phantom power boxes and mic preamps have a pretty low input impedance. My Emu Tracker is 1500 ohms and the Presonus Firebox you said you use is 1300. I'm on the list for the latest round and I'm wondering if/how I should adjust the sensitivity you measure.


The sensitivity measurements are performed with an acoustical calibrator and a Sencore SP395 which has input impedances of > 40 kohms.


----------



## Dennis H

Anechoic said:


> The sensitivity measurements are performed with an acoustical calibrator and a Sencore SP395 which has input impedances of > 40 kohms.


 Thanks, Herb. When you get your shipment of EMMs in, could you do a quick check and compare the voltage measured with the Sencore to the voltage measured with the Firebox?


----------



## Anechoic

Dennis H said:


> Thanks, Herb. When you get your shipment of EMMs in, could you do a quick check and compare the voltage measured with the Sencore to the voltage measured with the Firebox?


I don't have a practical way of doing that - the Firebox input has a continuously-variable gain setting with no "0 gain" position so I have to back into the 0-gain setting using the calibrator and Sencore.


----------



## Dennis H

You should be able to calibrate the Firebox (as long as you don't touch the pot) with a loopback cable and the ARTA calibration setup. Use a splitter for the best accuracy so you can measure with a DVM at the same time you're doing the loopback. Then for a measurement, run the spectrum analyzer with an external signal and go to the time record window. The RMS voltage is displayed at the top.

Edit: with all your fancy gear, all you really need is the splitter cable. See if the reading on the Sencore changes depending on whether or not the Firebox is plugged into the other leg. Turn phantom power off on the Firebox.


----------



## Anechoic

You know, considering I've done the ARTA calibration process before, I really should have remembered that! Thanks for the info.

To answer your original question, using a 1 kHz, 94 dB sine wave generated from my GenRad calibrator into an EMM-6 microphone, I get the following RMS levels:

Sencore SP395: 6.995 mV
Presonus Firebox: 6.981 mV


----------



## Dennis H

Anechoic said:


> You know, considering I've done the ARTA calibration process before, I really should have remembered that! Thanks for the info.
> 
> To answer your original question, using a 1 kHz, 94 dB sine wave generated from my GenRad calibrator into an EMM-6 microphone, I get the following RMS levels:
> 
> Sencore SP395: 6.995 mV
> Presonus Firebox: 6.981 mV


 Excellent! Looks like it's a non-issue then. :T


----------



## Anechoic

Okay, it looks like we're on for the group buy.

About half of the responses I got were of the "might buy" variety. If a good number of those decide to purchase the mic, I can pony up the cash for the remaining mics and we'll be in good shape. If all of them "might buy" responses don't decide not to buy, I'll probably cancel the deal. 

My plan is to keep the sale open through Friday (maybe Saturday). I figure that if I can place the order by Friday or Monday, I should be able to turn around most (if not all) of the mics by the end of next week. However if I don't get enough orders, I will cancel the deal.

If you order a microphone and the deal is canceled, I *will* refund all of your money. (and if I try to keep you money, you can seek recourse through the Massachusetts Board of Professional Licensure and I can assure you that the amount of grief that will rain down on me is not worth the risk of trying to rip you off).

If you're ready to order, you can go over to my site to place your order. And don't forget that HTS members get an additional $5 off - leave your HTS username with your order in the "Additional instructions to seller" on the PayPal page and I'll refund the $5.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.


----------



## BK_856er

Order placed!

BK


----------



## Anechoic

I got a few orders, but most of the "definitely will buy" orders haven't materialized. In fact I got one email from a person who didn't think things would move this quickly and wasn't prepared to order so soon.

It's looking like I may cancel the buy and refund the money. One thing I might do is just offer a limited quantity of "pass-through" EMM-6's which the included Dayton cal curve but without my calibration for $40+ shipping ($49 USD). That would still save $10 compared with the PE pricing but I don't want to offer a lot of those since I would be taking a small loss on each mic (which would hopefully be made up for on the calibrated mics). I'll sleep on it and make a decision tomorrow.


----------



## Nick

I'd like to order a calibrated EMM-6. Can you please tell me the price if you are not able to do the 'group buy'? Also, I am unclear on which version I should order. I will be using it to do full-range measurements (assuming I can figure out how to do so) in my two channel music room for speaker placement, acoustics and perhaps adding a sub and EQing.

Thanks


----------



## Anechoic

Nick said:


> I'd like to order a calibrated EMM-6. Can you please tell me the price if you are not able to do the 'group buy'? Also, I am unclear on which version I should order. I will be using it to do full-range measurements (assuming I can figure out how to do so) in my two channel music room for speaker placement, acoustics and perhaps adding a sub and EQing.
> 
> Thanks


If the group order doesn't go through, you can always order the normally-priced calibrated ECM8000's (the same basic mic, costs are about $10 more than the EMM-6 deal). 

I can tell you that if you do order a mic, you'll be the swing vote for moving the group deal forward. 

If you're going to be doing room acoustics, I'd recommend getting a Basic+ models so you'll have the off-axis calibration data.


----------



## Anechoic

Okay, we're definitely on for the group buy, I got enough pre-orders to make the minimum order. 

I've been asked by a couple of people for a little more time, so I'm going to accept orders through the weekend, close the page on Monday and place the group order with PE on Monday. The plan is to have the order shipped to me via two-day freight which means I'll get them late on Wed, I can start processing them on Thursday and I should be able to get a couple dozen orders out on Friday (I'm getting a lot of Basic orders which take much less time to process than Premium orders so things should move quickly). It is likely that orders made after today won't ship until Nov 7 or Nov 9. but unless I get completely overwhelmed with orders (which doesn't seem likely) I think I should be able to ship all orders by Nov 9 or 10th at the latest.

Thanks again guys.


----------



## Audioguy

How do I order one of these?


----------



## robh

> If you're ready to order, you can go over to my site to place your order http://www.cross-spectrum.com/measurement/calibrated_dayton.html . And don't forget that HTS members get an additional $5 off - leave your HTS username with your order in the "Additional instructions to seller" on the PayPal page and I'll refund the $5.


Edited to add quotations... Admin.


----------



## trans40

I purchased a CSL-calibrated EMM-6 from Anechoic just a few weeks ago. It's been perfect for my home audio application. Having the calibration values on disk is great - my software read them without any problems. I'm very satisfied with my purchase at the usual price.

So this is a very good deal, offered by the kind of person with whom you want to do business. No nonsense, offers a quality product, and sells it at a fair price. If you want a mic, this is the way to go unless your needs demand a studio-level reference mic, at 10 times this price (used) and up.

Thom


----------



## leelee

I've been using a Nady CM-100. Just placed an order for a calibrated Dayton.

I had a question - just how much variation is there between these microphones that appear to have been made by the same factory? For example, I looked at the sample calibration info for a ECM8000 and the Dayton, they looked quite different in the bass region. I've never see any data for the Nady version.


----------



## aljordan

Hi,

Do the calibration files that ship with microphones work with True RTA or do they need to be translated?

Thanks


----------



## Peter Simonsen

Order placed for 2 mics

Kind regards

Peter


----------



## Noubourne

Order submitted. Hope we have enough


----------



## denydog

Ha! I didn't see the "Additional instructions to seller" button on the PayPal page until half a second after hitting submit!

Anyway, just ordered a basic+



-Jon


----------



## Goldenbear

Looking like I won't really need one until next year.

How often will these group buys happen?


----------



## Magnus_CA

Sorry if I'm asking a silly question but I've been out of the audio cal world for a little while now...

I was looking at the sample microphone frequency response measurement reports, specifically the table on the right, and I can see the response is down almost 10dB at 16Hz. So you are not technically calibrating the microphone, you're just providing the curve so you can either have the software you're using compensate or compensate mathematically if you're taking measurements manually?


----------



## Anechoic

robh said:


> If you're ready to order, you can go over to my site to place your order http://www.cross-spectrum.com/measurement/calibrated_dayton.html . And don't forget that HTS members get an additional $5 off - leave your HTS username with your order in the "Additional instructions to seller" on the PayPal page and I'll refund the $5.


Hi guys, 

I got a question asking if robh works with/for me, and I just want to clarify that I'm a one-man shop and robh doesn't work for CSL. I think he was just being helpful by quoting one of my prior posts to answer the post from Audioguy about how to order a mic.

EDIT: The Admin has added quotation marks to his post to clarify.


----------



## Anechoic

So this is what I get for going out of town for a few hours. 



> How do I order one of these?


Go to my site and scroll down to place an order.



> So this is a very good deal, offered by the kind of person with whom you want to do business. No nonsense, offers a quality product, and sells it at a fair price. If you want a mic, this is the way to go unless your needs demand a studio-level reference mic, at 10 times this price (used) and up.


Thanks for the kinds words. That said, I am human and I do make mistakes (ask the guy from Hawaii who had to wait a month for an ECM8000 because his order landed in my junk email folder) but I try to set things right as best I can.

Also, when I ship an order, I do tell USPS to email out a shipping notification which should have the tracking number. If you don't get that email and you don't hear anything from USPS or me by say, Nov 11, feel free to contact me so see what's up.



> I had a question - just how much variation is there between these microphones that appear to have been made by the same factory? For example, I looked at the sample calibration info for a ECM8000 and the Dayton, they looked quite different in the bass region. I've never see any data for the Nady version.


There are definitely differences between the Behringer and Dayton models (and somewhat between the Behringer and Nady), and they're most apparent to me when I'm testing Dayton and Behringer models in the same session. What causes these differences? I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's the pre-amp circuit. I need to find an EE to compare/contrast the pre-amp stage.



> Do the calibration files that ship with microphones work with True RTA or do they need to be translated?


They should work with True RTA although you may have to change the file extensions from .FRD to .mic or .cal. I did get an email from a customer who had trouble importing the file because they were too big (my files have 32k points). If that happens, email me with the mic serial number ("CSL Exxx" or"CSL xxx" depending if it's a Behringer or Dayton) and I can email you a smaller file.



> Order placed for 2 mics





> Order submitted. Hope we have enough


Muchas gracias, and we're waay beyond the minimum quantity. 



> How often will these group buys happen?


Assuming PE is willing to keep giving me a group rate, there's no reason I can't make this a constant program - I think I'll put up a page to continuously solicit interest, and when I hit a certain threshold I'll make the order. The downside is I'm not sure how long it will be between orders. And obviously if PE or anyone else has a sale on the Behringer, Dayton or Nady, I'll offer a sale.



> So you are not technically calibrating the microphone, you're just providing the curve so you can either have the software you're using compensate or compensate mathematically if you're taking measurements manually?


Short answer is "yes," I just provide corrections curves and I don't modify the mic. "Calibration" is technically not the correct terminology for what I do (which is why up until recently I never used the word) but it has been common enough among audio folks that I finally gave in.


----------



## alcalae

It's probably been told before but
Why can't i use, for example, an AKG perception 100, a MXL 2001 or overhead mics with the REW software instead of those pencil shaped measuring mics?
Aren't these flat enough?
What's the difference?


----------



## Harpmaker

I know so little about this general topic that I'm a bit self-conscious about posting - don't shoot me!

I realize this mic is calibrated for use in measuring speakers and room acoustics, but how does it work as a mic for general recording (non voice)? I would like to get a relatively inexpensive mic for recording sound effects (such as rain, crickets/frogs, perhaps even traffic). Since I am also interested in getting into speaker and room measurements at a later date I would be interested in one of these mics, but only if it would also serve my current needs as well.


----------



## Anechoic

Harpmaker said:


> I know so little about this general topic that I'm a bit self-conscious about posting - don't shoot me!
> 
> I realize this mic is calibrated for use in measuring speakers and room acoustics, but how does it work as a mic for general recording (non voice)? I would like to get a relatively inexpensive mic for recording sound effects (such as rain, crickets/frogs, perhaps even traffic). Since I am also interested in getting into speaker and room measurements at a later date I would be interested in one of these mics, but only if it would also serve my current needs as well.


Three possible downsides depending on how you might use the mic:

1. The EMM-6/ECM8000 is an omnidirectional mic which picks up sounds from all directions - you can't "aim" them to pick up a target sound and reject other sounds like a cardioid mic

2. Since the mic is relatively flat, you'll pick up more low-frequency sounds (wind noise/etc) than you would with a recording/voice mic which may be rolled off in the lower frequencies. However, this may actually be a miserable feature. Also, there are any number of DAW programs than can filter out low frequencies (Audacity certainly can) if this is a problem.

3. The EMM-6/ECM8000 are relatively noisy mics so they may not be suitable for making recordings of quiet sounds.


----------



## griz326

I'm considering the purchase of either the Behringer or Dayton mics to analyze the different room characteristics in my recording studio. However, am a bit confused as to why a $50 mic on Parts Express is going to cost $110. 

From what I read on your website, you document the frequency response of the mic - you do not calibrate it, that is, correct of the frequency response of the mic. Is my understanding of what you do accurate? If so, that only allows me to use your calibration chart of the microphone to manually adjust the readings I get in my room, but does nothing to improve the Behringer. Correct?

I did notice that Room EQ Wizard allows you to import data to calibrate input. Can your frequency response documentation be used that way? Do you provide the useable data.cal file? When you are offering a "calibrated mic" are you actually offering the data to calibrate your test device?

I don't mean to be dense, but I like to be certain I understand what I'm buying before spending my money. :spend:


----------



## Anechoic

alcalae said:


> It's probably been told before but
> Why can't i use, for example, an AKG perception 100, a MXL 2001 or overhead mics with the REW software instead of those pencil shaped measuring mics?
> Aren't these flat enough?
> What's the difference?


Recording mics often aren't flat, the low-frequencies are usually roll-off and they may have bumps in the higher frequencies to accentuate the human voice and/or instruments (although I don't know if that's the case with those specific mics). 

Also the AKG and MXL are both cardioid microphones with means the frequency response will vary with mic orientation at all frequencies (as opposed to omni's like the ECM8000/EMM-6 which are only directional at the highest frequencies and even still that's due to physical limitation rather than design). That doesn't make them totally unsuitable for measurement purposes, but makes interpretation of the results (particularly at low frequencies) much more difficult.


----------



## Anechoic

griz326 said:


> I'm considering the purchase of either the Behringer or Dayton mics to analyze the different room characteristics in my recording studio. However, am a bit confused as to why a $50 mic on Parts Express is going to cost $110.


Because I like separating fools from their money. (I kid, I kid!  )



> From what I read on your website, you document the frequency response of the mic - you do not calibrate it, that is, correct of the frequency response of the mic. Is my understanding of what you do accurate? If so, that only allows me to use your calibration chart of the microphone to manually adjust the readings I get in my room, but does nothing to improve the Behringer. Correct?


That is correct. Read my prior post about the terminology (last paragraph). 

The frequency response of the Behringer ECM8000 microphone vary widely from unit to unit. There are generalized correction curves around the internet (including here) that you can use but those curves may or may not be applicable to any particular ECM8000. I determine the specific correction curve for each mic. The higher-priced models I sell have additional measurement data, specifically mic sensitivity, polar response and noise floor (which may be of use to advanced/pro users).

The Dayton EMM-6 microphones come from the factory with individual curves. I think my curves more accurate. In any event, all that is supplied with the EMM-6 is a paper sheet of the frequency response that the buyer has to scan in to generate the correction file. I supply a CD with the correction files.



> I did notice that Room EQ Wizard allows you to import data to calibrate input. Can your frequency response documentation be used that way? Do you provide the useable data.cal file?


Yes, I provide the data on a mini-CD that is included with the microphone with text files in .FRD format that is usable with any number of analysis programs (although you may need to rename the file with a .cal or .mic extension).




> When you are offering a "calibrated mic" are you actually offering the data to calibrate your test device?


I'm not sure what you're asking here.


----------



## griz326

>>>>>>When you are offering a "calibrated mic" are you actually offering the data to calibrate your test device?

>>>I'm not sure what you're asking here. 

Based on the other answers, the answer is YES. The value you provide is in correcting an inexpensive microphone to approximate the values that would be generated by high-end test microphone. 

Thank you. I will now order the Behringer...unless based on what I've written you think I should order the Dayton. ...I'll await your response before submitting the order.


Unlike most of the users of this forum, I am less interested in the room's influence on the sound of my studio monitors (although that is instructive) than I am in the way the recording room reacts to the sound of my voice. If you have any instructions on ways to modify testing techniques for that objective, I would appreciate it. 

I am happy.:sn:


----------



## Anechoic

griz326 said:


> Thank you. I will now order the Behringer...unless based on what I've written you think I should order the Dayton. ...I'll await your response before submitting the order.


Six of one, a half-dozen of the other. If you buy the Dayton, you'll save $10, but you won't get your mic until the end of next week. If you order the Behringer, you'll likely have it by the end of this coming week but you'll pay more.



> Unlike most of the users of this forum, I am less interested in the room's influence on the sound of my studio monitors (although that is instructive) than I am in the way the recording room reacts to the sound of my voice.


It looks like you need to measure reverberation time (RT60). There should be a number of software programs that will do the trick.


----------



## mclab

I just submitted an order for a EMM-6 shipped to Hong Kong. I forget to include my login name with the paypal order though - hope you can fix that for me. Thanks.

Jack


----------



## Anechoic

FYI, Dayton deal ends tonight midnight (Monday 12am). 

I will have extras available but I probably won't list them until next weekend. Please don't ask to be wait listed, when the extras are available I'll put them on the site and I'll announce it here.

As I indicated earlier, I will continue to solicit interest in future group deals - after the extras are all gone, I'll put up a form at the aforementioned link to collect names of people who are interested in further groups purchases and once I get a dozen people or so, I'll repeat the deal.

Thanks for all the business guys.


----------



## nerdful1

Regarding 'calibration', is refreshing you know the details. Just shows more of your professional side of your audio life. I come from metrology, and it was interesting to see some recent posters querying you.
What do you officially call your data, correction charts/data?
Anyway, your services a bargain in this day and age.


----------



## ryanenen

I'm new member. Knowing that there is a group buy of the mic, would like to know what are the difference between:

1) Basic
2) Basic +
3) Premium
4) Premium +

Thanks


----------



## Anechoic

nerdful1 said:


> Regarding 'calibration', is refreshing you know the details. Just shows more of your professional side of your audio life. I come from metrology, and it was interesting to see some recent posters querying you.


Questions are always good. Given that I'm trying to get my grubby hands on your hard-earned cash, I see it as my obligation to be as informative as a can.



> What do you officially call your data, correction charts/data?


"Microphone characterization" or micropohpne frequency-response measurements.


----------



## Anechoic

ryanenen said:


> I'm new member. Knowing that there is a group buy of the mic, would like to know what are the difference between:
> 
> 1) Basic
> 2) Basic +
> 3) Premium
> 4) Premium +
> 
> Thanks


Basic microphones give on-axis (mic pointing at noise source) frequency response measurements only.

Basic+ microphones give on-axis and two off-axis (45 and 90 degree) frequency response measurements.

Premium microphones give on-axis frequency response measurements along with full polar measurements (400 Hz to 16 kHz in 1/3 octave bands), mic sensitivity and noise floor.

Premium+ mics are the same as Premium but with the two off-axis frequency response measurements. 

In terms of target markets, I usually recommend Basic mics for people just doing speaker measurements, Basic+ mics for people who do room-acoustics measurements, and Premium microphones for advanced users who need sensitivity/noise floor measurements and who may need to know the directional characteristics of the microphone at arbitrary frequencies/directions.

If you're a beginner/novice, chances are you'd be fine with one of the Basic models.


----------



## antilog

I received the mic recently. The calibration files are handy with Room EQ wizard, and it sounds great for recording. Tight package altogether. I'll keep CSL in mind for future calibration needs.


----------



## ryanenen

Anechoic said:


> Basic microphones give on-axis (mic pointing at noise source) frequency response measurements only.
> 
> Basic+ microphones give on-axis and two off-axis (45 and 90 degree) frequency response measurements.
> 
> Premium microphones give on-axis frequency response measurements along with full polar measurements (400 Hz to 16 kHz in 1/3 octave bands), mic sensitivity and noise floor.
> 
> Premium+ mics are the same as Premium but with the two off-axis frequency response measurements.
> 
> In terms of target markets, I usually recommend Basic mics for people just doing speaker measurements, Basic+ mics for people who do room-acoustics measurements, and Premium microphones for advanced users who need sensitivity/noise floor measurements and who may need to know the directional characteristics of the microphone at arbitrary frequencies/directions.
> 
> If you're a beginner/novice, chances are you'd be fine with one of the Basic models.


Just ordered Basic plus. I'm a novice and got to check out how to use it.:innocent: (login name "ryanenen" added into the order)

Hope to receive it soon.


----------



## mrjones

missed the window, however just ordered the prem+ Behringer ECM8000, thanks for the service :T


----------



## Anechoic

Order has been placed. I was expecting to sell maybe 12-15 mics. I just placed an order for 70 mics.

Who knew?

I kinda wish I could track down the Chinese OEM and buy straight from them. I figure I could sell these babies for $50-$70 a pop if I could get straight-from-the-factory pricing.


----------



## Loffen

I will go to Shenzhen early in december, will see what I can do for you.


----------



## Nordo

When testing my room or equipment in the past, I have used my RS SPL meter connected to the RCA plug on my Sound Blaster USB external sound card.

How do I use the EMM-6 with this sound card?


----------



## laser188139

The connection is the same as the Behringer ECM8000 mic described in the forum helpfiles. As with the Behringer, you need a mic preamp to give phantom power to the mic. The output from the mic preamp connects to the rest of the cabling identically to what you use with the RS SPL meter mic.


----------



## drumslinger

dangit! missed the cut off! Next time :foottap:


----------



## ryanenen

laser188139 said:


> The connection is the same as the Behringer ECM8000 mic described in the forum helpfiles. As with the Behringer, you need a mic preamp to give phantom power to the mic. The output from the mic preamp connects to the rest of the cabling identically to what you use with the RS SPL meter mic.


Is that the EMM-6 Mic must plug in a mic preamp to get it work? Any other methods to connect the EMM-6 mic to the rest of cabling?


----------



## nerdful1

Would be neat to get them to put a good cheap, (like the panasonic) capsule in a decent mic body, and a chip to go from capsule output to digital, eliminating preamp noise and other artifacts. The same programmable adc doing corrections from CSL


----------



## laser188139

ryanenen said:


> Is that the EMM-6 Mic must plug in a mic preamp to get it work? Any other methods to connect the EMM-6 mic to the rest of cabling?


If your question is whether a mic preamp is needed, I believe the answer is yes. Per the description on the Parts-Express site, the mic needs phantom power. 

If your question is whether the mic must be plugged directly into the preamp, as illustrated on the forum page, the answer is no, the mic can be connected to the mic preamp with an XLR male-to-female cable. 

Hope this helps,
Bill


----------



## ryanenen

laser188139 said:


> If your question is whether a mic preamp is needed, I believe the answer is yes. Per the description on the Parts-Express site, the mic needs phantom power.
> 
> If your question is whether the mic must be plugged directly into the preamp, as illustrated on the forum page, the answer is no, the mic can be connected to the mic preamp with an XLR male-to-female cable.
> 
> Hope this helps,
> Bill


Thanks Bill for the information of the mic.

I search the forum that some members use external USB card with phantom power such as E-MU Tracker Pre. Would those USB audio interface work with REW and the EMM 6 mic?

What are the difference between:

1) E-MU Tracker Pre USB2.0
2) E-MU 0202 USB2.0
3) E-Mu 0404 USB2.0

I only want the cheaper one that can work with REW and the EMM6 mic.

Ryan


----------



## BK_856er

ryanenen said:


> Thanks Bill for the information of the mic.
> 
> I search the forum that some members use external USB card with phantom power such as E-MU Tracker Pre. Would those USB audio interface work with REW and the EMM 6 mic?
> 
> What are the difference between:
> 
> 1) E-MU Tracker Pre USB2.0 - phantom power + USB or AC power
> 2) E-MU 0202 USB2.0 - no phantom power to mic!
> 3) E-Mu 0404 USB2.0 - phantom power + digital in/out + midi + great DAC
> 
> I only want the cheaper one that can work with REW and the EMM6 mic.
> 
> Ryan


I put some comments in red above. I'm no expert, but those are some of the differences. The 0202 will not power the mic. I went with the Tracker as an all-in-one solution...have not received it yet, so I can't say how well it works...

BK


----------



## ryanenen

BK_856er said:


> I put some comments in red above. I'm no expert, but those are some of the differences. The 0202 will not power the mic. I went with the Tracker as an all-in-one solution...have not received it yet, so I can't say how well it works...
> 
> BK


It looks like I should buy EMU Tracker Pre. Thanks for the information.

Ryan


----------



## Nordo

Curses.:rant:

I thought I was getting a relatively cheap upgrade from my SPL meter to a calibrated mic. Now I've got to go out and buy a pre-amp.:foottap:

Is the E-MU the best option, or is there a better/cheaper option?


----------



## BK_856er

Nordo said:


> Curses.:rant:
> 
> I thought I was getting a relatively cheap upgrade from my SPL meter to a calibrated mic. Now I've got to go out and buy a pre-amp.:foottap:
> 
> Is the E-MU the best option, or is there a better/cheaper option?


The E-MU is a relatively expensive solution. I justified the Tracker for its other capabilities independent of REW. The Behrenger mixer might be a good lower-cost solution - seems to get recommended frequently here. Presumably you already have a suitable soundcard. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in.

BK


----------



## ryanenen

BK_856er said:


> The E-MU is a relatively expensive solution. I justified the Tracker for its other capabilities independent of REW. The Behrenger mixer might be a good lower-cost solution - seems to get recommended frequently here. Presumably you already have a suitable soundcard. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in.
> 
> BK


I don't have a suitable soundcard too. I think it will be more convenience during calibration if I have mic pre-amp and external USB soundcard in one box.

BTW, is it possible to use the EMM 6 mic for calibrating Audyssey MultEQ auto setup of the Onkyo 906 AV receiver and/or Denon, sony av receivers?


----------



## Nordo

BK_856er said:


> The E-MU is a relatively expensive solution. I justified the Tracker for its other capabilities independent of REW. The Behrenger mixer might be a good lower-cost solution - seems to get recommended frequently here. Presumably you already have a suitable soundcard. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in.
> 
> BK


Thanks BK
I don't really need the mixer, just the phantom power. However, for the price, I guess I can't go wrong. My daughter drums in a band, so she can probably make use of the mixer features (so long as I get it back.:rant
Only other problem is shipping costs to Australia.


----------



## laser188139

ryanenen said:


> ...
> BTW, is it possible to use the EMM 6 mic for calibrating Audyssey MultEQ auto setup of the Onkyo 906 AV receiver and/or Denon, sony av receivers?


No. The Audyssey folks insist that you use the mic, or the model microphone, that comes with the receiver. The sensitivity and response of that model mic are programmed into the receiver.


----------



## Anechoic

Loffen said:


> I will go to Shenzhen early in december, will see what I can do for you.


Score! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Anechoic

laser188139 said:


> No. The Audyssey folks insist that you use the mic, or the model microphone, that comes with the receiver. The sensitivity and response of that model mic are programmed into the receiver.


 This. Also I've measured a couple of Audyssey mics (I think I posted the curves in one of the other threads) and thy have wildly differing response that look nothing like an ECM8000 or EMM-6. If you plugged in an ECM8000/EMM-6 you would get a junk response.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## ryanenen

laser188139 said:


> No. The Audyssey folks insist that you use the mic, or the model microphone, that comes with the receiver. The sensitivity and response of that model mic are programmed into the receiver.


The calibration effect of Audyssey MUltEx is not satisfactory. So I wonder whether it is the problem of the stock mic.


----------



## ryanenen

Anechoic said:


> This. Also I've measured a couple of Audyssey mics (I think I posted the curves in one of the other threads) and thy have wildly differing response that look nothing like an ECM8000 or EMM-6. If you plugged in an ECM8000/EMM-6 you would get a junk response.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


The stock mic come with Onkyo is indeed an average unit. A friend here use a LinearX M31 mic to calibrate the Denon AVC-A1HD (5308CI in the US) with good result than using the Denon mic.

He sent me a diagram (attached) showing how to instal a 9V battery connector on the XLR female plug and supplied the LinearX mic with 9V phantom power using a 9V battery.

Can I install/modify a battery to supply phantom power for the EMM 6 mic?


----------



## Dennis H

Anechoic said:


> I kinda wish I could track down the Chinese OEM and buy straight from them. I figure I could sell these babies for $50-$70 a pop if I could get straight-from-the-factory pricing.


 I'm pretty sure it's http://www.superlux.com.tw/ . Their branded version is the ECM999.



ryanenen said:


> It looks like I should buy EMU Tracker Pre.


 The really nice thing about the Tracker is it's unity gain with the pot all the way to the left. Most mic preamps are close to zero gain with the pot all the way down. What that means is you only have to calibrate the Tracker once with the pot all the way down and you have a usable gain setting that's reproducible every time you measure.



ryanenen said:


> The calibration effect of Audyssey MUltEx is not satisfactory. So I wonder whether it is the problem of the stock mic.


 IMHO, Audyssey's problems are far bigger than the mic. They try to do too much and have forgotten the basic premise of 'do no harm.' Even experienced users can't get the same results doing it twice in a row. And you can't save your old results so it's a cr*p shoot whether doing it again will be better or worse.

PS: Herb, you once mentioned doing some distortion measurements of the EMM-6. As you know from our email conversation, I'm in no hurry for my mic so I volunteer mine as a distortion test dummy.


----------



## Anechoic

Dennis H said:


> I'm pretty sure it's http://www.superlux.com.tw/ . Their branded version is the ECM999.


I dug around a bit and determined the Superlux isn't the OEM, they're just another distributor. There was a discussion group I stumbled upon at one point that basically indicated that "original" Asian OEM's tend to stay conceal their identities and work through agents - and those agents basically don't want anything to do with you unless want to handle hundreds/thousands of units. I'm now in the lower range of that club, I just need someplace to start.




> PS: Herb, you once mentioned doing some distortion measurements of the EMM-6. As you know from our email conversation, I'm in no hurry for my mic so I volunteer mine as a distortion test dummy.


No prob.


----------



## Dennis H

Anechoic said:


> I dug around a bit and determined the Superlux isn't the OEM, they're just another distributor. There was a discussion group I stumbled upon at one point that basically indicated that "original" Asian OEM's tend to stay conceal their identities and work through agents - and those agents basically don't want anything to do with you unless want to handle hundreds/thousands of units. I'm now in the lower range of that club, I just need someplace to start.


 Hmmm, very interesting. They have factories on mainland China so it seems weird that they'd be buying mics from someone else (shrug). Maybe Superlux is just a wholesale/retail front for whoever is really building all their (many) mics? Hard to figure Taiwan vs. China business/politics. On the surface they hate each other but they seem to do a lot of business.


----------



## melberi

For those concerned with sensitivity figures, I measured the output impedance of my EMM-6 at 300 ohms rather than the 200 ohms specified by manufacturer.


----------



## Anechoic

melberi said:


> For those concerned with sensitivity figures, I measured the output impedance of my EMM-6 at 300 ohms rather than the 200 ohms specified by manufacturer.


At what frequency? As you might imagine I'm hip deep in EMM-6s right now, but if I get a chance tonite, I'll run an output impedance sweep.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## melberi

Anechoic said:


> At what frequency? As you might imagine I'm hip deep in EMM-6s right now, but if I get a chance tonite, I'll run an output impedance sweep.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


500 Hz. My method was quick and dirty, I inserted a resistor of known resistance (~160 ohms) between the mic and preamp and comparing the voltage at preamp to the case without resistor. Input to microphone was provided by a headphone driver right next to mic and the measurement was repeated a few times (in addition to averaging over time in each case in ARTA).

I'd love to get confirmation of the result from a mic or two of yours!


----------



## BK_856er

Received my calibrated EMM-6 in CA today - looks great!

Is the serial number a Dayton thing or a CSL creation? I don't see any markings on the mic.

Thanks again for the great service, Herb. :T

BK


----------



## Dennis H

I think the important thing about the output impedance is it doesn't affect the measured mic sensitivity much if at all. Herb did a check a couple of pages back and got essentially the same voltage reading out of the mic whether it was driving his high-impedance Sencore or his low-impedance Presonus. I'd say they're within the normal margin of error for such measurements using very different hardware and software and it's not something we need to concern ourselves with.

Sencore SP395: 6.995 mV (40K impedance)
Presonus Firebox: 6.981 mV (1.3K impedance)


----------



## melberi

I can't agree with that. The difference to open loop voltage grows to over 1.5 dB with a 300 ohm source and a 1500 ohm load. If someone is interested in a measured sensitivity value this is a significant difference. If accuracy wasn't a concern, using the manufacturer's stated sensitivity would be enough.


----------



## Dennis H

20*log(6.995/6.981) = .0174dB

Maybe, to put this to bed, Herb will have time to do an alternative test that doesn't depend on getting the ARTA calibration right. Plug a splitter cable into the mic, run one leg to the Sencore and measure the voltage. Then plug the other leg into the Presonus (with phantom power off) and see if the reading on the Sencore changes. As usual, I volunteer the mic I ordered to be Herb's test dummy as I'm in no rush to get it. 

Edit: I don't know what preamp circuit the EMM6 is using but these mics are all designed to give an accurate voltage into a low-impedance load. For example, Earthworks specs a minimum of 600 ohms between pins 2 and 3.

http://www.earthworksaudio.com/26.html


----------



## Anechoic

Quick & dirty EMM-6 output impedance measurement using the voltage divider method, a signal generator and an imedpance-matching potentiometer.


----------



## Noubourne

My mic came today.

Ordered a MobilePre, an XLR cable and a pair of RCA-TS adapters.

I think I will be ready to test full-range once the stuff gets in!

Going to bug the out of my friends with this. HA!


----------



## Anechoic

BK_856er said:


> Received my calibrated EMM-6 in CA today - looks great!
> 
> Is the serial number a Dayton thing or a CSL creation? I don't see any markings on the mic.
> 
> Thanks again for the great service, Herb. :T
> 
> BK


The serial number is mine, so I can keep track of the various mics for the inevitable screw-ups. I also have serial numbers for the Behringer mics - I started using my own S/N before Behringer started tagging their mikes.


----------



## BK_856er

Anechoic said:


> The serial number is mine, so I can keep track of the various mics for the inevitable screw-ups. I also have serial numbers for the Behringer mics - I started using my own S/N before Behringer started tagging their mikes.


But if the SN is only on the paperwork and not on the mic itself....

I think I'll lightly etch the SN into the base of mine with a diamond-tip pen, just in case I end up with a collection of them some day. :bigsmile:

BK


----------



## Anechoic

BK_856er said:


> But if the SN is only on the paperwork and not on the mic itself....
> 
> I think I'll lightly etch the SN into the base of mine with a diamond-tip pen, just in case I end up with a collection of them some day. :bigsmile:
> 
> BK


I actually bought stickers that I was going to use to stick the S/N to each mic but decided against it at the last minute because I didn't want to mar the mikes. Maybe next go-round, I'll include the sticker in the case and let the buyer make the choice.


----------



## Anechoic

EMM-6 update: the last group of microphones has been packed, labeled and will be shipping out on Tuesday. I have four EMM-6 microphones left. Go get 'em!

After those are sold out, I'll put up a sign-up page for interest in another group-buy, and when I get a minimum number, we can do this again.


----------



## melberi

Anechoic said:


> Quick & dirty EMM-6 output impedance measurement using the voltage divider method, a signal generator and an imedpance-matching potentiometer.


Thank you for this. I have to say I expected the impedance to be flatter, but I think the 300 ohms I came up with is a good average from that graph.

edit: I'm also interested in the distortion measurements. A near-field measurement of a 15" Dayton sub came up with ~19% second harmonic, ~119dB @ 50Hz.


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## Anechoic

melberi said:


> Thank you for this. I have to say I expected the impedance to be flatter, but I think the 300 ohms I came up with is a good average from that graph.


That result does seem rather... odd, doesn't it? I think it may be caused by my "quick and dirty" method. I did another impedance method with slightly more rigor (and a different mic):










That's more in line with what I would have expected, but still higher than 200 ohms.


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## Anechoic

Well the holidays are almost upon us. I implied in the other CSL thread that I was considering offering a Black Friday special. Given that I'm a handful of names away from pulling the trigger on another EMM-6 group buy, I figured I would combine the existing discount with another offer.

As always, HTS members will get $5 off.

Everyone (including HTS members) will also get $9 off the order. That basically means free shipping for domestic orders of 1 mic and discounted shipping for international orders. 

There is a limit for this offer however - it will apply to the first 25 orders only.

I'm still at the sign-up stage, but when I get enough interest in the group up, I'll put up the order page and I expect to start shipping mics within 3 days of closing the order page.

*EDIT:* belay that post - it turns out PE is sold out of EMM-6's and won't get anymore until January. I'm going to see if I can get s deal on ECM8000's from them or another supplier.


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## tnargs

Just checking, does this mean the group buy is on hold? I was about to put my name down.


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## Anechoic

tnargs said:


> Just checking, does this mean the group buy is on hold? I was about to put my name down.


Well EMM-6 groups buys are obviously on hold until January, but I am trying to set up a group buy for ECM8000 right now. If you're interested in the ECM8000 for that price (plus discounted shipping), by all means sign up!


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## Anechoic

Bad news: I can't get a deal for ECM8000s.

Good news: I may be able to start selling calibrated ECM8000-type mics for *significantly * less than what I've been selling the Dayton's for. Stay tuned.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Anechoic

Bad news: EMM-6 group-buy won't happen until next year. I also was not able to get discounted pricing on ECM8000 microphones. I do have something cooking which will enable me to sell calibrated mics at a lower price than currently, but that's not likely to happen until next spring.

Good news: in the spirit of Black Friday, I'm offering ECM8000 at the discounted EMM-6 prices for this week only. Have fun.


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## Anechoic

If anyone (particularly international customers) have ordered an EMM-6 during the last group-buy and not received it yet, please contact me ASAP. There has been a rash of lost and misrouted packages this go-round (including a few packages destined for Western Europe that seem to have wound up in Brazil) and the USPS investigative process takes some time to complete, so I like to get the process started as soon as I can.


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## JonP

Staying and tuning and etc'ing..... 

Just got an email from Parts Express... one of their Black Friday deals is the EMM-6, on sale! Of course, they're out of stock as they have been, with an arrival time of 1-16.

Any plans for an EMM-6 sale buy/offer out of this?


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## Anechoic

JonP said:


> Staying and tuning and etc'ing.....
> 
> Just got an email from Parts Express... one of their Black Friday deals is the EMM-6, on sale! Of course, they're out of stock as they have been, with an arrival time of 1-16.
> 
> Any plans for an EMM-6 sale buy/offer out of this?


JonP I just sent you a PM, please check it when you get a chance.

To answer your question, the answer is "maybe" depending on the specifics. The problem is that I'm going to want to ask for the money up front - are people willing to pay and then wait 6-8 weeks for delivery?

edit: Oh my, they're selling it for $35!

edit 2: I will be offering a group buy for these mics, and I will also be buying a couple of dozen to sell once they're released for those that don't want me holding on to their money for 8 weeks. Check back here in a couple of hours for details.


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## Anechoic

Hello fellow audio nuts.

PE is having a special on EMM-6 microphones, which means I am having a special on these mics. Please note that PE is sold out of mics and won't have any in stock until mid-January, which means I will not be shipping them out until mid/late January.

For those that don't want me holding on to their money for 6-8 weeks, I will be buying a couple of dozen extra mics that I'll sell in January when I receive them (although I haven't decided if I'll sell them for the Black Friday price (see below) or the typical group-buy price.

Prices for mics in this deal start at $65 for Basic mics, up to $90 for Premium+. To sweeten the deal, I'm going to offer one more incentive: orders placed between 12:00am - 11:59pm on Friday, Nov 29 will qualify for a $9 discount - this is equal to *free shipping* on domestic orders of single mics, and 25%-40% discount for international shipping.

The Home Theater Shack EMM-6 discount will not be in place during Friday sales (hey, I gotta make something on these orders!), but when free shipping ends on Saturday, I'll reinstate the discount.

The sale will continue through the weekend. I'll end the sale early on Sun evening so I can place the final PE orders.


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## pomerham

What type of discrepancy will I found between EMM-6 versus my calibrated digital Radioshack SPL Mics?


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## Anechoic

pomerham said:


> What type of discrepancy will I found between EMM-6 versus my calibrated digital Radioshack SPL Mics?


Ideally none, if you have correction curves for the EMM-6 and te Radio Shack SLM.


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## Anechoic

FYI, I just got an email notification that PE has shipped the EMM-6 mics. Assuming I get them by the end of this week, I should have them all shipped out by Christmas. I have three left if you still want to get in on the savings.


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## Anechoic

Another day, another group order. As always, HTS members get an additional $5 off, leave your username in the comment field (on the PayPal order page) and I'll refund the $5. 

Mics will not ship until the last week of January. PE is low on inventory (they have 2 in stock as of 4:30 Eastern time on Sat Jan 2) and isn't expecting to be restocked until the week of Jan 22. That said, during the Black Friday sale, PE gave a mid-Jan date for restocking and they shipped mics out in mid-December so that Jan 22 date may be conservative.


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## rpb

been trying to convince myself that i didn't need one of these for my home studio. but i caved in, mostly because my audio OCD is kicking me in the head.


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## Anechoic

rpb said:


> been trying to convince myself that i didn't need one of these for my home studio. but i caved in, mostly because my audio OCD is kicking me in the head.


I'm glad you listened to your audio OCD


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## Anechoic

Slight updates: I'm going to take orders through Monday (Jan 18) morning (USA eastern time).


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## Anechoic

Important Update:

When I contacted Parts-Express about the EMM-6 group order earlier this month, the told me that were out of stock, but would have them back in stock by this week (which jibes with the info on the EMM-6 product page).

I just called them to place the group order, and the sales associate mentioned that the Jan 22 date was just an "estimate" and that it could actually be up to *2 to 3 weeks* before they are restocked.

Given this information, I wanted to contact you all before going through with the order.

Right now I can think of 3 options:


Proceed with the EMM-6 group-buy and hope that PE is just being conservative with the schedule (which they've done in the past, but I have no guarantee that will hold right now).
Move the EMM-6 group-buy to an ECM8000 group-by (same price) - mics would ship in two weeks, but that is more of a definitive schedule than what PE is giving me.
Cancel everything and refund everyone's money.

I've got orders for 30 mics so I have some leeway if some people want to drop out and others want to continue with the group buy.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks, and I apologize for the trouble.

Herb


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## Anechoic

FYI, Parts-Express is holding Yet Another EMM-6 sale, which means I'm holding Yet Another EMM-6 sale.

Prices start at $70 for the Basic model (although to be honest, Dayton's curves have gotten better, so if you don't need cal data below 20Hz, above 20 kHz or the off-axis info, you're probably just as well ordering the mic straight from PE and saving the $30).

PE's sale is going until June 30, so as long as they're selling at that price, I'll be selling them at value-added price. I plan on buying them in chunks though, so orders may take about a week or so to ship.


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## NoDestiny

Was wondering, what are the options for sending in a mic for calibration? I already own the Dayton EMM6, but don't feel its cal is accurate. Thanks!


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## Anechoic

NoDestiny said:


> Was wondering, what are the options for sending in a mic for calibration? I already own the Dayton EMM6, but don't feel its cal is accurate. Thanks!


I do offer mic calibration services for mics you may already own. The pricing starts at $55 for a "basic" (on-axis frequency response only) cal, and $75 gets you everything (freq resp, noise floor, sensitivity, polar, two off-axis measurements) and all pricing includes shipping.

If you would like to proceed, PM me and I can send you the shipping details.


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## NoDestiny

Good to know, thought I might as well just buy the mic already calibrated for a bit more  Ill hopefully order one from you in the next day or two.


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## nottaway

Are you offering an additional $5 off for HTS members?


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## drumslinger

thanks Anechoic. I'll look into one of these.


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## Anechoic

nottaway said:


> Are you offering an additional $5 off for HTS members?


Yes, leave your HTS username in the "message to seller" box on the PayPal page.


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