On 2022-11-21 3:23 PM, Walter Underwood wrote:

> Yes, a $400 dynamic mic sounds great.

Many broadcast mics are nowhere near $400 (at least not when I
was specifying/buying them).  The hand mics you typically see
in the field on TV newscasts and the lavs on anchor lapels are
(where) < $150 ... the wireless transmitters that have become
ubiquitous are more expensive than the mic!

> But a $2 electret mic element sounds nearly as good.

An electret mic is much easier/cheaper to manufacture than an
equivalent dynamic capsule.  With the built-in FET follower,
the electret output is some 20-25dB higher than the dynamic
making RFI and hum reduction much easier to manage in consumer
electronics.  In addition, the electret does not suffer as
badly from the proximity effect that is common with all dynamic
mics (a benefit of using condenser mics for studio vocals -
particularly with vocalists that don't know good mic technique!).

73,

   ... Joe, W4TV

On 2022-11-21 3:23 PM, Walter Underwood wrote:
That is exactly why I said “inexpensive” dynamic mics. Yes, a $400 dynamic mic 
sounds great. But a $2 electret mic element sounds nearly as good. Electrets 
are a really amazing technology, invented at Bell Labs. They are a cheap, 
rugged relative of the condenser mics used in studios.

Here is one for $1.50: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1064 
<https://www.adafruit.com/product/1064>

wunder
K6WRU
Walter Underwood
CM87wj
http://observer.wunderwood.org/ <http://observer.wunderwood.org/> (my blog)

On Nov 21, 2022, at 12:03 PM, Al Lorona <alor...@sbcglobal.net 
<mailto:alor...@sbcglobal.net>> wrote:

An electret mic has much better fidelity than an inexpensive dynamic mic,
so the CM500 is probably a better choice.

Is that really true? If you looked inside all of your local AM broadcast 
stations, all you'd see are dynamic microphones.

I'm not sure why most headsets have electret mics. Maybe it's because they have 
a higher output which lessens the need for a lot of preamplification? I don't 
know.

Al  W6LX/4



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