The Sounds of the Mics

Here is a sound file of several microphones on this site. To keep the comparison equitable, no equalization was used during recordings nor in post.

Bear in mind that these samples were recorded over a three-year period in various acoustic environments, most of them favor­able. There are a couple of samples that contain echoes. One sample includes the sound of a fan in the background. At least two contain small amounts of AC hum. Apologies are offered.

One could just as easily argue that unless all mics are recorded in the same acoustic environment, the compar­ison is invalid. Again I concur. Perhaps we can agree that this sampling at least proves not all micro­phones sound alike.

Thank you for your interest. From the beginning this web site has been, and continues to be, an interesting and rewarding undertaking.

—Prof. S. O. Coutant, retired