From: mark_zacharias@sbclobal.net   
      
   "Audio Empire"  wrote in message   
   news:0001HW.C7F20857000E1D99F01846D8@news.giganews.com...   
   > On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:19:18 -0700, Richard Crowley wrote   
   > (in article <8327ejFb5eU1@mid.individual.net>):   
   >   
   >> "Audio Empire" wrote...   
   >>> Also, generally speaking, electret microphones don't have the specs of   
   >>> conventional condensers. Most are very shy on bass, most aren't as quiet   
   >>> as   
   >>> non-electret condenser mikes, nor will they handle as high SPLs. I don't   
   >>> believe that there is any real technical reason for this, I think it's   
   >>> more   
   >>> because electrets make up the bottom end of the condenser microphone   
   >>> price   
   >>> range. Also, I don't know about today, but early electret microphones   
   >>> were   
   >>> subject to losing their electret charge under adverse conditions of heat   
   >>> and   
   >>> humidity.   
   >>   
   >> Note that some of the most highly regarded (and highest priced)   
   >> mics made by DPA are electret.   
   >>   
   >   
   > Like I said, I'm aware of no technical reason why electrets shouldn't be   
   > capable of just as good performance as a non-electret condenser mike. I   
   > suspect it's just because we encounter electret mikes mostly at the   
   > consumer   
   > end of the price scale.   
   >   
      
      
      
   I forwarded a couple posts from this thread to a friend - John Hausback from   
   Electronic Wizards in Wichita KS.   
      
      
      
   His reply:   
      
      
      
   "While I agree with Richard Crowley that an electret condenser will never   
   sound like a good vintage mic, it is capable of sounding better than it's   
   reputation would suggest. One of the secrets is in liberating it's power   
   supply. Most electrets are crippled by that damned 1.5V battery the   
   engineers insist on shoving up them. While the FET buffer in the capsule   
   will run with a volt and a half supply, I find you get better breathing room   
   using a supply of a higher voltage. Another secret in making them sound   
   better is in using a buffer after the element to isolate it from the outside   
   world. I posted a design for such a mic to the geekslutz forum on   
   gearslutz.com some time back. The link can be found here.   
      
      
      
   http://www.gearslutz.com/board/geekslutz-forum/150776-another-ya   
   n-diy-microphone.html   
      
      
      
   Due to size constraints, the buffer is in a seperate box. The design is such   
   that when the mic is unplugged from the buffer, the buffer turns itself off.   
   This is acomplished without using a mechanical switch. "Off" leakage is such   
   that the battery enjoys normal shelf life. Try this and you will find that   
   powering an electret element with a AAA cell or equivalent is like running a   
   NASCAR engine with a throttle plate."   
      
   John   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)