Measurement Microphone for Audio
Many audio do-it-yourselfers know how to perform measurements on tube amps. Accurate measurements of speakers or room acoustics, however, is more complicated. Good and reliable sets are available but expensive. We don’t reinvent the wheel with the CF-1 microphone. It is a low voltage electret condenser microphone, designed for easy measurements of loudspeaker systems and room response. It comes in very handy for matching vintage drivers like Saba Greencones or Lowthers. The CF-1 was designed for the DIYer and provides a cost effective solution for many acoustic measurements. The high quality Panasonic electret capsule features low cost and a wide smooth frequency response. You will find the same capsules even in much more expensive devices. The small diameter of this microphone allows for near field measurements and reduces sonic reflections to a minimum. The CF-1 does not need expensive external phantom power. Many preamps provide a power supply on the microphone input. The CF-1 can even be powered using a standard 9V battery. For best results, however, we strongly recommend to use the microphone calibrated in combination with our preamp. For more information visit our site calibration.
A small battery-powered high quality preamp kit is available. The preamp is flat from 20-20.000 Hz (+2dB). See the product description for details. The CF-1 and the preamp kit are an excellent combination for audio measurements. No additional hardware is needed. Free software is easily available that can turn your PC into a powerful audio analyzer. The preamp is available in two versions. We offer a kit that contains only PCB and SMD parts. The full assembly kit contains all parts including a box, RCA sockets, a switch and the LED.
For the calibration we use a CF-1 that was calibrated with a Brüel & Kjær reference microphone (capsule type 4188, preamp type 2669L) . We perform near field measurements of both the DUT and the calibrated CF-1. As a final step we calculate a substraction curve that can be used with your favourite audio software.
