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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Dual impedance mics
Dual impedance mics
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BlueDoc
32 posts
Feb 03, 2011
10:02 PM
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I bought an old Electro-Voice 623 mic today. It is currently wired with a cord that ends in an XLR connector, and the guy I bought it from let me demo it through his guitar amp using an impedance matching transformer. (We both assumed it was a low-impedance mic.) It sounded pretty good that way, but not as hot as I was expecting. I'm looking forward to trying it out in my amps.
However I just did some reading about this mic, and found that it can be wired either high- or low-impedance--it can be easily switched from one setting to the other--and that it usually shipped in the Hi-Z configuration. I also remember reading somewhere on this forum that XLR connectors don't necessarily mean low impedance. So it's possible that this mic is already wired as high impedance. I'll find out for sure this weekend when I get a chance to open it up.
But here's my question: do dual impedance mics sound better through an amp set up as Hi-Z than they do as Lo-Z plus an IMT?
I guess I can answer this question for myself by experimenting, but I'd also like to know what more experienced people than myself think about this.
Is there an advantage in setting it to Lo-Z and using the IMT, such as the option of skipping the amp and plugging into the PA?
thanks,
Mark
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Greg Heumann
1033 posts
Feb 03, 2011
10:29 PM
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You are correct - XLR doesn't always imply low-Z. DAMN I wish it did - life would be so much simpler.
There shouldn't be a big difference in tone between a low-Z or a High-Z setup, provided you use an impedance matching transformer if the mic is set for low impedance. You might find the output slightly higher from one setting to the other.
However it is very important that your cable is correct. The cable for the low-Z setup will be a standard XLR low impedance cable. This cable has a female XLR connector for the mic, and a male XLR connector at the other and. An impedance matching transformer plugs into the male end of the cable, and gives you the 1/4" plug you need to connect to your amp. The signal runs on pins 2 and 3 while ground is transported on pin 1 and is not part of the signal path.
For high Z, your cable will be XLR at the mic, and 1/4" male at the amp end. XLR Pin 1 will be ground and IS the ground for the signal. The other signal lead (connected to the tip of the 1/4" plug) will be EITHER on XLR Pin 2 or Pin 3. (There are two standards.)
If the mic is set for high Z and you connect with a low-Z setup, or vice versa, it will either work poorly or not at all.
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/Greg
Last Edited by on Feb 03, 2011 10:30 PM
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ReedSqueal
75 posts
Feb 04, 2011
12:20 AM
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It's Déjà vu all over again ;-)
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Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.
-Dan Castellaneta
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