Millennia HV-3D, Manual

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10
HV-3D
A WORD ABOUT DPA (Brüel & Kjær) MICROPHONES
At present, Danish Pro Audio (formerly Brüel & Kjær Pro Audio Division) manufactures two
families of 4000-series professional recording microphones. One family is +48VDC phantom
powered, the other is +130VDC direct powered. A primary difference between omni families
(4003/4 vs. 4006/7) is that the high voltage microphones are transformerless whereas the
phantom powered varieties are transformer coupled. Millennia Media has used both varieties
extensively with symphony orchestra, choir, jazz ensemble, pop recording, and so forth. We
have found the transformerless high voltage omni version to perform substantially better than
its transformer-coupled omni counterpart. The transformerless version (4003) sounds gener-
ally "clearer" and more true to the source; especially during wide frequency and amplitude
extensions. And this is saying a lot considering that DPA's transformer-coupled microphones
sound extremely pure.
The following is a brief summary of certain DPA high-voltage microphone products and
specifications. Most of this material is taken directly from DPA's documentation is is thought
to be accurate, however, Millennia Media assumes no responsibility for errors or subsequent
changes in the following specifications. Those desiring up-to-date information concerning DPA
microphones should contact DPA directly.
4003 4004 4012
PATTERN Omni Omni Cardioid
SELF-NOISE 15 dB(a) 24 dB(a) 19 dB(a)
SPL (max) 154 dB SPL 168 dB SPL 168 dB SPL
FREQ (-3dB) 8 Hz - 30 kHz 8 Hz - 45 kHz 35 Hz - 25 kHz
IMPEDANCE < 30 ohms < 30 ohms < 30 ohms
SENSITIVITY 50 mV / Pa 10 mV / Pa 9 mV / Pa
A number of options are available for the 4003 microphone. One grid, the 0777, provides
superior omnidirectional response throughout the high frequencies. Another grid, the 0297,
provides a high frequency presence boost. The standard grid provides the most accurate
response on-axis. A development called the APE (acoustic pressure equalizer) tailors the 4003
to respond like vintage M-50 or newer TLM-50 microphones. The various APE attachments
boost mid to high frequencies arriving on axis without exhibiting proximity effect at lower
frequencies. When used with various grids, numerous polar patterns and response curves can
be achieved.
DPA offers a service of factory-matching new pairs of microphones for tight stereo tracking of
sensitivity and frequency response. Millennia Media highly recommends this service and can
assist customers in obtaining these microphones. The HV-3D micamp circuits maintain near-
perfectly flat, inter-channel matched frequency response and less than 1/4 degree of
interchannel phase error — a perfect compliment to a factory-matched pair of DPA micro-
phones.