[wado1942]

Re: CSL-Calibrated EMM-6 microphone sale

I'd be willing to bet they're the same microphone as the Behringers made in the same factory by the same people, just sorted & labeled differently.

I was VERY unhappy with the Behringers. They would probably be OK just for measurement purposes, but Behringer way too noisy for anything else. They publish 3 different sets of specs for the same microphones and I don't know which ones to believe. Though the specs INSIDE the box seem to be close.

Strangely, almost all pencil omnis use the exact same Panasonic capsules including some of the Earthworks mics. The main difference is #1, how the capsules are preselected/sorted and #2, the internal electronics. After my dissapointment with the Behringers, I returned them and got a set of Avenson STO-2s which come as a matched pair in a nice little wood case. They're cleaner and quieter which is great for me since I do recording work.

 

[wado1942]

Re: CSL-Calibrated EMM-6 microphone sale

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bad mouthing the EMM-6s since I have not used them personally. But the Behringers are good only for relative measurement because they're VERY inconsistent and noisy. Yeah, it absolutely pays to get calibrated, matched microphones.
BTW, I payed about $400 for my STO-2s which is fine for somebody needing a matched pair of omnis that will pull the double duty of absolute measurements and recording.

 

[wado1942]

You still need an SPL meter to calibrate levels etc. Ideally, both a measurement mic & SPL meter should be used together.

 

[wado1942]

So what the EMM-6 would only do is plot the full frequency response characteristics of my room? Not for setting levels?

You are correct. The frequency response of the Rat Shack SPL meter isn't nearly accurate enough for frequency response but it IS accurate for determining average level using pink noise. With a measurement mic, there's no way of determining absolute SPL but it WILL give you a good plot of the sound of your room & an approximation of the response of your speaker system.

 

[wado1942]

So I am admittedly ignorant here. :scratchhead: I have a nominal set-up in my living room (Orb Mod 1's 5.1 with Super 8 sub). I have wanted to calibrate my room for awhile, but not even sure as to the steps to go about that. Maybe someone can point me to a thread that describes how to do this? I need to know what I am into prior to purchasing the equipment.:spend: Nonetheless, this does seem like a great deal!

I've written a rudimentary article on acoustics. This is more about arranging your speakers/room for best sound but that's where it starts.
http://www.gcmstudio.com/acoustics/acoustics.html

You may also look into reading some of Bob Katz's articles at www.digido.com
His site is geared more toward pro-audio but the same principles apply to home theater.