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superlux e525

I could not resist to order a superlux E525 short stereo shotgun. Not that it is especially  good, I payed 98 euro for it so i did not expect miracles from it. The reason I bought it is that it is a M/S microphone and this is a cheap way to experiment a bit (audacity tutorial). There is also a built in decoding matrix so it can be used as a 'normal' stereo mike.

It is rather nicely made and comes with a windshield, clip, camera shockmount and cable. All of this in a huge box.

As it happens there was a problem with it, in M/S position the S channel is more like a noise generator which makes it totally unusable.
A very good reason to take it apart!


It is indeed a MS mike. One cardioid capsule facing front and a figure of eight capsule perpendicular to it beneath.


I had hoped for a badly soldered component but alas all seemed ok. (also it looks very hand made under the magnifier glasses). Then I powered it up and after some flexing the noise disappeared. I inspected again but nothing seems to be wrong. I think those switches are very poor quality. For the time being I put it back together, we'll see.

Oh, should you wonder, it sounds ok. About the same quality as the D50 capsules.


Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi There. Very interesting that you have tried experimenting with MS with the Superlux E 525 E.
I´ve had the exact same thoughts about buying it for the same purpose. Thanks for the good info... :o)

Is it still working ok after you opened it and fixed it or has the noise come back...?


Best,

Hamid
Koen said…
Thanks for your interest Hamid.
Is it still working? Well yes.
However, should you ever attempt to open it, remove the plastic caps over the switches (just lift them out) before pulling out the pcb or you might pull a wire loose like I did.
It is no drama but it will give you some work.
As for the noise, last time I checked it was still ok but I did not use it for something serious yet.
Anonymous said…
Thanks again for the info. I´ve just bought it so looking for doing some testings... :o)
Anonymous said…
Hi,
I've exactly the same trouble with that's microphone.
I send it back to the seller's compagny for repair but they can't reproduce the trouble...Lucky guys!
Anonymous said…
Hi,
Anyone know where to listen some audio examples of this microphone in MS ?
Anonymous said…
Just wondering, is that a 'real' figure-of-8 capsule in it (not 2cardioids or so)?
Unknown said…
Hello,

Just purchased one of these mics.
Would you have a list of settings and their meaning. The instructions are not easy reading.

Thanks,

David.
Koen said…
Well, it is an M/S mike so the normal setting would be M/S. However there is an internal decoder that gives you 'normal' L/R stereo. That is what the other switch positions are for. Decoding is 'wide' or 'narrow'. The other switch is for a low-cut filter