Review of the Mini Swan mic + Mini PSU by Terry McGee - Flautist and flute maker |
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Construction: Very high standard of construction leaving nothing wanting. The need to use a screwdriver to open the PSU to replace the battery might cause embarressment at some stage, but I feel this is preferable to the finicky little plastic covers whose clips break off at critical moments. Buy a cheap screwdriver to keep in the mic bag with a spare battery! Performance Plenty of output (even though I had to use the "line in" on my PA for lack of the right cable!). No sign of noise or distortion. Quality Excellent tonal balance - I ran it flat and felt no need to use the parametric EQ on the PA. Breath and mechanical noise Complete freedom from wind noise (combination of omni pattern mic and wind shield) is impressive. No handling noise perceived. Feedback No feedback problems despite the omni mic and use of up-close personal monitor speakers at high volume. The fiddle fed back first! Weight and drag No noticeable change to weight or balance of the instrument. Cable is flexible and presents no drag problem. Strap. Although it seemed to hold fine, I felt that a bit of stretch in the strap would be more reassuring.
Mic Connector Use of phono connector unorthodox but a stroke of genius, compared to the crappy miniplugs often used. Gold plated ditto. Well done. Output connector I'd have preferred an XLR, but can see the attractions of a jack. Offering a nice jack to XLR cable as an accessory might be good (although careful - I think the Americans may use different pins to the rest of us!) Power switching On the mini PSU inserting the jack turns on the power. I noticed a sharp crack when either the input or output plugs were disconnected. This is catered for on the Standard PSU as is a battery level indicator. Summary All in all, a well concieved, well made, easy to use,
high performing system for miking flutes for stage use. Thoroughly recommended.
--------------------------- WOW! I am truly impressed!! The sound is great, the volume control
on the PSU gives me more flexibility, and best of all is the portability
of the setup! |