Nady RSM-2 impedance...does it matter?

[s.d.finley]

I am considering purchasing one of these babies, checked my pres, and 1/2 do not measure up in the impeadence department.....2 i am unsure about, Ramsa DA7 mkII and Envoice mkI.

The other 2, dbx 386 and voicemaster poo are only 150! Nady says the RSM-2 needs 200 or more, 1k optimal. I know i know, get more pres.... I am currently saving up for the OSA 8rack and a couple OSA cards, which i am also unsure of the OSA impedance. It does not say on the Atlasproaudio webbsite what it is.

Does the impedance mater? and if so how much. I dont what to get this mic and get a crappy sound, thinking its the mic when in fact my pres are not giving the mic enuff ohmage, dig?

So i am in a fickle, help a fellow slut out...

thanks all!!!

sdf

[audioalchemy]

yeah it matters. the mic will still work but you will have issues with signal strength and clarity. check out the Groove Tubes ViPre. It's a bit pricey but it has variable/selectable impedence,

happy turkey day,
audio alchemy

[peeceebee]

In my experience these things have plenty of output, I expect that distortion might be the issue with too low an impedance-
You could make up an XLR adaptor with 100ohm resistors in series on pins 2 & three, should do the trick-

[gsharp]

Originally Posted by s.d.finley

The other 2, dbx 386 and voicemaster poo are only 150!

This sounded low to me so I did a little looking and i think you're looking at the EIN or equivalent input noise spec which is referenced to 150 ohms. According to their respective websites the 386 and voicemaster pro have input impedances of 330 ohms and 1400 ohms. Should work great with the Nady. I have a pair of RSM-2's and use them all the time with a variety of pres with a variety of input impedances. Best buy in a ribbon for the dough IMHO.

Was that a Freudian slip on the Focusrites? 'Voicemaster Poo' ROFLMAO!!

[NathanEldred]

Originally Posted by s.d.finley

Nady says the RSM-2 needs 200 or more, 1k optimal. I know i know, get more pres.... I am currently saving up for the OSA 8rack and a couple OSA cards, which i am also unsure of the OSA impedance. It does not say on the Atlasproaudio webbsite what it is.

Does the impedance mater?

As you probably know there are 4 OSA models, each of which have a different impedance input, it's part of what gives each model it's unique vibe (along with the different input transformer itself). Generally, they are all of a lower impedance setting (some higher than others). But FWIW, I personally don't believe that impedance matching (from mic to preamp) is that big of a deal, especially for any variation of rock/pop/blues/jazz music. 'On paper' most microphones are supposed to see a 1:6 impedance match. But I've used ratios as low as 1:2 (and probably so have many people here knowingly or not) with mic/preamp combos and they sound GREAT in many applications. Most of the time I leave my Neve copy preamps set to 300 ohms. This is a big no no when it comes to 'the rules'. And I often prefer it over the 1200 ohm higher setting, which is where it's 'supposed' to be (note quotes).

Lower impedances will give a bit more distortion on condenser mics. They'll supposedly slope the extreme high end also from what I've been told (I'm no techincal mic expert so if someone like David Bock or Klaus Heyne want to chime in here). But from an 'in the trenches' engineering view point, it's like worrying about whether 93 octane gas is going to win the race versus 91 octane gas...there are a hundred other causes and variables that will cause the driver to lose the race. There are a hundred other factors that will give a 'crappy sound', and a low impedance on the preamp is probably the last one to worry about. In fact it may be an advantage in the world of sterile digital sound. The quality of the microphone, the source, the room, the converter, the arrangement, etc etc are going to come into play 100x's times over in relation to what comes out of the speakers.

[s.d.finley]

Thanks fellas!!! I did not want to spend $2 Grand on a pre for a $200 mic!!!

Thanks for clearing up that impeadence stuff for me on my pres gsharp!!! I thought they were a little low too, and no that was NOT a freudian slip on the poo, it IS poo!!

And Nathan, thats service!!! Thats what i am talkin bout!!! This is what i really love about this site, the manufactures chime in all the time for the real low down. I am still saving up for thosa OSA and I cant friggin wait!!! thumbsup

Thanks all, i think i will go ahead and get the nady, the only thing NOW that bugs ne is that nady does not have any warrenty on the ribbon itself!! Anybody blow one of these yet?

Rock

sdf