Sanken microphones

H

Han

New member
It seems to me these mics are pretty rare. A couple of years back I was asked to do a FOH job for a jazz band in a big hall and when I came there, a box with microphones was given to me. There were the usual mics from Shure etc, but there were also three SDC's I'd never seen before and they were the only condensers I had there.

So I decided to use one for the grand piano, one for overhead and one for clarinet/saxophone.

The board was a DDA and the speakers were okay, so we started for the soundcheck and I was very impressed by these little Sanken mics.

When I came home that night I did a Google search and found out these mics were the CU31, a SDC with a 1 micron membrane! Some forumites are talking here about 4 to 6 micron membranes, these are one freakin micron!

George Massenburg is also very fond of the Sanken CU44X, a two way condenser with 1 micron titanium membrane, a mic in the $2500 range.

The CU31/32 is in the $1200 range. It's my intention to get a pair of these, but I don't know any dealer in my country.

These are by far the best SDC's I've ever worked with.

Check http://sanken.ch/english/index.htm
 
Before it sinks to the 2nd page, let's bump this little thread. Even DJL didn't respond, while he is so interested in microphones with very thin membranes.

I wonder why the Sanken mics are so rare, the SDC's are in the Neumann SDC price range, but IMO the CU31/32 sounds better than the Neumanns.

It was a day and night difference with the AKG C451 which I know very well.

I never heard the CU44x, but George Massenburg has mentioned them a number of times in his posts quite positively and GM really knows what he's talking about.

One micron guys, that's pretty seldom in mic land.

Anybody? Harvey perhaps?
 
I think the problem is that the mic you are talking about is not a cheap, chinese mic. Therefore, there is no interest around here. Find some crappy cheap mic and all the people will jump on board.


Just trying to help.

Peace.
 
Sanken has always been an under-appreciated Japanese mic in this country because of a lack of US distribution. They're very good mics, similar to some of the best Sony professional mics, but lack of advertising and distribution has kept them from being a household name. They're not cheap and service is somewhat spotty, but they are a really nice bunch of mics. I'm more familiar with the older CU-41, but their SDCs are very good as well.

They'll sometimes show up at NAMM or AES in a very small booth, but not too many people stop in. They deserve way more respect than they get. On the other hand, I don't think they are looking aggresively to increase their US sales.
 
Harvey Gerst said:
They'll sometimes show up at NAMM or AES in a very small booth, but not too many people stop in. They deserve way more respect than they get. On the other hand, I don't think they are looking aggresively to increase their US sales.
Click to expand...

I don't know wether there is a distributor in the Netherlands or not. Can't find much info on the website.

I would very much like to have a pair of the CU31/32's.

Maybe the Sanken guys should take a look at Bose, how they promote their products.
 
I've used a Sanken CU44x for many years now and it is a stunning microphone. Many years back I A/B'd a whole bunch of mics including the usual suspects (U87, U47 etc.) and the Sanken blew them all away. Of course it doesn't have the warmth of an old tube mic but it's absolute clarity, range and depth of field was astonishing. I had never heard of them before .. and even in the years since I rarely see them mentioned. They are expensive but they most certainly are worth it.
 
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