Cardioid condenser microphone Marantz Superscope EC-3 volume problem

[Snowmotion]

Hello guys,

I bought the Marantz Superscope EC-3 on a site like e-bay a while ago now. My problem is, that it records the sounds at a low volume. Should I test it with 48V phantom alimentation enabled, or do you guys have an other idea what could be the problem?

PS: sorry if my english is bad, i'm not from an english speaking country.

 

[mixsit]

Link please ?

 

[Snowmotion]

Like I told before, it's old. I can only give you a picture :

Theres a battery in the micro, but it seems to do nothing.

 

[Steenamaroo]

What are you plugging it into?

It may just be a low output microphone, or it may be because the output isn't balanced.
Perhaps your battery is dead/dying?

Either way, I just wanted to let you know that phantom power won't have any effect as it is sent over pins 2+3 of an XLR socket to a balanced microphone.

 

[Snowmotion]

I tested the micro on multiple inputs, it's always a low volume. I also changed the battery, nothing different.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Multiple inputs on what?

 

[moresound]

I just hope that you didn't pay much over $5.oo for it.

 

[witzendoz]

I bet it's a high impedance mic and there is a miss-match with your mic input.

alan.

 

[moresound]

Bet it works great going into the tape recorder that it was designed to be used with!

 

[Snowmotion]

Multiple inputs on what?

two laptops with a 3.5 mm jack adapter and two external usb soundcards.

 

[Lt. Bob]

you can try a higher voltage battery. You'd have to find one that fits but I had a friend that use to use PZM mics from Radioshack and they took a AA if I remember correctly. That's 1 1/2 volts.
To get higher output he used two smaller batteries that fit in the same space as a AA and ran it at like 30 volts or so.

But if the problem is an impedance mismatch then higher voltage will do nothing to help.
It's not a good choice for homerecording. It's designed for the high impedance input of a tape recorder.

 

[David_Gardiner]

two laptops with a 3.5 mm jack adapter and two external usb soundcards.

Laptop 3.5 mm sockets and external soundcards (assuming they have the usual soundcard characteristics) would not normally have sufficient gain to accept a condenser microphone directly. To use one you would need a small microphone mixer or similar pre-amplifier to bring the signal up to something approaching a 'line' level.

I have bought several EC-3 and EC-3S microphones because in my opinion their beautifully flat response curve and ultra-low noise level are impossible to duplicate without spending serious money on a more modern microphone. We use them as 'roving reporter' mics on Forest Radio, the local Waltham Forest podcast station. I can't recommend them highly enough. They work perfectly as external mics for the Olympus DS sries digital recorders, which are now discontinued but still a great bargain on eBay. I would recommend the DS-40 and DS-55 for any mobile recording task.

 

[gecko zzed]

I reckon after eight years the OP may have got something sorted

 

[David_Gardiner]

It's still useful information for anybody looking for info on the EC-3 microphone, which was what got me here in the first place.

 

[RRuskin]

That mic cannot run on 48v phantom.