Equipment Review
Product Reviewed:
Elation KM-201
Made by: Elation
Cost: Euro 750/pr
Submitted by Paolo Tramannoni
Rating: 
Features:
Cardioid (with interchangeable capsules), small diaphragm condenser mic.
Technical Specifications:
What I liked:
These small mics sound full, rich, warm, with a _very_ smooth top edge and a powerful bass range. The supplied diagrams (and my tests) show a slight increase in the middle-high frequency, I guess to compensate the middle-distance field recording loss. They seem very flat from the lowest audible frequencies to the top. They are really quiet, and can handle very high SPL. They produce a _very_ natural sound, and a very good sense of space. Their smoothness is great with all acoustic instruments, and very fair on voice. The final sound is of the highest quality, in the same league of some of the best mics on
What I didn't:
Machinery and finishing are not exceptional. No documentation supplied, apart for individual diagrams (but Elation is now supplying standard, not individual, diagrams). Matching is an average of 1.1dB RMS, not bad but not perfect in my standards (Ok, Crown says that 1,5dB are fine for them), and I tested another couple even worse matched. The wood/velvet boxes I received with my pair are very nice, but I could see another pair not so well made. The clip is plastic, and very bad looking (even if really stable). When removing it, a black dust remains on the mi
User Tips:
No special tip. The proximity effect with the cardioid capsule is rather strong, so you must let them far from your instrument, to avoid it. Take a good matched pair if you must make stereo recordin
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