AudixADX51

Tonal profile

Pre-polarised small-diaphragm cardioid with a 14 mm gold-vapour diaphragm, a -10 dB pad and a 150 Hz roll-off, in a machined brass body. 40 Hz - 18 kHz, 132 dB SPL at 0.5% THD with the pad out.

Gain staging

17 mV/Pa is -35.39 dBV/Pa - 20.6 dB above an SM57, and the second loudest microphone in this batch after the Rode TF-5. Twenty-odd decibels of gain is usually enough, which keeps almost any preamp out of its noisy range. It runs on anything from 9 to 52 V phantom, so a weak phantom rail is not a problem. Audix publishes no self-noise figure, so the quiet end of its usable range is not on the sheet.