M23
microphone
$599
Used market: $465*
Specifications
1 of 9 values have a recorded source- Connectors
- XLR 3-Pin Male·
- Has Built In ADC
- no·
- Self Noise d BA
- 20·
- Transducer Type
- Condenser Electret✓
- Sensitivity dBV
- -28.9·
- Output Impedance ohms
- 65·
- Phantom Power Required
- yes·
- Connection Architecture
- XLR-Only·
- Updated At
- 2026-08-05T23:27:57.635Z·
Expert Audio Engineering Commentary
Tonal Profile
A measurement omni: 3 Hz to 23 kHz, free-field, meeting Type 1 and the applicable parts of IEC 61094. There is no voicing to describe - deviation from flat is the defect this microphone exists to avoid.
Gain Staging Advice
-28.9 dBV/Pa is loud for a measurement mic, which is the point: an RTA input rarely has much gain. It draws 10 mA of phantom - two to three times a studio condenser - so a bus-powered two-input interface can run out of current before it runs out of gain.
What the datasheet actually says
Quoted verbatim from the manufacturer’s own page, with the date we checked it. We state what is printed, not what anyone intended by it.
«SENSITIVITY 36mV/Pa (-28.9dBV/Pa)»
The product page says 36 mV/Pa; Earthworks' own M23 data sheet PDF, linked from that page, says 34 mV/Pa - half a decibel apart, with no revision note on either. The same PDF prints the noise as «20dB SPL» with no weighting where the page says «20dB SPL equivalent (A weighted)», omits the output impedance the page gives as 65 ohms, and states the weight as «0.35 lb. (1.60kg)», where 0.35 lb is 0.16 kg.
checked 8/6/2026* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~78% retained value). · checked on 8/6/2026