AudioChainsDB
Rode

TF-5

microphone

$249

Used market: $195*

Manufacturer datasheet

Specifications

6 of 8 values have a recorded source
Connectors
XLR 3-Pin Male·
Has Built In ADC
no·
Self Noise d BA
14✓
Transducer Type
Condenser True✓
Sensitivity dBV
-29✓
Output Impedance ohms
63✓
Phantom Power Required
yes✓
Connection Architecture
XLR-Only✓

Expert Audio Engineering Commentary

Tonal Profile

Externally biased small-diaphragm cardioid designed with Tony Faulkner for classical work. 30 Hz - 20 kHz within 3 dB, 20 Hz - 20 kHz within 4 dB, and a 63 ohm output that is unusually low for a small-diaphragm condenser.

Gain Staging Advice

-29 dBV/Pa is 27 dB above an SM57 and the loudest microphone in this batch; 14 dBA of self noise is low enough that the microphone, not the interface, sets the noise floor only on very quiet sources. A distant orchestral pickup still needs 45-50 dB of gain, because the source is far away, not because the microphone is quiet. Draw is 7 mA at 48 V, which is high - four of these will load a small mixer's phantom supply.

* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~78% retained value). · checked on 8/5/2026