M-Audio Launches The Pulsar II Small-Capsule Condenser Microphone

M-Audio is proud to announce shipment of the Pulsar™ II small-capsule condenser microphone. The unit replaces the company's acclaimed Pulsar small-diaphragm cardioid condenser microphone and takes its design to an even higher level.

The 3/4"-diameter, 6-micron Mylar evaporated-gold diaphragm of the Pulsar II microphone delivers excellent sensitivity, especially for higher frequencies. Where many of today's mic capsule backplates use metallized plastic, the Pulsar II features a solid brass backplate for natural, transparent sound. This capsule design is ideal for many studio and stage applications including drum overheads, acoustic guitar, piano, close-miking strings and woodwinds, room miking and more.

The Pulsar II was designed in the U.S.A. by veteran microphone engineers and hand-assembled to exacting standards by the same team that created the Sputnik™winner of Pro Audio Review's Reviewer's Pick and Electronic Musician's prestigious Editors' Choice Award. These precision microphones exhibit quality that is regularly compared to that of vintage classics. While consulting on the design process, several top Los Angeles session engineers likened the Pulsar II to the Neumann KM84™and its replacement KM184™only with more open top end similar to Schoeps.

Several new features allow the Pulsar II to adapt to many recording and live situations. The diaphragm is thermally treated to yield an additional 2dB SPL over the model's predecessor. The -10dB switchable attenuation pad enables users to capture higher SPLs. The 12dB/octave high-pass filter also reduces low-frequency rumble and the potential for overloading mic preamps with low-frequency signals.

Transformerless Class-A FET electronics combine with the physical design properties of the Pulsar II to deliver excellent specs including 20Hz-20kHz frequency response; sensitivity of -37dB @ 1kHz, 0dB=1V/Pa (13.8 mV/Pa); max SPL of 134dB at 0.5% THD, 144dB with -10dB pad; and equivalent noise of 16dBA. The product also includes a wooden box, windscreen, mic clip and manual.

The Pulsar II is available individually or as a matched set with only ±1dB variation from each other. This makes the Pulsar II microphones ideal for stereo room miking, stereo overheads and similar applications where balance and imaging are key. The Pulsar II matched pair includes a metal stereo mounting bracket for XY recording.

The Pulsar II is currently shipping and carries an MSRP of US$199.95. The boxed matched pairs are currently expected to ship in the third quarter of 2007 at an MSRP of US$399.95.