countryman b6
 

I'm in the process of getting a lav mic. The B6 is pricey but its small size should serve me for many years to come for interviews and the occasional indie short.
I 'd just like to know if you need to buy a power unit to convert the 48V phantom to the mics voltage? Its not explained clearly on the sites that sell them and it rather confusing all the different links you put the mic on to power it. Can you get a battery powered unit so that you can attach it to say a md or some other sort of recording device that you can mount onto the speaker?
thanks

NO you don't need to convert the 48v phantom... just get the hardwired/XLR version. Countryman doesn't make a battery powered B6, but at least there's a wide spread of usable input voltage... 9v to 48v. So you won't need to convert it... anything that supplies phantom will meet those needs.

So yes you can get your B6 to run straight off an XLR output, but with this particular lav you'll also need phantom and more significantly... when you decide to get a wireless remember that you need: 1) a PLUG-ON transmitter like the ones used on the end of newsmics rather then the cute little body packs... and 2) you need to be sure that the PLUG-ON that you choose SUPPLIES THE 48V PHANTOM POWER! 'cause most of the mid-range to lower-end units DON'T.

As long as you can handle those above considerations then I think you're making the best overall choice in a lav...

Matt thanks for your reply. It would be great to just plug it into my dvx100.
What confuses me is that when I look up a site in this case trewaudio they sell this thing called the power adaptor that they say converts 48V phantom power to lav voltage. So what is this used for?

Countryman EMW -- Power Adapter
Item Code COU >EMWPSTA5M US $145.00
Power adapter for Countryman EMW lavalier. Converts 48V phantom power to lavalier voltage.

That's the power supply in the barrel connector with the male xlr connector that you plug into the mic cable.


If you already have a wireless body mic transmitter. It's a good idea to order your countryman b6 with what's called "the link."
This is a male/female set of plugs that let you use the b6 with your wireless or plugged into the power supply mentioned above.

Without the link, you can only use the b6 with its powersupply.


Regards,

Ty Ford

Sounds cool... I have a deal like that for one of my Trams. It's a ta5f terminator that goes into a barrel which houses a little battery and ends as an XLR. I'm guessing that was Tram's version of "the link".

If I could have afforded Countrymans I wouldn't have Trams.

Guys I must be abit thick but I still dont get it.

If I get the B6 wihout the power supply I can just plug it directly into my dvx and off I go right?

But if I want to link it to a wireless or recording device that does NOT have phantom then I would need the seperate power supply right?

<<<-- Originally posted by Tung Bui : Guys I must be abit thick but I still dont get it. If I get the B6 wihout the power supply I can just plug it directly into my dvx and off I go right? >>>>

+++No. If you get the B6 (or any other lav) with the proper plug for your wireless mic, you can plug in in there. If your DVX provides phantom power, you need the Countryman power supply with the XLR male and the mic.+++

>>>
But if I want to link it to a wireless or recording device that does NOT have phantom then I would need the seperate power supply right? -->>>

No. As above. The B6 (or any lav) does not require a separate power supply if you plug it into a wireless body pack transmitter because the battery in the body pack will power the mic. (Since there are a lot of low end users on this list. I am concerned that there may well be some wireless body mics that aren't designed to provide power for electret condenser mics. To be sure, visit Countryman's website http://www.countryman.com/ and click on the WIRELESS link, email them or call them. They are always helpful.)

No. The separate power supply converts Phantom Power to the right power to power the mic itself. If the mixer you're plugging into does not provide phantom power, you will need another device that generates appropriate Phantom Power.

It's is confusing at first. Hang on, here comes another mini-essay...
The confusion is due to the fact that in conversation, the term "power supply" is often used for both the cylindrical unit with XLR male that is attached to the mic itself and the Phantom Power Supply. They are not the same.

The first converts Phantom Power (or power from a battery inside the power supply) to power the mic the way it needs to be powered.

A Phantom Power Supply is a separate entity. It can exist inside a mixer, a camcorder, or a separate box that may be battery or AC powered. Also, please be aware that there are at least three levels of Phantom Power; 48 volt, 24 volt and 12 volt.

Some mics require a full 48 V DC Phantom Power and will not work or will sound distorted if powered by 12 or 24 volt Phantom Power Supplies. Some audio mixers claim to have 48 V DC Phantom Power. They do, but don't provide enough current and can only power one or two mics that require full 48 V DC. If more mics are used, there isn't enough power to feed them all properly and the audio quality will be degraded.

FURTHER
Some lavs, like the Sony ECM 88B, can be ordered with a power supply barrel with XLR and a battery compartment for a AA battery that can power the mic. That's great, because you don't need to worry about Phantom Power, but the connectors used to attach the mic to the power supply are only good on Sony wireless transmitters. So if you want to use the mic with your wireless, you hae to have the right model of Sony wireless body mic.

On the other hand, at Audio Technica, the same AT 898 lavalier (and it's a nice one) doesn't have a battery compartment in its power supply, but can be ordered with six different "ends", each of which can be plugged into different wireless transmitters. There's also a version with a power supply (NOT PHANTOM!!) and male XLR. (see below)

# 9.8' (3.0 m) cable permanently attached to mic, TA3F connector at power module
# Also available as:
AT898c -- less power module; 55" (1.4 m) cable, unterminated
AT898cL4 -- less power module; 55" (1.4 m) cable terminated for Sennheiser wireless systems using Lemo connector
AT898cT4 -- less power module; 55" (1.4 m) cable terminated with TA4F connector for Shure wireless systems
AT898cT5 -- less power module; 55" (1.4 m) cable terminated with TA5F connector for ATW-U101 and Lectrosonics wireless systems
AT898cW -- less power module; 55" (1.4 m) cable terminated with locking 4-pin connector for A-T UniPak™ wireless systems

There's this and a bunch more in my book.

Regards,

Ty Ford