Crown PZM-185 PZM Mic Battery/Phantom

by Crown

Product Details

• Item Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B0007N5QFO
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Product Description

An inexpensive version of the PZM-30 and PZM6 with XLR output, can be phantom or battery powered.The Crown® PZM®-185 Pressure Zone Microphone® is a microphone designed for general-purpose use. Ideal for applications such as conferences, group discussions, interviews, broadcast, home video production, lectures, and recordings. The mic can be placed on a large surface such as a table, floor, wall, or lectern. The PZM-185 is powered either by an internal AAA 1.5V battery or 12-48V phantom power. The boundary "paddle" can be detached so the mic will fit in your pocket. Attached to the mic is an 8-foot (2.438-m) cable leading to a tubular power module. The microphone’s low-profile design reduces "mic fright" and minimizes clutter. It is nearly invisible on camera. The PZM-185 minimizes pickup of vibration and handling noise. Its electret condenser capsule provides a wide, smooth frequency response from 50 Hz to 16 kHz. The mic’s hemispherical polar pattern allows clear pickup of everyone surrounding the microphone. The PZM-185 is protected against static and RFI. The output is balanced, low impedance, which allows long cable runs without hum pickup or high-frequency loss.Like other Pressure Zone Microphones, the PZM- 185 uses a miniature mic capsule mounted very near a sound-reflecting plate or boundary in the Pressure Zone. In this zone, direct sound from the sound source combines in phase at all frequencies with reflected sound off the boundary.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent PZM (Pressure Zone Microphone)!, September 4, 2010

By 

Jerry J (Boise, ID USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crown PZM-185 PZM Mic Battery/Phantom (Electronics)

Specialized! Great for purchasers who understand this type of microphone. This type of microphone must be placed on a flat, hard surface for best results. A table, a sheet of suspended plexiglass, a desktop are examples of flat, hard surfaces. This type of microphone picks up all sound that reaches the boundary -- or surface -- on which the microphone rests. The plastic paddle features two (2), tiny and fragile "posts." You can either attach the paddle or remove it using these posts, which squeeze and insert into holes on the bottom of the microphone casing. The paddle isn't required if you want to mount the microphone on some other type of flat surface. I am a distance learning audio technician who works with far more expensive ceiling-mounted Tandberg "AudioScience" microphones (around $1,500). Believe it or not, this Crown PZM-185 is almost as good when mounted on suspended plexiglass! They call this a "PZM" or "pressure zone microphone." The pickup pattern is shaped like a half-sphere. So, if you put it on a table, then everything above the table will be heard to a distance of at least nine (9) feet. This model uses either batteries or, if you plug it into a mixer, you can use the mixer's "phantom" power to power the microphone. Amazing device for the money. Crown has better, more expensive models too. As I understand it, Crown's PZM line of microphones is now being marketed by AKG... a Harman company.