Sanken is introducing the CU-55 cardioid microphone at the 133rd AES Convention in San Francisco (booth 1112).
The CU-55 houses a side-firing 16mm capsule with a resonant chamber as in the Sanken CU-44x that has been tuned to create an optimized cardioid pattern, and is omnidirectional below 50 kHz.
It uses the same diaphragm material as Sanken’s CU-100 and CUW-180 mics.
The microphone is flat at 90 degrees, flat on axis, with very little proximity effect. It incorporates a -10 dB attenuation switch for two sensitivity settings.
Frequency response is 40 Hz to 20,000 Hz, with a high maximum SPL of 137 dB at 1percent THD and 15 dB ENL.
Great for acoustic instruments like guitars, cello, harp and piano, the CU-55 can also handle the explosive levels of big brass and pounding tympanis.
Top Nashville producer/engineer Chuck Ainlay states, “Sanken’s new CU-55 is right up there in quality with their entire family of top studio mics, and a very welcome addition. It’s very warm and natural, not hyped at all, and very musical. I’ve found lots of applications, from the high SPLs of a high-hat to the subtle nuances of acoustic guitar.
“It’s also really great as a compact side-address mic and easy to maneuver into tight spaces. Not everyone is aware of the Sanken legacy of outstanding studio mics, and this affordable addition is a great place to start.”
This new addition to the Sanken line is being introduced with a price of $1,195.
Sanken microphones are distributed by Plus 24.
