Freedman slams Lewitt claims

Shhh … 0 dB (A) self noise. That’s what Lewitt claim for their LCT 550 microphone

“The LCT 550 is about to appear on shelves around the globe. It’s currently the quietest large-diaphragm studio condenser microphone in the world, so its 0 dB (A) self-noise by electronics and circuitry offer more than enough to boast about if you call one of those your own.”

Peter Freedman is the CEO of Rode Microphones, itself the number 5 maker of microphones across the planet.

“Note the * next to the statement: ‘The LCT 550 is the first and only large-diaphragm studio microphone ever to achieve 0 dB-A self-noise*’,” he says. “When you read the specs it says ‘0 dBA (Electronics only)’.”

“Why would any serious company put themselves up to ridicule for trying to convince the customer that this is a 0dBA mic?”

“Then we have a claim of + or – 0dB between each mic. Now that really is spectacular, and fundamentally impossible. I will give them $1,000,000.00 cash (US or or Australian) if their mics are matched in all parameters to + or – 0dB!”

“They go on with the below on their site: 1-inch dual system externally biased capsule with an active front and ultra-thin, gold-layered low mass diaphragm for superior transient response”.

“The above statement,  is more fluff. Active front?”

“‘Ultra thin, low mass, superior transient response’. None of these statements have any real physics to back them in the context in which they have been applied. This is pure Technobabble!”

“How about ‘Immune from electromagnetic interference due to transformerless preamplifier circuity’. Well Mr Lewitt, incorporating transformerless electronics in a microphone does not make it immune from electro magnetic interference. The design of electronics for immunity from EMI and indeed RFI is a highly complex area which involves shielding, PCB layout, component selection and many other parameters as you would well know, if you were an engineer.”

“The specs also read 20Hz – 20Khz. Funny, not even a ‘marketing graph’ graph supplied.     Maybe + or – something?”