Shure KSM141

The shure KSM 141 is a multi patterned condenser mic. Its similar to the KSM 137, they look almost identical in appearance alone. I have experience NO feedback with the KSM 141 which is great after using a few other mics from Shure’s competitors , I had a lot of issues with feedback but it was resolved with this mic. The mic is about 5” long and about 5.5 ounces . Its pretty small and sleek and looks great! It does require phantom power as most mics similar to this one do.




OVERALL OPINION

The shure KSM 141 is a multi patterned condenser mic. Its similar to the KSM 137, they look almost identical in appearance alone. I have experience NO feedback with the KSM 141 which is great after using a few other mics from Shure’s competitors , I had a lot of issues with feedback but it was resolved with this mic. The mic is about 5” long and about 5.5 ounces . Its pretty small and sleek and looks great! It does require phantom power as most mics similar to this one do.

Overall, this mic is great. Provides very solid frequency ranges for your instruments. Mainly drums and piano’s in my case. But I heard it works wonders when used with an acoustic guitar and string instruments. On thing to take note with this is, overtime the quality of the mic seemed to die down on me a little bit. Maybe ours was just defective not too sure. But after using it a lot for a year it started to seem like it wasn’t as good with its range. We messed with it and even changed the phantom power to another model to see if that would fix it and it didn’t. You really cant hear the difference unless you are in the mixing process of the song and are using some really good monitors. When I was mixing at my home set up I heard no differences and no problems. But when at the local studio where the speakers / monitors are very high end I could hear some issues that I wasn’t too happy with but I managed to eq it some and get it sounding good again. We hope to purchase more of these in the future to we can really use it on all of our live instruments. Cudos to Shure for creating the KSM 141, just wish it looked a little more different that the 137 though.

Specification:
Microphone Type - Condenser
Polar Pattern(s) - Cardioid, Omni
Frequency Response - 20Hz-20kHz
Max SPL - 134 dB (149 dB, 159 dB w/Pads)
Output Impedance - 150 ohms
Self Noise - 14 dB (A-weighted)
Low Cut Filter - 18 dB-per-octave @ 80 Hz, 6 dB-per-octave @ 115 Hz
Pads - 15 dB, 25 dB
Length - 5.75"
Width - .8"
Depth - .8"
Weight - .34 lbs.
Notes - Stereo Set

I have only used this mic in the studio but it's not too delicate to use live.

OVERALL OPINION

I really like this microphone. I use it most frequently as an overhead for a drum kit. I use two of them in a spaced pair (I enjoy the wide stereo image) and get wonderful results. Very clear and pristine sounding cymbals and the toms cut through as well. I also love to throw this on acoustic instruments. I've used it on acoustic guitar, violin, piano, etc and it sounds great. Since it picks up a lot of high end and can turn out harsh, I usually match it with a large diaphragm condenser and it sounds fantastic. It's not exactly a low-end microphone but I think it is absolutely worth it for the price. I have paired it against Rode N-5s and Neumann U87s but still prefer the KSM141s for drum overheads. If something happened to these mics I would definitely replace them. They are fantastic overheads and also sound great on acoustic instruments.

Wow, these mics sound great! That was my first reaction to the KSM 141. They are not totally without fault, but overall these are really great small diaphragm condenser mics. They have more features and the frequency response is much more smooth and pleasing than the little brothers of this mic, the KSM 109 and KSM 137. This mic will need phantom power from your preamp to work, and it will connect with an XLR cable. The mic is normally a cardioid pickup pattern, but you can actually change it by spinning the top end. If changed, this mic will double as an omni mic. The cardioid setting is very focused, so you can really hone in on a particular source in a room. The omni setting is very useful if you are using a pair of these in stereo as room mics. That is actually my primary use for these mics - they really nail that role. You will also get a nice pad selection. You can switch from 0 attenuation to -15dB and even -25dB to ensure that you aren't going to distort on any of your inputs. There is also a low roll-off filter that is switchable. There is a steep high pass filter, and also a more gentle and gradual low roll-off that starts around 120Hz. This mic is also remarkably quiet in terms of self noise.

OVERALL OPINION

I have had a pair of these for a few years. It is definitely my favorite of the KSM small condenser lines. You might be wondering if it's worth the extra money to get the 141's instead of the 109's or the 137's. I will tell you right now that it is! The sound is definitely better in almost every respect, and you get more features such as the ability to change this tight cardioid mic into an omni mic. When you consider that, this mic becomes a great value. I definitely recommend this mic.

A true marvel, it's been a while I have not been so pleasantly surprised by a couple at that price. that is, a low self-noise extrememnt an off-axis response very soft, natural color and devoid of aggression at the top of the spectrum, a brief against the current a little static compared to the Neumann KM 184, or any static with very sintillent certain hardness that quickly take the head!! (Even if they are colors that can be good to use) but for a couple main, I think KSM is really artistic and technical choices juducieux (1000 Euros to the couple, and again!)
A little sweetness!!

Specifications:

- Bandwidth: 20Hz-20Khz
- Lays inherent noise: 14 dB
- Maximum SPL: 170 dB Att
- Sensitivity: -37 dBV / Pa
- Output Impedance 150 Ohms
- Dynamic max: 131 dB
- SNR: 80 dB

OVERALL OPINION

In addition it is equally convincing in cardio omni which is rare enough to be stressed. it approaches a bit of cardio Beyer MC 803, but 801 sounds better than the omni. Finally we add an attenuator and finally a high pass filter with three curves.