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CS-3e vs CMIT 5U


Diego Sanchez

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Hello everyone

I know they have been covered separate, but just want to hear from people using either or both as their main all-rounder.

I have been using a CS-1e and love it, but need a new all-rounder for noisier, outdoors and so on.

CS-3e was the obvious choice to complement the 1e, but found a CMIT5u used for the same price so i thought i check

Thanks

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Sanken CS-3e more self noise

Schoeps CMIT5U little self noise than Sanken CS-3e

Sanken CS-3e > Max SPL = 120dB SPL (1%THD)

Schoeps CMIT5U > Max SPL = 132dB SPL (0.5% THD)

Sanken CS-3e > Frequency Range 50Hz - 20kHz

Schoeps CMIT5U > Frequency Range 40Hz - 20kHz

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I have both and use both regularly....

My findings.... The Cmit 5u I believe is a BETTER SOUNDING mic..... but that is NOT ALWAYS the best weapon for the job....

Moist locations, noisy locations or locations where you are trying to have your mic help in reducing unwanted frequencies I believe you are better off using the Sanken CS3e....

For me at least, all other situations I feel the Schoeps Cmit 5u is a better mic, hands down.... It just sounds so good.... but again, your mics are tools, and like the many screwdrivers in a tool box, you need the right fit for a particular situation... having them both gives you the options to make that choice....

That being said, price aside, the Sanken does not sound bad at all, a bit of noise, but usually drown out by surroundings... the Schoeps just sounds better... if I had to have only one of the two, I might actually choose the Sanken, because I think it covers more useful ground... you get great directionality, robustness in weather, bad sounds at your location cancelling and a great sounding mic all in one.... The Schoeps, you get a better sounding mic, less usefulness in moist weather, great directionality and a bit heftier price.... I think it's probably lighter too...

I say, buy both....

I also own a few Schoeps CMC6s, and a few 416s, a place for all of them... for sure...

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I have also been using the CS1 but lately have been finding I need more reach and directionality. I have heard more than a few people say the Schoeps isn't the best for rejecting noise so have pretty much disqualified it as I mostly do run and gun reality. The CS3 has been looking good but heard a few reports of it not being able to tolerate extreme yelling which scares me a little. Not to throw another mic in your boat but I just recently heard the DPA4017b is super directional and pretty good sounding so I'm currently trying to get a demo of it to compare with the CS3. Can anyone else relate it to the CS3 in terms of noise rejection/sound quality?

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while we're on the topic of shotguns, anyone tried the new Shure mics?

Not that I'm all that worked up about it, but perhaps this question would be better used as the start of a new topic. This discussion could then remain focused on CS3e v CMIT (or as focused as JWS can manage). And more significantly, your question might get noticed by people who've used those Shure mics but aren't interested in this particular X v. Y debate...

Jim "no experience with Shure shotguns, but curious to read others' opinions" Feeley

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I have both and use both regularly....

My findings.... The Cmit 5u I believe is a BETTER SOUNDING mic..... but that is NOT ALWAYS the best weapon for the job....

Moist locations, noisy locations or locations where you are trying to have your mic help in reducing unwanted frequencies I believe you are better off using the Sanken CS3e....

For me at least, all other situations I feel the Schoeps Cmit 5u is a better mic, hands down.... It just sounds so good.... but again, your mics are tools, and like the many screwdrivers in a tool box, you need the right fit for a particular situation... having them both gives you the options to make that choice....

That being said, price aside, the Sanken does not sound bad at all, a bit of noise, but usually drown out by surroundings... the Schoeps just sounds better... if I had to have only one of the two, I might actually choose the Sanken, because I think it covers more useful ground... you get great directionality, robustness in weather, bad sounds at your location cancelling and a great sounding mic all in one.... The Schoeps, you get a better sounding mic, less usefulness in moist weather, great directionality and a bit heftier price.... I think it's probably lighter too...

I say, buy both....

I also own a few Schoeps CMC6s, and a few 416s, a place for all of them... for sure...

So do you think the off axis rejection is better on the sanken than on the schoeps from a personal perspective? I always thought it was the other way. Good to hear personal experiences.

I will try to get a test with both, but unfortunately don't know anyone or anywhere that has both.

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So do you think the off axis rejection is better on the sanken than on the schoeps from a personal perspective? I always thought it was the other way. Good to hear personal experiences.

I will try to get a test with both, but unfortunately don't know anyone or anywhere that has both.

Yes, I personally think it is better... It took me a little bit to warm up to this mic, but I have... But like the Senator said... It's really about what you think in the end...

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I have both and use both regularly....

My findings.... The Cmit 5u I believe is a BETTER SOUNDING mic..... but that is NOT ALWAYS the best weapon for the job....

Moist locations, noisy locations or locations where you are trying to have your mic help in reducing unwanted frequencies I believe you are better off using the Sanken CS3e....

For me at least, all other situations I feel the Schoeps Cmit 5u is a better mic, hands down.... It just sounds so good.... but again, your mics are tools, and like the many screwdrivers in a tool box, you need the right fit for a particular situation... having them both gives you the options to make that choice....

That being said, price aside, the Sanken does not sound bad at all, a bit of noise, but usually drown out by surroundings... the Schoeps just sounds better... if I had to have only one of the two, I might actually choose the Sanken, because I think it covers more useful ground... you get great directionality, robustness in weather, bad sounds at your location cancelling and a great sounding mic all in one.... The Schoeps, you get a better sounding mic, less usefulness in moist weather, great directionality and a bit heftier price.... I think it's probably lighter too...

I'm not going to be able to buy either of these mics any time soon but thanks for that wonderfully lucid comparison.

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I did A/B tests of the Sanken and the Schoeps and ended up buying the Schoeps. The things that tipped the scales were on axis sound quality, self-noise, dynamic range, and off-axis sound quality. While the Sanken definitely had less low end in the off-axis position the Schoeps' off-axis response was much more linear across the frequency spectrum, leaving the impression that you had simply turned down the gain of the mic 20 db whereas the Sanken sounded thin and somewhat "brittle" off-axis. Debatable if that colours the overall sound of the mic but I went with linearity. Since I also do some post work I can say that, while the Sanken has an upper mid-range presence that "cuts" through a track, I find the Schoeps easier to eq into a track due, I believe, to its' total lack of "colouration".

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Thanks everyone for your opinions. After a bit of a search I realised that the ones of you working mostly on film tent to favour the Schoeps, whilst those on tv and docos tent to favour the Sanken. Interesting.

I decided that i'm getting the Schoeps as it is on a good offer, and later on a Sanken if i can afford it or a good offer comes along.

Ah, and to 'Jim Feeley', thanks for keeping the post in line

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If you are seeing a used CMIT for the same price as the Sanken, it sounds like a great buy.

Like everyone else said, i would like to own both, but not the case right now. I have not spent tons of time with CMITs, but they do sound nice (used one yesterday in a controlled interview setting). I personally chose a CS-3e because I do a fair amount of jobs where the benefits of the CS-3e would really help me out. Noisy situations where we are trying to get talking from people that do not have a lav on them. For uncontrolled, unscripted work, it can be a really useful tool. Might not sound "the best", but if it can eek out a bit more useful clean dialog, that is what I am more likely to need. I'm sure a few CMIT owners will say they can pull out some tough dialog too, and the featherweight CMIT means you have an easier time flying it in awkward positions for extended periods of time.

Unfortunately the physics behind "getting dialog in a noisy location" are inconsistent, and when it's chaos, there is no chance to A/B/C a Sanken, Schoeps and Sennheiser (as a baseline even). Is it a noisy street with droning traffic and two relatively high pitched talkers, or a bar with loud music and one high-pitched lady talking to a bass heavy guy, or..... ? I think "people talking in a noisy environment" is just too general, so either mic could be better depending on the specifics (and the user).

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The selfnoise of the cs3e becomes apparent on interviews with softspoken people on quiet interiors to a point it gets really annoying. On a bridge with loud traffic and big recreational boats cruising underneath the CS3e pulls the dialog out of mayhem more effectively than my Cmit.

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Diego, sorry to chime in late. Having worked with both the CS3e and the CMIT on my boom pole (whilst working for different mixers, not on the same project) I basically agree with what everyone else has said. With the CMIT I was shooting down by the Thames, and the general noise of boats etc was an issue. In the brief moments it was it was quiet it sounded nice. With the CS3e, we did some shooting around Brick Lane in the middle of the day and it performed well.

From a personal point of view and someone who knows and works in London, I would choose the CS3e. The only quiet environments we get are interiors, where hyper's are generally the choice of the day. If you had a feature shooting out in the countryside, CMIT would be great.

Having said that, there is lots of other choices of shotgun mics worth looking into.

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