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Sanken CS3e


larry long

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I have used the Sanken CS3e for many years, I think as far back as whenever it was first released. As everyone knows I am not a big fan of "long" microphones but I have used current Sennhesiers (and all the way back to the 804), and Neumanns, and the Sanken has stayed with me the longest (no pun intended). It has been very reliable, to my ear it matches the Schoeps quite well, and it does provide greater rejection than the short microphones. The Sanken CS3e was our first choice when it was the necessary mic for a given shot but now that I own the new Schoeps CMIT shotgun I imagine I will not be using the Sanken as much, if at all.

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

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Thank you for the info. I want to hear some reports on the new Schoeps.

Interested in selling that Sanken?

I knew you would ask...  I was sure when I said I wouldn't be using the Sanken much anymore that you might want to buy it. I will need to think about that (I do have 2 of them so maybe it would make sense to let one of them go).

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

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Haven't really had a chance to do much testing in big bad winds...  Don has had the mic on the job he is on (without me) and they have had few exteriors. I hope to check it out more thoroughly in the future. I am hoping it is less sensitive to wind than the "short" Schoeps because this is one of the primary reasons for using the long mic. If it is at least as good as the Sanken CS3e we have been using that will be fine (but I don't think it will hold up as well as I am told the Sennheiser mics do, but I couldn't speak from personal experience).

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

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Guest tourtelot

FWIW, the CS-3e is, by far, my favorite mic for dialog right now.  What I find amazing is that it has what I perceive to be a much greater reach (maybe 2 to 3 feet!) than a Schoeps hyper. It makes those medium wide shot "doable" on an overhead mic. And even though it is an interference tube mic, it doesn't suffer any of the comb filter "phasiness" that even the Sennheiser 416 exhibits in even fairly reverberant interiors.  I don't think I'd use it in that tiny tiled bathroom but it sounds great in the rest of the house!  The only reason I still have the Schoeps is that they "bend in the middle" which is critical sometimes and for music recording.  But they aren't the first mic on the pole nowadays.

D.

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I have heard many great things about the Sanken Cs3-e.  Is it really much better at rejecting ambient and background noise better ?  I have a 416 & a 60 in my kit.  I tend to use the 416 for wider talking head shots and noisy environments, and the 60 for coverage of groups of people because I feel the pattern is not as sharp as the 416.  Both mics are horrible for indoor work, which I then reach for my MKH 50, but that does not always have enough reach.  Any recommendations on a mic for those situations ? Would a CS1 or CS3E be better ?

Rob

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Guest tourtelot

IMHO, the CS-3e does a much better job of rejecting off-axis sound because, at least in theory, how the multi-capsules are arranged. They say, and I concur, that unlike the normal interference tube mics, the CS-3e does not become a more omni polar patterern the lower the frequency goes.  On my mics, this seems to be true and I find that in the case of a too-close generator, or similar, the CS-3e sounds better overhead than even my 816.

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I don't like the CS-1 at all.  It seems to me to be very (self) noisy and it's pick-up pattern is duplicated or bettered by many other mics.

D.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Jeff and those that have used the CS3e,

You all have sparked my interest on this shotgun...but I'm wondering about robustness (is that a word?).  How well does it hold up in humidity, cold, heat, etc?  How about handling and self-noise?  (And Jeff, what's the status on yours...up for sale yet????)

Thanks!

Phil

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I don't like the CS-1 at all.  It seems to me to be very (self) noisy and it's pick-up pattern is duplicated or bettered by many other mics.

D.

I have a CS-1 (of course, never a shortage of places to through money) and I agree with Douglas here that it isn't a great mic. It seems to be neither here nor there...  but it is very cute. It seems to have a sort of hollow sound (not really the right description) and really doesn't offer anything over other mics that I have.

-  JW

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You all have sparked my interest on this shotgun...but I'm wondering about robustness (is that a word?).  How well does it hold up in humidity, cold, heat, etc?  How about handling and self-noise?  (And Jeff, what's the status on yours...up for sale yet????)

Thanks!

Phil

I don't think I am going to sell either (but if I do decide, I will offer it up here first). As far as robustness is concerned (reminds me of the cup of Espresso I just made), both of the Sankens haved held up very well in all situations. I did have probmes with the first CS-3e I had (motorboatinmg, spitting, high self noise) but it was quickly replaced by Sanken. The solid, predictable performance of the mic is one of the reasons I will keep them (since the new Schoeps shotgun is still somewhat unknown on these issues).

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

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