Olympus ME-52 Noise-Cancellation Microphone for Digital Voice Recorders

My first reaction to this microphone was astonishment at is its small size. It's larger than most lapel microphones, but that's because of the physical requirements for noise-cancellation. Still, it's very small, especially for a true "cardioid" (noise-cancelling) microphone.The performance is superb! As Jim wrote, it is very sensitive. I tested it in a quiet room at distances up to 10 feet away. At about 3 feet, my voice was strong and clear. At 10 feet, it was obviously remote, but the sound was good and very clear, with no echo. Off-axis, the sensitivity drops rapidly. At about 70 degrees, the sound weakens noticeably, and beyond 90 degrees, it is almost inaudible.M. L. Strickland is correct in warning that the microphone requires external power. The instructions on the box specify 1.5 - 10 volts. Writers who reported that the microphone was very weak were almost certainly using a recorder that does not provide the necessary excitation voltage. This energizer voltage draws negligible power from the recorder's batteries.However, he is wrong when he writes, '... the noise "cancelation" is only provided by a directional shield. True cancellation is obtained by using a stereo mike with the two pickups wired to cancel noise that arrives at both equally.'Noise-cancelling microphones have existed almost from the start, long before stereo ever existed. The close-up photo on this page clearly shows a slot ("port") in the side of the microphone's body. There is another on the other side. These ports channel sound to the back of the transducer (the sound-sensitive element) so that it is 180 degrees out of phase with the sound striking the front. These opposing signals cancel each other acoustically, but there is always some sound "leakage" through the case and because of imperfect cancellation, resulting in a weak output.This microphone is intended for recording sounds at a distance, which is the purpose of all cardioid (unidirectional) microphones. Its output level is higher than on most microphones, so there is a possibility of distortion, especially if the sound source (such as the speaker) is too close. For a normal voice, I suggest it be held 8 to 12 inches from the speaker's mouth.This microphone was bought to be used on an Olympus DS-330, a six-year-old monophonic digital voice recorder. The internal microphone is sensitive and effective, but because it is omni-directional, recordings in a noisy environment, or at a distance from the speaker, are unclear. The ME-52W mic worked equally well in the "Dictation" (low-sensitivity) and "Conference" (high-sensitivy) modes, but the "Dictation" mode is preferable. It's almost identical in sensitivity to the "Conference" mode, and omits residual background noise, such as radios and air conditioners.With a rated frequency range of 100 - 15,000 Hz, and depending on your equipment, the ME-52W makes excellent voice recordings, and respectable, but not perfect, music recordings. It essentially eliminates echoes, and strongly reduces background sounds. If it's compatible with your equipment, it should be a winner.Edit; 16 Jun 2012:Several inquiries regarding the use of this microphone on stereo recorders prompt me to add this comment.This microphone is monophonic, and two-channel recording from this mic requires one of two conditions:1: The recorder has a "mono-input" or "mono-recording" mode, which delivers the signal from the microphone to both recording channels,or2. A mono-to-stereo adaptor must be used. These adaptors are available at Radio Shack stores, and usually in the electronics departments of Wal-Mart and Best Buy stores. The "plug" end of the adaptor will have two contacts: the tip, and a "ring" below it. The plug on this microphone has only the tip contact. These adaptors usually cost about $2 to $3.Stereo hand-held recorders have become very popular, but most of the less-expensive models do not have cardioid microphones. A couple of notable exceptions:TASCAM TASCAM DR-07MKII Portable Digital RecorderZoom H1 Handy Portable Digital RecorderBoth recorders cost about $100.When searching for stereo recorders, be sure to look for "cardioid" or "uni-directional" in the descriptions of the microphonesEdit; 19 Jul 2012:This microphone will not work with the iPad, iPhone, or iPod, as many users have discovered, for two reasons:1: The jacks on these devices are non-standard2: The microphone requires power from the device to which it is connected.While browsing through the comments today, I came across a reference which I immediately checked out, and I learned that these Apple devices do have excitation power available for external electret microphones, but a special adaptor is needed to access the power connection. One supplier of such adaptors is <kVconnection.com.> Their web-site describes the configuration of the jacks in the Apple devices, and lists a number of adaptors and cables to connect unpowered electret microphones, such as this Olympus ME-52W, to them.

I tested this an Olympus WS-823 voice recorder , which does supply the excitation voltage required by this mic.For some reason, Olympus doesn't promote this unit with pictures of all its included accessories which make it an even better value than it appears to be. The ME-52W package includes not only the microphone (which has an adjustabl;e head which is often not explained in advertising, but a 3 foot cable and lapel kit. In other words you have everything you need for very versatile usage.I tried it as a lapel mic first with the microphone between 6 and 10 inches from my mouth and the head pointed toward my lips.I used an AM talk show as a source of background noise. I recorded with the radio on and off. The ME-52W is very directional with excellent noise reduction. Obviously, it doesn't completely eliminate background noise, but it does very definitely reduce it. By the way, I did not tinker with the WS-823's own recording environment toggles which I suspect would have increased the background noise rejection.I then tried it literally as a hand mic, holding it 2 - 3 inches from my mouth as the Olympus instructions suggest. My background noise source, that AM talk show,was directly to the rear of the microphone. Again excellent rejection characteristics.Next I tried it as a hand-held directional microphone. Using the normal record mode on the WS-823, the recorded audio was listenable, but on the weak side. setting the WS-823 to "lecture" mode, intended for lecture situations in large rooms and auditoriums, the audio was excellent.In all, a very good microphone especially if you take the time to optimize your recorder's settings.Two minor negatives. The lapel clip Olympus supplies is ridiculous. It has a bright chrome plating which makes the ME-52W unsuitable for video recording since the clip could be used an an aircraft landing system with the way it reflects light. Some judiciously applied black tape takes care of the problem and another as well. Whether it is the chrome plating or something else, the clip is so slippery that opening the jaws and keeping them open until you want to close them is a hassle. The clip constantly wants to launch itself into orbit. Next, the supplied windscreen - a welcome provision, by the way, is a shade too big for the barrel. You can use either a tie to secure it or double-sided adhesive tape on the barrel. If you use tape, be sure not to cover up the two slits toward the rear of the barrel: t7hey are needed for effective noise cancellation.Overall an excellent, very versatile microphone at a very attractive price.And, yes, the audio quality was very good to excellent in all instances of my testing.Jerry

THE ONLY CAVALIER UNIDIRECTIONAL MIC IN THE WORLD ?VERY SENSIY TO TIUCH, WORKS GOOD WHEN COMBINE WITH DEAD CAT/WIND SUPPRESSOR FOR GUN/RUN WITH DSLR DURING STORM CHASE.OF ALL ACCESSORIES FROM AMAZON AND EBAY I JUST HAVE BOUGHT ALMOST 20 OF THIS MIC, KiNKA SUCKS TO BUY THEM OVER AND OVER TO ENLIGHTENED

I bought this mic hoping to replace the microphone on my Logitech h530 headset, since the microphone on the h530 made the highs of my voice sound slightly distorted on TS3. After testing the microphone out in the "Capture" area in teamspeak, I noticed that the highs of my voice now sounded normal. However, there was now a static sound in the background. This is probably due to the cheap extension cable included and also just how the mic is along with static from the PC itself. In addition, since the microphone input is only mono, and teamspeak kind of changes it to stereo, the quality of the micrphone further degrades. The micophone is not so much noise cancelling but is pretty good being omni-directional.Overall, the microphone on the logitech h530 sounded better than this product---tested results from myself and from other people on TS3 also support this.

Used this with my aftermarket head unit which has made the sound quality 100% better. No more muffled speech or asking to repeat myself. I installed it where my factory mic would have been had my car came with Bluetooth. Everything works better than expected. I highly recommend this to anyone who has an aftermarket head unit with poor call quality due to a cheap mic