"Thanks to DPA's CORE amplifier technology, our reviewer notes, the smaller (3 mm) capsule delivers the same performance as previous larger designs - maybe even better."
Church Production has given our d:fine™ 6066 subminiature headset a good and thorough test drive. In essence, they conclude that the significantly smaller size does not come with an audible compromise - on the contrary if anything!
"I was able to compare the 6066 to DPA's older 4066 miniature headset design, a workhorse used in countless stage productions and films. The 6066 mic itself is dramatically smaller, which makes it much less visible to audience or camera. Sonically, the 6066 easily matched the 4066. For both speech and singing, I actually preferred the clearer articulation of the 6066 over the 4066 (with "soft boost" cap). The big surprise was a comparison of noise floor. With a matched gain setting on the mic preamp, the 6066's self-noise was actually less noticeable than that of the 4066. The CORE amplifier is clearly doing a great job with less.
Whether a mic capsule is 3mm or an inch across, it all still comes back to sound quality. Here the 6066 does not disappoint. Its sound is clear, balanced, open. The 6066's performance for speech was flawless, but singing is a tougher challenge. In a studio test, I recorded a vocalist with the 6066 and a high-end handheld condenser mic. The results were surprising. The 6066's sound was clearer but less full (due largely to proximity effect with the handheld mic), and only marginally less pleasant to listen to. In short, vocalists can use the 6066 without reservation. I can think of no situation where a listener, if they closed their eyes, would say, "Hey! That's not a handheld mic, it's a headset."
(Loren Alldrin, Church Production)
Read the full review here...