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SupercardioidCAD Audio E100S

Supercardioid Condenser Microphone

The first mic in CAD’s “USA Series,” the E100S is a large-diaphragm FET condenser with the lowest self-noise of any microphone we’ve seen to date: 3.7 dBA. (Find other low-noise mics on the Zeitgeist page.)

The mic’s capsule is an edge-terminated, large-diaphragm design. The diaphragm is a 4-micron polyester film, metallized (via vapor deposition) with nickel rather than the more traditional gold. The diaphragm diameter is approximately 24mm; the outside diameter of the capsule assembly is 25.9mm.

The capsule is imported from longtime CAD associate and supplier.

CAD E100S and boxSwitches on the front of the mic body provide a -10dB pad and a high-pass filter (6dB/octave at 80Hz).

The mic’s input stage has been described as a “quadra-FET” design. It has four FETs, the specific selection and application of which are part of the secret of the mic’s extremely low noise floor.

The output is transformerless. Described as a “twin 5087 output driver,” it incorporates two bipolar transistors, one for the positive signal and one for the negative.

The amplifier design is fully differential, which allowed for the omission of a phase-splitter circuit that could have limited the performance of the microphone.

The circuit board is made in the US, and is the result of about 18 months of development by CAD, according to company VP of Engineering Kelly Statham.

CAD E100S and boxThe mic ships with a low-profile “stealth” shockmount in a padded cherrywood storage case.

As part of CAD’s “USA Series,” the E100S was designed and is assembled and tested in the US, using components sourced locally as well as abroad.

The mic was announced just prior to Summer NAMM 2009, and began shipping in the Fall of 2009.

ProAudioReview, 2010-04

[The guitarist’s] alternating arpeggiated and strummed chords were fully served by the E100S, sounding natural with equal measure of full, musical tone and necessary percussive effect…

MIX, 2010-05

Using the E100S’s as drum overheads wouldn’t be my first choice, but moving them five feet in front of the kit … allowed them to blossom as room mics, with great balance between drums and cymbals, and a fat whump from the kick drum… Close-miked toms are absolutely killer with the E100S, with a perfect mix of snap from the stick and head, round tone from the shell and that slight pitch bend that I love to get out of toms…

Paul Strikwerda / Nethervoice.com

In my opinion, the E100S has all the characteristics to become a voice-over’s secret weapon… It can handle sounds as loud as the engine of an airplane and as soft as a woman’s whisper. It loves strings just as much as percussion. Whether it’s used to record the subtleties of Baroque music or the unrelenting power of Punk Rock, this uncompromising CAD can capture it all.

Permalink: CAD Audio E100S

The mic was released in 2009.

Specifications

Frequency Response - SupercardioidClick Graph to Compare!
E100S Supercardioid Frequency Response Chart
Pickup Patterns Pads & Filters
Supercardioid (28 mV/Pa; 40 - 18,000 Hz)
  • Pad: -10dB (Via Switch)
  • Filter: HPF: -6dB/octave @ 80Hz (Via Switch)
Capsule Dimensions Impedance SPL/Noise
Diaphragm diameter: 24mm
Capsule diameter: 25.9mm
Diaphragm gauge: 4 microns
150 Ohms (Low) Self-noise: 3.7 dB(A)
Weight Length Max Diameter Interface(s)
n/a n/a n/a
  • 3-pin XLR male (1)
Power Specifications
  • Requires phantom power
  • Phantom voltage: 48v

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