The Edge - Headsets - Microphone

Comments on Category #4 - The Mic

Thus far in the 'list' development the 'Mic' category contains one or two of the following type descriptors: Boom, In-line, Dynamic, Condenser, Pre-polarized. This post takes the terms one at a time for discussion.
 

Position or Form

The first two possibilities, Boom and In-line, describe the position of the microphone.
 

Boom

This term is the easiest to understand. A boom style mic is attached to the end of a rod, usually positionable via a flexible rod, called the boom, or it could be positioned by a pivot point allowing the mic to swivel up and down. The actual positioning function of the mic is more appropriately handled in the written or video review segment of the review rather than in the objective list. While true that some booms pivot 270° and others can be attached to either side of the headset, there are issues with the variations that need to be considered and some experienced gained to give that hands on point of view we want.
 

In-line

This term is the second designation of where the mic is located. Like it's name says it's in the line (cable) that leads to the headphone portion of the headset. For those of us familiar with headsets for mobile phones, this is a common alternative to the on the ear bluetooth style earpiece/mic.
 

Microphone Basic Type

The other three terms Dynamic, Condenser, and Pre-polarized are terms that describe how the microphones work from a theoretical perspective. We will stick to general overview of these three terms for now.
Dynamic and Condenser are terms that are not combined, in other words, these are basic principles. We can have a dynamic mic or a condenser mic, it's either or, not both. The other term, pre-polarized can be combined with other terms. For example you may have a pre-polarized condenser microphone.
 

Dynamic Mic

This type of microphone is the simpler microphones in the list so far. These type of mics work on the electromagnetic induction principle, the same principle that the drivers in speaker systems use. An electromagnetic coil is moved back and forth with a cone that moves in response to sound.
 

Condenser Mic

These type of microphones are also called capacitor or electrostatic microphones. There are two plates in the pickup. The front plate is a moving diaphragm the responds to sound and the change in distance between the front plate or diaphragm, and the rear plate, a fixed plate is measured by one of two ways DC biased or frequency. The frequency type can use either radio frequency, RF, or high frequency, HF.
 

Pre-polarized

We are using this as an example of a term that is used in to further describe the microphone's basic type. If manufacturer feels that the term is significant enough with respect to the microphone's operation to note it, the term appears in the specifications or description.
We will note the inclusion of these term types as they occur in the list. The key here is that when you come across a term that has a low, or perhaps even singular occurrence in the list that you recognize that the manufacture is looking to set itself aside from the competition, implying an advantage, and we can respect that, after all, we are in search of the sonic edge.
Pre-polarization, by the way, helps define the directional quality of the mic. It's a good thing.
 

Other Microphone Types

The science behind the way microphones work is beyond the scope of this blog. We want to be aware of the different basic types and have a general idea of how they work as an aid to making our purchasing decision. This is true in any of these type of categories, that is categories that state a type of principle or form. We can group the microphones into two groups, so far, and being aware of the two groups could help us recognize patterns and make observations about the two that are unique to each.
There are other ways to pickup sound and transfer if to another location. Everything from fiber optic to cup and string. If other microphone types appear, we will include them in the. We don't see the cup and string as being practical.