# Mic Comparison: Umik-1 vs Umik-1 CSL vs Umik-2



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Don't know how this happened (lol) but I ended up with 3 calibrated measurements mics. 
First, the Umik-1 that came with the MiniDSP C8-12 DL DSP (original cal file)("free" because it came with the DSP or $110 if bough from miniDSP or PartsExpress), then got a Umik-2 (original cal file) ($236 shipped from PartsExpress) and finally a Umik-1 from Cross Spectrum Labs (that I also downloaded the original cal file from miniDSP) ($120 shipped).
Since I had them all here, I decided to perform a not so scientific test to try and measure if there are any difference in what they measure.
Setup: Decided to measure the center channel of my Onkyo home theater which is supposed to be THX certified. Made 3 measurements with each mic. Measurement 1, near field from the tweeter. Measurement 2, near field from the midrange. Measurement 3, 1 meter away from the speaker. Used REW sweeps and 1/3 smoothing.








Now on to the graphs.
First one shows the 4 measurements near field from the tweeter.








Second graph shows the 4 measurements near field from the midrange.








Third graph shows the 4 measurements 1 meter away from the speaker.








Last graph compares the Umik-1 I got from CSL using both cal files (the CSL one and the miniDSP one).








Some conclusions:

1. All mics are almost identical from 3-400 up to 7-8 kHz.
2. There's a bigger difference between both Umik-1's with the original cal files, than between the same one with the CSL vs original cal file.
3. The Umik-2 starts to roll off first and has the biggest drop at the higher end of the spectrum. (Might be because of the bigger capsule?).
4. You get a lot of "bang for the buck" with the CSL mic. Not only do they cost basically the same as a regular one bought from miniDSP or PartsExpress, but you get an extra cal file (0,45 and 90 degrees) and the certificate that its calibrated against another mic.
5. Umik-2 is twice the $ of Umik-1. Is it really worth it? From this simple experiment, not really. But still need to put them to the test with Dirac in the car.

J.


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## ItsonlyaHONDA (Sep 9, 2021)

doitor said:


> Don't know how this happened (lol) but I ended up with 3 calibrated measurements mics.
> First, the Umik-1 that came with the MiniDSP C8-12 DL DSP (original cal file)("free" because it came with the DSP or $110 if bough from miniDSP or PartsExpress), then got a Umik-2 (original cal file) ($236 shipped from PartsExpress) and finally a Umik-1 from Cross Spectrum Labs (that I also downloaded the original cal file from miniDSP) ($120 shipped).
> Since I had them all here, I decided to perform a not so scientific test to try and measure if there are any difference in what they measure.
> Setup: Decided to measure the center channel of my Onkyo home theater which is supposed to be THX certified. Made 3 measurements with each mic. Measurement 1, near field from the tweeter. Measurement 2, near field from the midrange. Measurement 3, 1 meter away from the speaker. Used REW sweeps and 1/3 smoothing.
> ...


I replaced the UMIK-1 with the UMIK-2, but not cuz of performance. The UMIK-1 had constant issues with loosing signal and dropping off mid mesurment/tune. It was extremely frustrating. It was not reliable one bit.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

ItsonlyaHONDA said:


> I replaced the UMIK-1 with the UMIK-2, but not cuz of performance. The UMIK-1 had constant issues with loosing signal and dropping off mid mesurment/tune. It was extremely frustrating. It was not reliable one bit.


I had trouble with the PC and the Umik-2.
No problem with the Mac and Umik-2.
Both Umik-1s have worked flawlessly.

J.


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## HCWLSU101 (Apr 30, 2009)

Is any mic better for car audio vs the other? My UMIK-1 is dying and I’m considering getting a UMIK-2.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

HCWLSU101 said:


> Is any mic better for car audio vs the other? My UMIK-1 is dying and I’m considering getting a UMIK-2.


For normal measurements using REW, both mics will do the job.

J.


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## ItsonlyaHONDA (Sep 9, 2021)

doitor said:


> I had trouble with the PC and the Umik-2.
> No problem with the Mac and Umik-2.
> Both Umik-1s have worked flawlessly.
> 
> J.


My UMIK-2 works flawlessly with my PC. I'm not the only person that has had the same issue with the UMIK-1.


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## lithium (Oct 29, 2008)

I read recently that the noise floor is much lower on the umik 2 vs 1. So that's probably one advantage, but I dont think that matters for tuning in car audio where the measured sound is quite high.


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