Audio-Technica

Reviews | Audio-Technica AT5045
84
A
udio-Technica’s second
addition to their ‘50’
microphone range is a
hybrid of sorts: a unique
rectangular large diaphragm pickup is
oriented to a side-address position in a
pencil mic housing. This topology is
perfect for close-up work in tight spots,
but it relies on two essential qualities:
high headroom/SPL handling and robust
housing. The latter is achieved by way
of a high-quality aluminium and brass
casing, combining smart aesthetics with
durable solidity. The former relies on an
all discrete transformer coupled head
amplifi er that delivers a low impedance
source (100) to the preamp.
The AT5045 comes in a hard shell
case with the AT8481 isolation clamp,
a stylish jaw style swivel design that
grips the mic with rubber bushings.
These clamps make precise set-ups
easy and don’t budge a millimetre once
locked. This is great for reaching into
awkward spots between drums or
fi ne-tuning a stereo pattern.
I’m no fan of mic shootouts as
experience has shown that context often
trumps (subjective) quality. If you know
the source, the room and the preamp,
odds are you’re going to be able to tell a
racehorse from a donkey without any
need for reference. Right away the
AT5045 proves itself a thoroughbred, as
it ought to at this price. Before listening
to how the mic translates a source, I
tried a couple of tests to fi nd the limits
of self noise and SPL handling. The
results were impressive with a noise
fl oor sitting lower than I’m used to,
while just inches from the speaker cab
of a cranked amp the mic didn’t audibly
distort. So far so useful.
The AT5045 is a high-end
all-rounder. No matter what I tried it on
the sound was clear and smooth, devoid
of irksome artefacts or limiting
‘characterful’ response anomalies. The
low-end is noticeably extended, aiding
the sense of realism. I rarely like
condensers on amps, but this is an
exception and on a bass it defi nitely
captures all the beef without sacrifi cing
any top-end bite. Guitar amps quickly
reveal the high frequency comb-fi ltering
nastiness that lurks behind the
brightness of many condenser mics, but
there appears to be none lurking in the
AT5045, even with heavy-handed HF
EQ. This is the mark of a high-quality
diaphragm and head amp combination.
The upper frequency response has no
pronounced hump to impart that lively,
instant sugar hit that can make
condensers jump out in tracking and
then drive you nuts at mixdown.
Acoustic sources translate
beautifully. The cardioid pickup pattern
is on the gentle side, allowing for a good
tonal consistency in the forward 90º,
making instrument movement less of an
issue, while there is ample rejection to
the rear. The proximity effect is less
severe than in tighter patterns
(proximity effect reduces towards
omnidirectionality), and this makes
balancing room against source simpler
when picking out quiet sources. The low
noise of the AT5045 comes into play,
allowing plenty of room ambience to be
kept in the picture without drowning a
delicate instrument in hiss. They also
make great room mics for the same
reason. In stereo confi gurations (X-Y
and ORTF) the AT5045s yielded great
results and the smooth phase response
meant set-up was simple and mono
compatibility wasn’t a problem.
The AT5045 is a serious investment
prospect, priced to sit alongside
Schoeps, Earthworks and Neumann.
The innovative design brings to mind
the Josephson e22, with which it also
shares a simplicity: no high-pass or pad
switching. If you can afford the AT5045
you’ll most likely have quality preamps
that will take care of this and have
enough input headroom to match the
mic’s large dynamic range. There is
nothing I wouldn’t try this mic on, from
vocals and string/horn sections to fi eld
recordings and overblown amps. Thanks
to the high-quality design, a stereo pair
will deliver a truly lifelike analogue of
wherever it’s placed. You only get one
set of ears in this life, but if you can
afford it I’d recommend the AT5045 as
a good accompaniment.
Audio-Technica
AT5045 | £1,299 each
Audio-Technica slip their largest condenser
diaphragm into a side-address pencil package.
Robbie Stamp checks out their high-end new design
WHAT IS IT?
Large diaphragm
side-address cardioid
condenser microphone
CONTACT
Who: Audio-Technica
Tel: [phone]
Web: eu.audio-technica.
com
HIGHLIGHTS
1 Smooth frequency
response across the whole
audio range
2 Massive dynamic range
with low noise fl oor
3 Versatility of the
side-address pencil design
SPECS
Element: fi xed-charge back
plate, permanently
polarised rectangular
condenser
Polar pattern: Cardioid
Impedance: 100
Dynamic range (typical):
141dB, 1kHz @ max SPL
Maximum input sound
level: 149dB SPL, 1kHz @
1% THD
SNR: 86dB, 1kHz @ 1Pa
Dimensions:
177 x 25mm
Weight:
197g
VERDICT
BUILD
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
VALUE
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
EASE OF USE
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
VERSATILITY
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
RESULTS
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
The innovative yet simple design
delivers excellent sonics and a rare
versatility. Seriously impressive.
FMU292.rev_audiotech.indd 84 21/04/2015 14:23