The "180" series consists of three compact miniature microphones with polar patterns that meet the requirements of all common studio applications.

Thanks to its optimised mechanical construction and the deliberate omission of often superfluous modularity, the "180" series is predestined for cost-conscious recording and production studios.

The omnidirectional KM 183 and hypercardioid KM 185 microphones are based on the cardioid KM 184, which has been an immense success and has become a reference in the global studio community in a very short time. All microphones in the "180" series are available in a matt black or nickel finish.

Applications

Their slender shapes and the transmission characteristics described below make the "180" series particularly suited to a very wide range of tasks in the radio and television sector.

Acoustic Characteristics

The KM 183 and KM 184 microphones are the successors to the KM 83 and KM 84, which have been used with great success worldwide since the 1970s. The KM 185 completes the series with a hypercardioid microphone.

The KM 183 is a pressure transducer with an increase of approximately 7 dB at 10 kHz in a free field. In a diffuse field, it exhibits a flat frequency response. The pressure gradient transducers KM 184 and KM 185 display very linear frequency responses not only on the 0° axis, but also for lateral sound incidence (off-axis). In typical use, there is no sonic colouration over a wide pickup angle.

Although the KM 184 uses the same capsule as the KM 84, the microphone differs slightly in its frequency response at 0°: the KM 184 exhibits a slight rise at around 9 kHz, a characteristic that was introduced with great success with the KM 140. The result is a fresher and more lively tonal balance compared to the KM 84 with its flat frequency response in this band.

This difference was achieved through a slight modification of the rear opening of the capsule, and is not due to resonances.

The KM 185 with its hypercardioid characteristic exhibits an attenuation of lateral or rear sound incidence of approximately 10 dB, with minimum sensitivity at an angle of 120°.

Electrical Characteristics

The microphones in the "180" series share the same transformerless circuit as that used in the KM 100 system, which results in excellent technical specifications:

Compared to the KM 84, the dynamic range of the KM 184 has increased by 24 dB, primarily due to the reduction of self-noise to only 22 dB (CCIR) and the increase in the sound pressure handling capacity up to 138 dB.

The microphones operate without issue even if the input of the following equipment is unbalanced, as is the case with some DAT recorders.

The output of the "180" series, like all Neumann microphones, is balanced and phantom-powered (48V).

Economy

The "180" series is an excellent choice for all users seeking a high-quality miniature microphone, but who do not need the complex and modular KM 100 system, which continues to be part of the Neumann product range.

The mechanical construction has been simplified — for example, the capsule and the output stage cannot be separated from one another. For this reason, the "180" series is an economical alternative without sacrificing the electroacoustic characteristics that users expect from Neumann microphones.