Quote:
Originally Posted by sdelsolray
The Rode M5 has a 19dB (A weighted) self noise specification. That's a bit high, particularly for classical guitar or intimate finger style acoustic guitar. I could not find the self nose spec for the AT 2020, so I don't know what it is.
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I wouldn't worry about 19dB of self noise. Even a great room in a commercial studio has over 20dB of ambient noise. Plus the open circuit sensitivity on the M5 is 20mV. That's pretty hot. You're not going to need a lot of gain.
The real question is: do you want the realism & transient response of the small diaphragm M5s or the character of the large diaphragm 2020? If it were me, I'd go with the M5s. SDCs are just more "realistic" when recording stringed instruments. LDCs have a habit of imparting character (for better or for worse)...but it's very easy to add character after the fact...but nearly impossible to remove it if it isn't working for you.