The PCC-170SWO from AKG is a surface-mounted supercardioid boundary layer microphone of professional quality suitable for boardrooms, churches, courtrooms, and council chambers. Because of its highly directional pickup pattern, the PCC-170SWO minimizes background noise and feedback.
The PCC-170SWO has a silent-operating membrane switch which is normally off. The switch can be configured for touch on/off, momentary on or momentary off operation. This configuration is set by a bottom-mounted DIP switch. A high intensity LED lights when the unit is on. The PCC-170SWO is intended for multiple microphone use on a conference table where each person wants control of his or her microphone.
A pair of extra leads in the microphone cable allows isolated remote sensing of the microphone switch closure. In a typical distance-learning application, a video camera would track to the person who switched on the microphone. The microphone can be set to be always on. In this mode, the switch only activates the remote sensing and LED. This is useful when using an external gated mixer (automatic mixer). Remote sensing is done by a patented opto-coupled MOS switching circuit. At the remote-sensing leads, the resistance goes low when the mic is on.
Since the microphone capsule is placed on a boundary or surface, direct and reflected sounds arrive at the diaphragm in-phase. This coherent addition of direct and reflected waves increases sensitivity 6 dB and prevents phase cancellations. The microphone capsule is small enough to ensure phase coherency up to the highest frequencies in the audible spectrum, resulting in a wide, smooth frequency response free of phase interference. Clarity and reach are also enhanced.
Self-contained electronics eliminate the need for an in-line preamp. Powered by 12 - 48V phantom power, the PCC-170SWO has a low-impedance balanced output which permits long cable runs without hum pickup or high-frequency loss. Self-noise is low and sensitivity is very high and an RFI suppression is included. A bass-tilt switch allows the user to tailor the low-end response for particular applications.
