Nakamichi CM-300

I am quite new in the recording world. And only do nature recordings. So my experience is as little as can be. Since I live very remote in Australia I only can learn about this exciting new hobby via the internet, no dealer to talk me in a forced direction. And so I found out that Nakamichi CM300 mikes are good. I record on a Sony PCM-D50 which is connected to the 3 CM 300 via the Nakamichi MX100 blender. I listen to my recordings via an Audio Technica AD700 headphone.

The 3 mic setup I use is the Left and right CM300 with the CP2 Omni Directional and the Blend CM300 with the CM1 Cardoid. The sound is nothing short of sensational. Recently I made an recording of the birdsongs in our valley , at about 6.15 AM the daily Gold-Coast to Melbourne flight comes over at about 3000 feet. When I reviewed ( in the evening ) I had forgotten about it and for seconds thought that an airplane was going through the roof. The sound is so full bodied , so natural it is as if you are in the valley with all the birdsongs again. . The quite good internal Sony PCM D50 mikes are sounding so poor compared to those.
I found a nice solution for the Nakamichi CM300's 9 volt battery 'problem' : I use a CR123A battery with a small piece of 1 cm metal tube added to compensate the shorter length inserted on one end of the battery after being insulated around with some tape . The lithium cell will last 'for ever' , rarely leaks and is identical to having a 9 volt cell. I compared the left and right mike one with the 9 volt the other with the 3 volt and found no differences.
In the future I will also use this setup for recordings of pipe organs and given the natural character I suspect it will be a winner again. Get 'em before all the collectors snatch 'em only to place them in a glass box or so.

Alan here, I record and play out, fiddle and guitar mostly, see post below. I'm here and there on the internet as well, original stuff. Gear ranges from Neumann UM 57s to old chrome Elvis mics. Recording to all sizes of tape, still prefer analog.
Main reason for post: for the original battery for this CM-300, go to
Wellington Battery Supply (Google it). I asked for the battery by number, and the man said, "you've got a Nakamichi CM-100 shotgun mic."
I bought two batteries, but I haven't to put them in the mic because the fit is tight. A common AA battery works fine, and with the mic off, the battery has lasted a long time.

10

Lately I am recording a wren to tape, slowing to 1/2 speed, this is done very early in the morning. or else I am listening to what birds have to put up with in man's world. The mic brings in remote sounds with plenty of bass. Cars, trucks, a mile away.

I've since heard this mic referred to as 'the poor man's Neumann" and with that low end it compares favorably with a U-87 -- so that makes it a good buy.

I do home recording with a computer based daw.I also use a korg d16xd,
and a boss br-600 portable digital recorder.Other mikes i own include
a shure sm57,Akg's,a Neuman,and a tube mike.

This mike is Great!! I'M ONLY WRITING THIS REVIEW FOR ONE CRITICAL!
REASON> THE UNAVAILABLE BATTERY PROBLEM.....I've owned this mike for
years and have not been able to use it much.The microphone has an on/off
switch located on the body,and is easy to leave it on.So..... i went to
a lot of trouble and $5.00 apiece getting a battery,only to accidentally
knock the power switch on(while putting it away)and then the next time i
went to use the mike the battery was DEAD!.I almost put this mike up for sale on E-bay,when i read a post here, where one reviewer used a common
AA 1.5 volt battery in it AND IT WORKED???.Are you kidding me!!.In about 5 minutes i had a COMMON AA battery in it and it worked PERFECTLY!This mike is suspiciously similar to the classic AKG 451b
(still for sale at $569.00)Could the guts or capsules been made by
AKG and sold to nakamichi ? If so, then this is a poor mans AKG 451.
Either way,IT's a WONDERFUL!,accurate,SMOOTH! microphone.

I am a musician, mostly guitar and violin, have played for decades, also for food. Recorded in my own and others' studios. I prefer analog sound, but find digital recording immensely handy. I might go between a Mac G4 and a Teac A-3440, then master to Peak.

Another rig now in use in a tiny room with huge sound, is a UM-57, mic-pre, going to a G3 laptop. I've made a 'sandwich' of two large hanging panes of thin glass.

Previously I had placed these panes around the room individually to influence mic placement. I just put together the 'glass sandwich.'

The Nakamichi looks ideal for trying out in the'glass sandwich'. It is not a strict cardiod pattern, might even be the omni capsule. the address end of the mic will stick out one end of the 'sandwich,; and pick up some sort of reverberation along the sides of the mic. That is the theory.

I was impressed by how the Nakamichi CM 300 did not feed back, in full presence of two smallish TDK speakers (run from an old Sylvania transistor amp hacked out of a record player/radio console) --and how identical was the speaker sound to the sound of our ambient conversation. We couldn't tell if the mic was on or off, except by fiddling with volume.

My main reason for this post is to mention that I ran the mic with a Duracell 1.5 VDC AA battery through a high impedance 1/4" jack in a cheapo mixing board. Signals were fine and noise very low. Course I could run it through a mic pre for a better idea of how it stacks up to Earthworks, Neumann, Beyer ribbon (M160), SM 58 --the big boys.

I have yet to record through it, at this writing.

As for bang for the buck, I mean my friend has ears too, and he undervalued this mic --at say U$ 75.00 --in our trade.

I bought the Nakamichi CM-300s back in the days of analog only audio about 25 years ago primarily for non-professional recording. Back then, I was recording to Fostex 4 track and Tandberg 2 track reel to reel recorders. The CM-300s were bought as a set with the omni and cardioid capsules although I mainly used the latter. Today, I am on the verge of entering the world of professional broadcasting and have a new need for a reasonably high quality mic. I blew the dust off of these mics, found an internet dealer who could supply the battery, and I am again floored by the quality of these mics. Today, I am recording digitally, either to minidisc with a Sony MZ-R37 or direct to computer via Cool Edit, Audacity, or something similar. While I have dedicated playback gear of high quality, I am playing back largely through minidisc or computer as well.

The Nak CM-300s are condenser mics, powered by a specialty battery. The original battery was a mercury TR-126 8.4 volt that is no longer available. Fortunately, the Eveready 206 or NEDA 1611 9 volt will work as a replacement, though the slightly larger girth of these batteries makes for a very tight fit. In order to remove the battery, I actually have to unscrew the microphone outer shell and then poke the battery out of the barrel with a screwdriver. The battery is supposed to last a couple hundred hours so this is not a big deal, but the 206 is starting to become hard to find. Hopefully, these or an alternative will remain available as the CM-300 will remain an excellent mic.

The CM-300 kit that I have was attractive because both the omno and cardioid capsules are included which makes these mcs that much more versatile. Since I record mostly at home where room noise is an issue, the cardioid is, but preferable to me, but its nice to have an easily interchangeable option. Nothing else offered this much versatility.

What most impresses me about this mic is its overall neutrality. Recordings are accurate, free of noise, and have no colorations to speak of. There is a low cut off switch, again extending the versatility if there is ever a need to cut the lower frequencies. The biggest shortcoming is the reliance on an increasingly difficult specialty battery and it appears that not many other products in existence use this type of battery. Aside from that, I find my recording levels to be a bit low compared to a dynamic mic I have but that could be the result of my recording technique.

Even thought the landscape has changed from analog to digital, these mics remain respectable with today's equipment. All in all, the Nak CM-300s, especially in the three mic set, are a great value and a high quality instrument.

I've been recording for longer than I care to admit. Since 4-track analogue was the studio standard! I own a pro-level project studio and focus on acoustic guitar bands and mondern rock bands. See my studio website for an equipment list (www.highwayrecording.com)

I bought this mic new in a set of three with both cardiod and omni capsules. I won't repeat what Bob so correctly states above. I just want to add an antidote: I was using my set of three in the mid-80's to record an acoustic guitar trio going into an analogue 4-track - straight with only the preamps on the TEAC deck. I used the mics for both vocals and guitar. I took the recording over to a friend's commercial studio for mixing and the first thing he says is, "What kind of mics did you use? Neumanns?" He was floored when corrected him. They do sound very nice. Warm without harshness. The noise floor is a little higher than I'd prefer (especially with digital), but that's no problem in certain situations. I'd like to get the mics rewired for phantom power since acquring and keeping those mercury batteries is a pain especially when I don't use the mics very often. I give high points for sound (9) and low for ease of use and SNR (5).

I've been making music for close to 50 years as a violinist and electric bass pl;ayer as well as vocalist--professionally and as an amateur.
I have recorded in commercial studios and in my home studio which features Cubase SX2.0, a dual gig Mac G4, Alesis ADAT, MOTU 828, MOTU HD192, Avalon, Presonus Digimax, Mackie VLZ and FMR Really Nice preamps. Microphones include Shures, Neumanns, Nakamichis, AT, AKG, CAD and even Radio Shack! We record direct to disk as well as to ADAT.

Listening equipment includes small Sony monitors, Behringer Truth, new Blue Sky Pro Desk, Dynaco A25's, and ProAc tablettes with an M&K subwoofer.

Small electret condenser mic with both cardioid and omni capsules.
Mics have been extraordinary as a cardioid stereo pair on our Kawai acoustic grand with simple placement over the piano strings toed in over the bass and treble strings at a height of about twelve inches. Also fabulous on acoustic violin. A very forgiving and present mic that is great for acoustic instrument miking and is used by many DAT tapers at concerts. If you can find 'em, get 'em!

Only difficulty is obtaining (they are available on internet search) and changing batteries (a bit tight in the compartment).