RECORDING May 2023 - 65

REVIEW
Austrian Audio
OC7 True Condenser and
OD5 Active Dynamic Z
Instrument Microphones
Swivel, aim and capture
the sound of your
instruments with two
distinct yet
complementary mics
REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.
I
n August 2022, we reviewed the OD505 Active
Dynamic and OC707 True Condenser hand-held
vocal microphones from Austrian Audio. Less
than a year later, we check out their new, swivelhead,
instrument-focused siblings, the Austrian
Audio OC7 and OD5.
The OC7 and OD5 have much in common with their vocal
mic counterparts regarding the overall technology and design,
but each mic also offers some differences.
Similar to the matching handheld OC707 and OD505,
the OC7 and OD5 also share a body and design-the
OC7 dressed in gray and the OD5 in black. Each mic starts
with a 3.25 " x 1 " pencil condenser-like body with recessed
slide switches to engage a -10dB pad and a two-stage
high-pass filter.
Head on a Swivel
Attached to the body via a single-sided armature with a 220°
swivel joint is a large 2.25 " x 2.5 " head basket housing the
mic's capsule. Nicely, all audio connections are hidden inside
the arm, allowing the capsule to rotate freely from front to back.
Nothing impedes the travel, making the mics easy to position.
Each mic comes with an adjustable mic clip in a sizeable
hard-sided nylon zipper case.
Modern Classic Condenser
Starting with the OC7, nestled behind its grille, is the company's
OCC7 condenser capsule, also found in the OC707
and the Austrian Audio CC8 pencil condenser (reviewed
January 2022).
62 RECORDING May 2023
This capsule is an evolution of a previous Austrian company's
famed and long-discontinued CK-1 capsule. From my CC8 review,
" the OCC7 is not a clone or a copy. It features a three-micron
thick gold-coated polyethylene naphthalate diaphragm that
... is much more robust than conventional Mylar alternatives. The
capsule is handbuilt, measured and tuned in the company's inhouse
anechoic chamber to a tolerance of max. +/-0.5 dB sensitivity
at 1 kHz. "
Compared to the predominantly neutral-voiced CC8 pencil
condenser, the OC7 offers a much more sonically tailored character
for up-close instrument recording than your more common
" at a distance " pencil condenser use. The OC7 is much better
protected against blasts of air and stray breaths than the CC8.
While a cardioid mic, the OC7 offers a tight off-axis rejection,
which is excellent for ignoring both bleed and room sounds-a
trait it shares with the OC707.
OD5
Frequency Range: ......................................... 20 Hz-18 kHz
Impedance: .................................................................275 Ω
Sensitivity: ...........................................................6.7 mV/Pa
Load Impedance:....................................................... >1 kΩ
Max SPL: ....................................................................151dB
Self Noise: ............................................................... 21dB A
OC7
Frequency Range: ......................................... 20 Hz-20 kHz
Impedance: .................................................................275 Ω
Sensitivity: .............................................................10mV/Pa
Equivalent Noise Level: .......................................19dB SPL
Max SPL: ....................................................................154dB
Self Noise: ............................................................... 19dB A
RECORDING May 2023

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