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CAD Audio M9

Cardioid Tube Condenser Microphone

The M9 is a cardioid tube microphone. It was essentially the tube version of the company’s popular M177 FET condenser, with a tube amplifier stage and an Equitek-style opamp output circuit.

The tube was a 12AX7, sourced from Sovtek in Russia. Tubes are screened by CAD for noise, and burned in to eliminate early failures. The tube is socketed on the circuit board, facilitating replacement by the owner.

The capsule is reportedly a Chinese-supplied K67 copy, as is found in the M177 and M179.

We have heard of a “gold” version of the M9, which was supplied with an Optema 110 capsule. We believe the Optema 110 was also a K67 derivative. The Optema capsules were built by CAD in the Conneaut, OH facility, prior to 2003.

SoundOnSound

Comparing the M9 with my various reference mics, principally Sennheiser MKH models and Neumann KM and TLM designs, I found it performed extraordinarily well, particularly since it cost typically half as much as the models I was comparing it to!

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The mic was released in 2002.

Specifications

Frequency Response - CardioidClick Graph to Compare!

Pickup Patterns	Pads & Filters
Cardioid (14 mV/Pa; 20 - 20,000 Hz)	Pad: -16dB pad (Via Switch) Filter: HPF, -6dB@100Hz (Via Switch)

Capsule Dimensions	Impedance	SPL/Noise
Diaphragm diameter: 28mm	n/a	Max SPL: 155 dB

Weight	Length	Max Diameter	Interface(s)
500g (17.64oz)	175mm (6.89'')	55mm (2.17'')	3-pin XLR male (1)

Power Specifications
Includes tube power supply

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