recordinghacks

Mercenary Audio Mfg KM-69

Cardioid Pencil Condenser Microphone

The KM-69 is a transformer-coupled FET condenser mic, designed to replace Neumann’s vintage and relatively unobtainable KM-84.

Mercenary Audio

During its design, it came very close to the sound of the KM-84, but the tweaking didn’t stop. We tweezed in a tad better clarity and detail without sacrificing depth, making it a stunner for acoustic instruments. It was given a little more air on top, and the sound was carefully balanced so as not to take away from the subtle richness and “velvet” that was one of the main traits that we wanted to emulate.

The name is a derivation of Neumann’s naming scheme. According to Fletcher, KM stands for “Kondenser Microphone.” In Neumann’s usage, it stands for Kleine Mikrofon. The number 69 is a recurring theme in Mercenary’s products.

Fletcher

The stuff inside [the microphone] is made in the US… the body (which is more a copy of a Sennheiser MD-221 body than a KM-84 body) is built in China. We were having the logo badges built in China but with a 30% acceptance rate it’s actually less expensive to have the logos built here in the US. The wood box is built in China, the cardboard box is built in the US… all screening/etching is done in the US.

Much of the stuff inside the mic is actually proprietary and is built only for us and that mic (in the US). The mic is also assembled in the US…

The mic’s body is sourced from China, and therefore can be found on other, less expensive mics, such as the CAD GXL 1200. Needless to say, the two mics’ internals have little in common.

The mic’s capsule head is detachable. Although no plans have been announced, it remains a possibility that Mercenary will eventually release alternative capsules for the KM-69 amplifier body.

The KM-69 ships with a mic clip in a padded wood box.

The Mercenary Audio Mfg KM-69 is also known as: KM69.

The mic was released in 2008.

Specifications

Pickup Patterns	Pads & Filters
Cardioid (n/a mV/Pa; n/a)

Capsule Dimensions	Impedance	SPL/Noise
Diameter n/a	n/a

Weight	Length	Max Diameter	Interface(s)
n/a	100mm (3.94'')	n/a	3-pin XLR male (1)

Power Specifications
Requires phantom power Phantom voltage: 48v

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