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SE Electronics X1

Cardioid Condenser Microphone

The X1, aka “SEX1,” is an entry-level FET condenser microphone, designed specifically to outperform competitive models at a sub-$200 street price.

The capsule is described as “hand-built.” It is a large-diaphragm, center-terminated design.

The headbasket grille is a single layer of metal mesh. The face of the grille is sloped to reduce standing-wave coloration.

Switches on the front of the mic body provide a -10dB pad and a high-pass filter. The filter appears to operate at a higher cutoff frequency (approximately 500Hz), and with a milder slope (4dB/octave) than is typical.

The mic’s frequency response is nominally flat from 30Hz–3kHz, and has a smoothly rising presence peak (+3dB) around 12kHz.

At 25.1mV/Pa, the mic’s sensitivity is higher than many competitive models. Its self-noise (16dBA) is relatively low, making the mic suitable for recording quiet sources.

To reduce costs, the mic ships with a mic clip only. A flight case and shockmount are available separately.

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The mic was released in 2010.

Specifications

Pickup Patterns	Pads & Filters
CHART Cardioid (25.1 mV/Pa; 20 - 20,000 Hz)	Pad: -10dB (Via Switch) Filter: HPF: -4dB/octave @ 500Hz (Via Switch)

Capsule Dimensions	Impedance	SPL/Noise
Diameter n/a	200 Ohms (Low)	Max SPL: 125 dB Self-noise: 16.0 dB(A)

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

Power Specifications
Requires phantom power Phantom voltage: 48±4v

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