Countryman B3 power requirements

R

RichT

Member
I've tried contacting Countryman about the power requirements for B3's and haven't heard back.

I've got a pair of them wired to 1/8" locking minijack and was wondering whether I can run an XLR adapter to use phantom power, or if that'll toast them.

Their datasheet says:
Power Requirements:
9 V to 48 V Phantom (4 mA @ 48 V)

However I'm wondering whether that's just with their factory XLR adapter (does it attenuate the voltage?) or not?
 
Countryman B3 with Sennheiser mini-jack - XLR adapter

Countryman B3 with Sennheiser mini-jack - XLR adapter

I've had good luck using Sennheiser MZA900-P XLR adapters with *most* of my Countryman mics.

Link here ( B&H Photo )

My B3s and my EMW work just fine with the MZA900P adapters, but my B6s don't. I'm not sure why the B6s don't work.

Anyway, it's a flexible, high-quality solution if the mic is compatible.

Cheers,

Stephen H
 
I'm assuming you've got your B3's wired for G2 or G3 transmitters? Looking at countryman's wiring page, the B3 wired for a G2/G3 will NOT take phantom power straight up. It's less a matter of attenuating voltage and more how the mic wants power delivered. You'll need their adapter (or another than you're certain is properly wired)
 
Thanks Stephen and Jordan

It's the same wiring for all the 3.5mm locking sockets so the sennheiser adapter (or similar) should work. However it costs almost as much as another B3 wired for XLR (even the DPA phantom adaptor is cheaper).

Rode seem to do one http://www.rodemic.com/accessory.php?product=micon5
It's got a 5V output, but has a weird connector
 
Last edited:
Thanks Steve, the US price seems a bit more friendly and doesn't have the low cut etc
Now to see if anywhere in the UK stocks them
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top