Sanken has a new mic named the CUX-100K. It is very interesting:
It has two capsules: a rectangular capsule and the co-100k capsule.
In omni mode it uses the co-100k capsule exclusively (I believe).
In "far cardioid" mode it blends the rectangular cardioid capsule with the co-100k capsule, producing some sort of blend.
In "near cardioid" mode it uses the rectangular cardoid capsule exclusively and only goes up to 50k instead of 100k (I believe). The blended capsule design is supposed to produce better this and that.

It looks extremely well made, and the design concept is intriguing and not something I have seen anywhere else.

Has anybody actually used this mic?

sanken is the most reclusive major mic manufacturer i can think of. there's about five million youtube vidoes demoing neumann mics. and there's about five sanken videos that have actual audio demos in them. the few sanken official videos that do exist are essentially interviews with first-tier professionals telling you how great the mics are. but they never get around to demonstrating the mics through actual audio recordings... very strange!

the mic has been out for year now, and there are no meaningful demos on youtube or soundcloud.

it looks awesome, but i don't know any way to demo these because they seem to be special order only, and no rental houses or local studios have it as far as i know.

i do not own one but i own a cu41

sanken mics are SPECIAL

love my sankens but god forbid you have to send them back to Japan for repairs.I was just told 6 month turnaround and 500 bucks for a CS3e.
so I said Fvck it and bought another mint condition used one locally.

Hm, this is not my experience in Europe, where my dealer (who imports directly from the factory) can do most of the repairs himself. Many people believe that the CU-44xII (for example) can only be opened with factory tools, but this is not the case. The CS3e is very common here in the rigs of movie and TV sound guys, and in no way would they be able to use these as a professional tool if there was a repair turnaround of 6 months.

Yeah unfortunately that’s the deal here in the USA.
I’ve had my Tech at Location Sound Corp fix one that had a grounding issue.
The current issue is loud hissing rf interference and I’m told it’s likely going back to Japan.
why I have 3 spares for my location rig.

I've heard great things about the CU41.

I've always wanted to try one out.

Curious about CUX-100K as well.

I'm wondering if Sanken CUX-100K can replace its older brother (CU-44X MK II). That way, you'll use the cardioid capability of your CUX-100K for the CU-44X MK II duties, and you'll also get to record high sample-rate sound effects and music when needed.

Anyone knows the answer?

From Garrett at Plus 24 (Sanken’s US Distributor):

“The Sanken CUX-100 truly shines with a frequency response from 20Hz up to 100kHz. It's no ordinary microphone, using a special rectangular capsule to keep low frequencies in check at high Sound Pressure Levels, and the CO-100k capsule for reaching those ultra-high frequencies. The CUX-100k cleverly sums both capsules within the mic preamp using the positive and negative aspects of the XLR. This smart design skips the need for additional electronics within the microphone, keeping the transient response pristine. The available polar patterns include cardioid near, far, and omni.

When pitted against the CU-44, the CUX-100k presents a tight, punchy, and transparent sound. The CU-44, in contrast, leans more towards a round and warm audio profile.

The CUX-100k is a star performer across a wide range of applications. It particularly stands out with instrumentation, room microphones, sound design, and vocals. It shows preference for baritone and bass male voices and also performs well on backing vocals.”

The external preamp summing is really interesting.

such silly attributions do not help the product, on the contrary...