Hey all!

I doubt there's a difference, but has anyone with the D50 compared the "Don King" windscreen with the K-Tek Topper windscreen (K-Tek D1 Topper - Windscreen Topper f/ PCM-D1 K-D1TPR-FF - B&H)? I have the "Don King" and I feel it doesn't protect as much as I'd like. I went out to record some river sounds and I frequently have to hipass 500hz or higher to cut out wind. I generally feel that if there's even a slight breeze the "Don King" slightly cushions the wind to a manageable level.

Rycote make some great ones for most portable recorders.

You can make your own with faux fur if you select the proper materials, and know how to sew...

mind you this forum is called gearslutz, so maybe not many DIY'rs here.

Try Redhead (RedHead Windscreens) - use one on my Sony PCM-M10 and it works a treat and is reasonably priced (must be said I never used sony's own or the rycote though)

Great! Thanks for the suggestions. I'd love to hear about someone comparing the original PCM windscreen to these other ones, but I think for price I'd probably take a gamble.

I can recommend the Dead Kitten from RØDE which is originally intended for the NT4 microphone. When I got my NT4 I checked the Dead Kitten as a wind screen for my D-50 and it fits and works better than the original Sony fur wind screen I have too. Since then I use the Dead Kitten ... it's even cheaper than the Sony one.

Thank you! This looks promising!

The Sony D-50 already has a great "frame" for a windscreen in front of it's built in mics. Take a single layer of some "knee high" material and secure it over the frame that protects the mics on the D-50. You can cut it short and secure it with a rubber band. That doesn't work? Try two layers. That doesn't work? Try three layers. Much better than a foam.

Greg Youngman Music: Jan 9, 2006

+1 have boght the sony one. it does not work at all. but the dead kitten does! It is perfect for the D50! I would not think twice and just buy it.
And sony should stop selling theirs.

I recently took the Sony PCM-D50 on family vacation armed with both RedHead windshield & a Rycote Portable Recorder Kit. I also own a deadkitten from Rode.

My observations are as follows:
1. Rode : Kills high frequencies as the material mesh is thick .. like the skin off a kitten.. good wind protection, but recording rain it totally destroyed the crispness of the water hitting the grass.

2. Redhead : Very impressed with these, however they are very 'snug' and so any direct wind from front caused a little rumble. No perceivable HF loss compared to deadkitten. Also they are made to fit a particular recorder, and seem to be a little loose, whipping the recorder in and out of my bag, the windshield kept coming off.

3. Rycote portable recorder kit fluffy : This was my favorite and I used it exclusively the rest of the trip. It handled most wind situations, was very transparent like the redheads, but due to it's length, the extra skin gave much better wind protection in heavier wind situations specially any direct wind towards the mics. The elastic on the fluffy was awesome, it fit very snugly onto the PCM-D50 roll cage and didn't keep coming off while drawing and stowing in my day pack.

My suggestion, fork out the $130-150 for the Rycote Portable recorder kit and get a handle, suspension and fluffy which will fit most portable recorders.

I love my d-50 but I just have the default sony windscreen.