Some older ribbon microphones can get damaged by phantom power.

Hm ... dangerous. But I guess the likelihood of those preamps seeing an old ribbon is fairly small but still ...

OK, I believe it's phantom powered at 15V, it's not clear, I only picked that up by searching around comments on the net? It also appears that it is just "always on", no physical switch I can see.

The tech spec on the ECM8000 says it works with 15-48v phantom! So, it should work fine IMHO

Indeed; the 302USB seem to provide only 15V of phantom power. This should be clearly stated somewhere even if most condensers will work with only 15V.

Oh. So do I proceed with the 302 or...:( ?

Well, if you feel that the product suits your need, then yes, although I haven’t looked at it thoroughly so make sure that you can do a two channel recording with it (for loopback purposes).

I will not be able to Demo it before buying. Looks like I need to go for it. Seems like the best option so far. Will probably buy it tomorrow. I hope it's not restricted to Mac or Windows either

Why - are you working in Linyx?

If so it would be worth your while to see if there are any drivers that have been developed for that specific piece of gear in your version.

Rod

No Linux. I use Windows & Mac. So I hope it's not restricted to either in terms of drivers (if any)..

Well I went through their info on this - they have drivers for various versions of windows for this hardware - there are no driver for Mac - however - they also provide various pieces of software for both windows and Mac machines for this hardware.

They note that you need to install the drivers for windows - and never mention Mac machines in that regard.

The suggestion (made through omission) is that a Mac would be able to recognize and configure for the hardware - however that is just a logical analysis based on the info at hand and not is known to be fact.

Rod

Oh I see. Thanks for the info Mr. Rod. I appreciate Ur efforts...

This guy in the video has tested the voltage & confirmed phantom power (48v) on the 302 USB. So I guess it's good news...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNmO7...e_gdata_player

Phantom power; yes. 48V; no.

He says 14,65 volts (at 10:00). Perhaps if powered with an adapter it might provide 48V.

Thanks for clearing that up Jens. I don't think the ECM would like 15v a lot. See page 2 of this PDF
http://www.tdl-tech.com/miccalax.pdf

I'm better off going with the Xenyx 502 to be absolutely safe...

This is also in the same price bracket. Seems quite good as well

http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardwa...t-track--68396

Just a caution - this appears to be a discontinued product - I could find no reference to it when I just searched the M-Audio website.

Rod

Thanks as always Rod. U were right. Just checked with the guy at the store. He said the best option for me is the
http://www.behringer.com/FR/Products/PS400.aspx

He said he will check the availability & let me know tomorrow. Looks JUST about what's needed without any unnecessary circuitry...

Hi Jol. May I ask what is your overall goal here?
If it is to do some home recording and measurement, then an Interface is needed.
If you want to Measure only, I recommend borrowing a preamp and using your existing soundcard. Perhaps an even better option ongoing would be to buy a Measurement Mic with USB on board. The MiniDSP UMK-1 one comes with an individual Calibration File.
If you intend getting into sophisticated measurement you will need an interface with a second channel for Loopback Correction.
I kinda like the look of the Mackie Blackjack.
If you are getting into Measurement with possible DRC, there are products which involve the Mic and Room Correction software, e.g. ARC

DD

I bought the Behringer PS400 to go with my ECM-8000. Was just about what I wanted. Can't wait to hook it up & start over with my first measurement.
I do not record or do any mixing. It's purely to treat my listening room for 2 channel music. I have some issues with the lower
Midrange since a long time which are not getting sorted out inspite of many tweaks. So it's about time I do it the proper way by measuring the room & then taking advise from u people. Hope to start-over tomorrow & post my graphs.
And once again, Welcome back Dan