The Schoeps CMC 6 microphone (Colette modular microphone system) amplifiers are not amplifiers in the classical sense. Their chieftask is to convert the extremely high-impedance signal from thecapsule to a very low-impedance one suitable for transmissionthrough a microphone cable. The versions differ in their powering,connectors, output levels and surface finishes, but they allfeature a class-A output stage which has neither couplingcondensers nor an output transformer. This leads to low sourceimpedance (insensitivity to electrical interference), lowdistortion, and light weight.
On the choice of amplifier type: If a recording device hasbalanced inputs but lacks phantom powering, it may be possible toadd 12 Volt powering rather easily by using a supply voltage thatis already present internally. In most cases 48 Volts would need tobe generated with a voltage multiplier circuit, which is moredifficult to implement. That is why we recommend the CMC 6U, whichworks with both 12 V and 48 V phantom powering so long as itconforms to the relevant standard. If it is certain that 48 Voltphantom powering will be available in all foreseeable recordingsituations, the CMC 5U can be recommended. A slight differencebetween the CMC 5 and the CMC 6 occurs at the bottom of thefrequency range. The CMC 5 rolls off below 30 Hz, while withdigital recording in mind, the Schoeps CMC 6 microphone amplifier is essentially flat to 20Hz.