Sony C500

The Sony C500 is a solid-state medium diaphragm cardioid condenser microphone built in the 1970’s. Despite the enormous size of the head basket, the C500 does not have a large diaphragm. And contrary to popular belief, this mic is not “Sony’s answer to the Neumann U47 FET”. 

But it is a curious and interesting microphone design concept. The suspended capsule inside of the giant head basket is meant to remove, or at least minimize the acoustic impact of head grill on the microphone’s performance, like a capsule suspended in mid-air. The large physical footprint of the mic also makes the it pretty tough to position it tight spots, especially when you consider that one of the benefits of a small diaphragm condenser is that it is easy to place in hard-to-reach places. But you can’t argue that the C500 looks amazing.

The C500 is a bright mic, especially when compared to other Sony mics which typically have a relatively smooth and neutral frequency response. It is a popular choice for male vocals (it’s been used as Stevie Wonder’s vocal mic on several occasions), but can be a bit thin for some female vocalists. Because of it’s mistaken identity as Sony’s U47, it often gets used in front of a kick drum. In my experience it falls a bit flat in that role, picking up more cymbals than you want, and not enough “boof". I’ve had good experience using it on acoustic instruments, dead-room drums, Rhodes pianos, and electric guitar amps. It has a nice 70’s crispiness to it that cuts through a mix with style. 

The C500’s have a common problem with the voltage converter which is a small proprietary module that is very difficult/impossible to repair, and Sony no longer has parts or services them. Our friend John Peluso is working on a direct replacement which will help save lots of toasted C500s the world over, including one of our own.

Please excuse the hideous capsule photos. These mics are a pain to open up, so I did it our shop and only had my phone with me.