Ultra sensitive Microphone

[behzad]

Hello,
I am looking for an application of an ultrasensitive microphone. I believe the current of-the-sheld microphone sensitivity (ex. Vesper) is around 20mV/Pa. If we have a very sensitive microphone like 200-300mV/Pa; then what can we do with it? Does it have any applications? I thought it might be useful for voice activation systems for far-activation (like far activation of the Alexa system). Or maybe for an audio surveillance application

 

[Wordsushi]

I'm working on a documentary about ant flatulence, so I'd be super interested in a mic that sensitive. I need a mic that will make our audio capture sound like a truck stop men's room on taco tuesday.

 

[Tubetec]

No matter how sensitive your microphone , distance from source means more ambient noise and reflections which will probably put Alexa's hooked nose out of joint .
Do you not think Alexa itself does audio surveillance for the purpose of marketing ? many so called free services on the internet take part in some kind of eavesdropping to directly target you with products .

If you want to pick up quiet sounds at a distance maybe think about a parabolic reflector and a highly directional shotgun mic

 

[behzad]

I'm working on a documentary about ant flatulence, so I'd be super interested in a mic that sensitive. I need a mic that will make our audio capture sound like a truck stop men's room on taco tuesd

 

[behzad]

I do not have the microphone otherwise would have been super glad to ask you to give it a try and provide your feedback, but I am doing research in this area and wanted to make sure if there is any wide market or application

 

[Garagescience]

And today is..

 

[Garagescience]

And today is..

Well, it WAS April Fools Day..

In seriousness, I think that there are optical microphones that are very sensitive. If I find a link , I’ll post it.

 

[Icantthinkofaname]

Hello,
I am looking for an application of an ultrasensitive microphone. I believe the current of-the-sheld microphone sensitivity (ex. Vesper) is around 20mV/Pa. If we have a very sensitive microphone like 200-300mV/Pa; then what can we do with it? Does it have any applications? I thought it might be useful for voice activation systems for far-activation (like far activation of the Alexa system). Or maybe for an audio surveillance application

Assuming Alexa means the Amazon assistants, they really don't activate from that far away in my experience unless you're speaking quite loudly. As someone already mentioned, your best bet is likely a parabolic reflector dish and a good directional microphone (shotgun or super/hypercardioid small diaphragm condenser mic). Unfortunately how usable your audio is would be a completely different story. For surveillance planted recording devices or "bugs" would likely be much better. Unless you want to be planted somewhere with a reflector much bigger than a human body.

Proximity is also important. You might think a super sensitive microphone would be great at picking up distant sounds, but closer sounds would easily be picked up too. You'll likely either have a huge drop off in low frequencies or high frequencies, so I wouldn't expect very good audio to come from such a thing.

 

[Tubetec]

A laser interferometer aimed and reflected off a window has been used to intercept sound from a distance .
The consequences of poking your nose where it doesnt belong could have any number of hidden downsides for you personally , so think very carefully are the possible upsides worth the risk . You probably could find a paid course in surveilance and jump in with a bunch of wannabe spooks/P.I. types and law enforcement/military rejects.

The Rockford files TV show was probably way before your time , its about a private investigator in LA ,
Great theme tune too .

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Hello,
I am looking for an application of an ultrasensitive microphone. I believe the current of-the-sheld microphone sensitivity (ex. Vesper) is around 20mV/Pa. If we have a very sensitive microphone like 200-300mV/Pa; then what can we do with it? Does it have any applications? I thought it might be useful for voice activation systems for far-activation (like far activation of the Alexa system). Or maybe for an audio surveillance application

Sensitivity is just one side of the coin. What matters is the actual S/N ratio. Adding gain to a microphone signal is trivial, but it also amplifies the inherent noise sources, which are, by decreasing order of importance:

• The ambient noise
• The capsule noise
• The head amp noise

Ambient noise can be lowered by using directional mics, particularly waveguide mics (parabolic)
Capsule noise can be lowered using specific construction, large diameter and low damping
Head amp noise can be optimized by thorough design and use of high voltage bias

The actual sensitivity of the electroacoustic chain depends as much of the preamp gain as the mic's rated sensitivity.
A mic with 0.1mV/Pa and a 80dB gain preamp is not significantly different than a mic with 10mV/Pa and a preamp wit 40 dB gain. The signal for 1Pa is 1V in both cases.