My first consideration was the ECM8000. Some research led me to conclude that the response curve of the ECM8000 falls off oddly somewhere below about 50Hz and has some inconsistencies from one ECM8000 to the next such that using the general microphone compensation curve in software like TrueRTA for the ECM8000 can give errors in some portions of the useful frequency range of more than +/-1dB. So my next thought was to buy and have a specific ECM8000 tested so that I would know the exact compensation data to enter for that microphone. In the end, however, the cost of the ECM8000 plus analysis was nearly the same as the cost of the M30. So, if I go for the M30 to begin with, I will not only have a better microphone, but it will have been tested and come with specific compensation data.

Even if coin is limited at the moment, I’m the type of person that would rather wait and save to create a test rig with an M30 rather than buy the ECM8000 (without specific compensation analysis) now and come to doubt my results and work later on. I also tend to trust equipment, if it is known to be consistent, over my own ear-brain interpretations that vary day-to-day, so I have a personal need to have great confidence in the test gear.