Danish company DPA knows a thing or two about making condenser microphones, having earned a great reputation for its high-end studio condenser mics. The company has also figured out how to make condenser mics really small, which is a huge plus in applications where a mic should be heard and not seen. Their latest--and smallest--condenser design sits at the end of the d:fine model 6066 headset mic system.
What's new?
In addition to the new capsule design (more on that later), the 6066 represents a complete redesign of DPA's over-the-ears headset system. How the headset adjusts, how it sits over the ears, how the boom extends and the cable flows--all new. DPA has had some great headset designs in the past, but the 6066 represents an unmistakable step up.
Unlike headsets that hang on one ear, the 6066 has grips for both. The two ear grips connect with a curved piece of wire that sits at the base of your neck. The boom extends from under one ear, and the cable runs straight down at the back of your neck. Nearly every aspect of the headset is adjustable, including the distance between the ear grips, which side the boom extends from, the length and angle of the boom, even where the cable drops down from the rear frame. What can't be adjusted can be bent slightly for comfort.
If you take your time getting the fit dialed in, you'll quickly forget you're wearing the headset at all.
My head can be hard to fit, but with a few minutes of adjusting I was able to get comfortable with the 6066. The whole headset assembly feels lighter and more supple--more refined overall--than previous DPA designs. If you take your time getting the fit dialed in, you'll quickly forget you're wearing the headset at all.
The big news with the 6066 is that small capsule. In the world of microphone capsules, size truly does matter. Like a bigger sail catching more wind, a larger capsule picks up more sound energy. This translates to higher sensitivity and less noise. The 6066 has a tiny 3mm capsule, reduced from 5mm in DPA's earlier designs. That cuts surface area of the capsule by two thirds, which should mean a big hit in sensitivity and a corresponding increase in noise. Thanks to DPA's CORE amplifier technology, however, the smaller capsule delivers the same performance as the previous designs. It may even be a bit better.
The 6066 mic itself is dramatically smaller [than DPA's 4066], which makes it much less visible to audience or camera.
I was able to compare the 6066 to DPA's older 4066 miniature headset design, a workhorse used in countless stage productions and films. The 6066 mic itself is dramatically smaller, which makes it much less visible to audience or camera. Sonically, the 6066 easily matched the 4066. For both speech and singing, I actually preferred the clearer articulation of the 6066 over the 4066 (with "soft boost" cap). The big surprise was a comparison of noise floor. With a matched gain setting on the mic preamp, the 6066's self-noise was actually less noticeable than that of the 4066. The CORE amplifier is clearly doing a great job with less.
Quality, performance, durability
Whether a mic capsule is 3mm or an inch across, it all still comes back to sound quality. Here the 6066 does not disappoint. Its sound is clear, balanced, open. The 6066's performance for speech was flawless, but singing is a tougher challenge. In a studio test, I recorded a vocalist with the 6066 and a high-end handheld condenser mic. The results were surprising. The 6066's sound was clearer but less full (due largely to proximity effect with the handheld mic), and only marginally less pleasant to listen to. In short, vocalists can use the 6066 without reservation. I can think of no situation where a listener, if they closed their eyes, would say, "Hey--that's not a handheld mic, it's a headset."
DPA wisely included a service connector that makes it easy to swap out the component most likely to fail: the cable.
The CORE amplifier is impressive, but it still has to obey the laws of physics. Is the 6066 noisier than a typical handheld mic (or small-diaphragm condenser)? Yes, but consider the real-world impact. The DPA is not going to be used six feet from a timid child reading scripture. It's going to be picking up a voice from millimeters away, in a live environment with music or other background noise. Still hear some hiss from the 6066? Try a noise gate.
Though DPA headsets have proven themselves rugged, they've got more to go wrong than a handheld mic. Things break, and DPA wisely included a service connector that makes it easy to swap out the component most likely to fail: the cable. DPA owners would be wise to keep at least one backup cable on-hand. The mic itself should give you no problems. It's built tough, and waterproof to boot.
Everything about the DPA 6066 oozes quality, but that quality comes with a price. At around $800, the 6066 won't fit every budget. Those that can afford it, however, will be rewarded with outstanding comfort and sound quality. This is as good as it gets.
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Learn more here: https://www.dpamicrophones.com/dfine/6066-subminiature-headset-microphone.
