10Apr Azden FMX-DSLR portable XLR mixer
More companies keep jumping into the audio adapter market, this time it’s Azden with the FMX-DSLR portable XLR mixer. On the plus side Azden is offering a 2 channel mixer with XLR and 3.5mm inputs for under $300 (currently $285). The FMX-DSLR also provides up to +16db of gain and uses four AA batteries for up to 15 hours of operation. You even get big easy to use knobs for volume control.
Unfortunately the FMX-DSLR doesn’t included phantom power and the 16db of gain is far less than what’s offered by some of the other adapters on the market. On the other hand if you don’t need phantom power and you are working with a good strong signal, the FMX-DSLR is about a $100 less them some of the other options out there.
I only had about 15 minutes to spend with the FMX-DSLR at NAB. Audio quality sounds pretty good, but it’s hard to get a feel for it in a noise convention center. The build is mostly plastic, but felt reasonably solid for the price. It’s another interesting addition to the market and might be worth a look if you are in the market for an XLR adapter.
April 10th, 2013 at 10:21 am
Wow, no phantom power sounds like a big negative. Most of the best mics on the market are phantom powered and even the battery operated ones sound better under phantom power. Thanks for the NAB update.
April 11th, 2013 at 9:45 pm
Hope to hear the sound quality. Azden stuff doesn’t seem that great, just inexpensive.
October 20th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
According to the owner manual (http://www.azdencorp.com/pdf/FMX-DSLR-manual.pdf), the FMX DSLR does provide 48V phantom power. There are switches on the bottom of the unit.
I’m curious about the performance of this unit, as the units from Beachtex and Juicedlink are much more expensive. If the preamps are clean and the noise level is low, this could be a good alternative.
December 12th, 2013 at 10:03 am
It also supplies 3.5V plug-in power on the 3.5mm MIC2 input. That’s very useful indeed. And an audio return which is switchable between the mic output and the output from the camera. I would be interested if anyone has tested this too regarding its preamps.