The SP-TFB-2 Sound Professionals In-Ear Binaural microphones are mounted in extremely comfortable super-soft, In-Ear holders that slip right into the ear structure. Why put microphone here you ask?
Pretty simple, really. There have been many ‘binaural’ microphone designs over the years…….mics built into fake heads, built into Croakies, made with clips for attaching to glasses, built into headphones and earbuds.
All of these have one flaw……none actually put the mic element in the best possible place for the most realistic recording within the Pinna (the part of the human ear that is visible the folds on the outside). Even earbud Binaurals have the mic element outside the Pinna. Because everyone’s Pinna is unique, recording made in your own ears will sound the most realistic.
These mics put the mic element right next to the ear canal, well within the Pinna. This results in the most realistic recording possible, from the perspective of the person wearing them. While recording, your hearing is not impaired, so you can enjoy the sound of the performance while making very realistic recording. The cables terminate in a stereo 1/8″ (3.5mm) gold-plated miniplug. There are two available microphone sensitivities. The standard sensitivity option is for use in situations that will range from fairly quiet to very loud sounds. The high sensitivity option is for use in situations that will range from very quiet to moderately loud sounds.
Recommended accessories:
- Windscreens: Since there are some variances in the shape of the human ear, and especially for customers with larger than average ears, and/or for windy situations, soft foam windscreens are available. These windscreens are acoustically transparent, and allow sound to pass through to your ears and the microphones completely unchanged. These are also handy for those recordists who need the microphones to be very unobtrusive as they completely cover the mic element. Windscreens are not returnable.
- Microphone power supply (Battery Modules): For loud recording situations, the mics need more power than typical recorder can provide. You can also use battery module to adjust bass response and adjust levels. See the details on each module for features and specifications.
Features:
- Flat frequency response
- Omni-directional pickup pattern
- Small size
- Can be used directly with any recorder that has “plug-in-power” or with battery module
- Produces extremely realistic recordings
Specifications:
Standard sensitivity
- Pickup Pattern: Omnidirectional
- Frequency Range: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz +/-1dB
- Sensitivity: -42dB ±3dB @ 94dB SPL
- S/N Ratio: 60dB
- Maximum SPL at 12vdc: 120dB
- Dynamic Range: 94dB, 1 kHz at Max SPL
- Impedance: 2.2 kOhms
- Voltage range – 2vdc – 12vdc (48v on XLR version)
- Current draw: 500 µA
High sensitivity
- Pickup Pattern: Omnidirectional
- Frequency Range: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz +/-1dB
- Sensitivity: -30dB ±3dB @ 94dB SPL
- S/N Ratio: 68dB
- Maximum SPL at 12vdc: 115dB
- Dynamic Range: 109dB, 1 kHz at Max SPL
- Impedance: 2.2 kOhms
- Voltage range – 2vdc – 12vdc (48v on XLR version)
- Current draw: 500 µA
Tim Apple (verified owner) –
I’ll start off by saying the customer service for this product is handled very well. I bought these with the intention of recording my stereo system and then my headphones to try and equalize them more closely than doing so by ear. I emailed their support to ask a bunch of questions related to this and they tried their best to help every time.
The first pair of microphones I received had a dead left channel (not sure if it was DOA or my own doing) but I was able to send them back and they replaced them with a new pair. They even tested them with the handheld recorder I bought to ensure I would have no issues.
As far as using the new mic’s I now have, they work great with my Tascam DR-05x. I haven’t taken loopback measurements of the recorder to figure out if the mic’s measure flat or not but the response I get when measuring my speakers is far from what I get when using my calibrated measurement mic. It could be the Tascam recorder though. Either way, I can still use the measurements taken with the mic’s in my ears to do equalization regardless of how they measure.
Great experience overall after the initial hurdles!
Paul B – Host of Window to the Magic Podcast (verified owner) –
As the host of the longest running Disneyland podcast on the Internet, WIndowtotheMagic, I can attest that these microphones are fabulous products. We have been recording our theme park experiences throughout the world for nearly 2 decades, most of these recordings have been done using these microphones. Their small size and incredible sound make them a wonderful choice for anyone wishing to recorded extremely accurate by binaural recordings. We cannot recommend these microphones highly enough.
aaronleong76 –
So close, Sound Professionals! I’m keeping these, but I hope you implement some kind of earhook (like IEMs). Right now, the mics keep popping off the concha unless they’re installed JUST so. Otherwise, the recording quality is spot on!
SoundPro note: thank you for the review. These are one. These are one size fits all, so for larger ears, we recommend using foam windscreens. They will secure the mics for a good fit.
xpoileremmo (verified owner) –
Very positive experience with these. They are not uncomfortable by any means and i use them to measure headphones exclusively.
They behave well enough and put out consistent results, measurement after measurement, the graph tracks very nicely what i hear when measuring and it’s good enough to generate accurate eq filters.
Eazy Red A –
Honestly, these paired with the Zoom h1n for casual on the go recording is insane. Personally I use these to calibrate my headphones (roughly) so I can flatten their response as much as possible. these aren’t really linear in response once in the ear which is normal, however when you record something like a skating rink (did that myself) its ridiculous how real it sounds. I recently bought the 12v phantom power module for these, but will they take 12v? I thought it was 10v.. we’ll find out lol (Soundpro tech note: Yes, these handle 12v easily)
Rasmus –
Rasmus
Reviewed in the United States
As merely a fresh enthusiast (who barely knows what he’s doing) who’ve loved the idea of binaural audio, I was absolutely blown away! I truly feel as if I’m recording audio memories and I get addicted to just recording mundane things, such as walking to the store or getting pizza. It sounds identical to when it actually happened!
The cable is long enough to tread over the ears and still allows me to keep the recorder in my pants pocket. Still doesn’t stop me from attempting to fit them with the microphone pointing inwards like an idiot every now and then but the mistake doesn’t last for more than seconds as it won’t sit properly that way. They’re barely noticeable when set properly and easy to forget.
Note to those like myself who throw themselves into this, an audio recorder like the ZOOM H1n (or their mobile phone adapter) for example is ESSENTIAL. I initially thought I’d be able to plug these into the headphone jack on my phone using an adapter, until I found out stereo sound is impossible for headphone jacks. I also plugged them into a camera and tried recording using its video mode but it could not do the microphones justice (the quality was just bad). What you plug these into makes all the difference and a dedicated audio recorder is 100% worth the extra purchase.
G. Cole –
Pretty amazing!
Reviewed in the United States
I’ve been interested in Binaural sound since the late 1970’s when I hear a few of the albums that Lou Reed had recorded using a Binaural recording system. In fact, the best live album that I have ever heard was Lou’s Take No Prisoners which you can listen to on Amazon Music. I highly recommend it. A warning though, Lou uses some pretty strong language at times so it’s not for everyone. Put a pair of headphones on and you’re there. Okay, back to my review. I tried them out this weekend and I’m pretty impressed. No, I’m amazed! I have them paired up with the Zoom H1n. The only problem I had was they kept falling out of my ears. I got home, looked at the pictures on the listing and realized I had been wearing them wrong that’s why they kept falling out. My next recording I make with them should go a lot smoother. I’d also recommend getting the optional windscreens.
Billy –
See my video review here
digifish music –
I have an Edirol R-09 and these mics (SP-TFB-2 High Sensitivity) are a perfect match for this recorder. Stop reading and order a pair end of story. But I can’t end there, I have to rave about them. They improve on the internal mics in every way, far higher sensitivity (I’ve been using a setting of 8 on the high gain mode to record quiet sounds! Looks like I will get to use the low-gain setting for the first time ever), lower noise, better frequency response, clarity and of course stereo imaging. I record mostly quiet sources for ambience and sound FX in music/video production. My other field recording gear includes a Sound Devices Mix-Pre and Rode NT-55 stereo mics, so I know what quality gear sounds like…and for price this is simply astounding. Thanks guys, I am going to have some fun with these 🙂 digifish music.
Drew Weber –
The in-ear binaural microphones from the sound professionals bring to life, the audio around you. If your looking for a complete 3D emersion, you need to look no further. The new Master series brings up the volume, and down the noise making recordings that much more life like. The shielded cable option truly shields, it’s like I’ve got XLR cables but I’m only using a gold plated 8th inch running into my Zoom H1 recorder. If your wanting to record high volume sounds such as loud music or loud bangs, I’d suggest you invest in a power module, as my experience with the H1 clips easily.
David Mathis –
Exceeded expectations
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2019
Had purchased the Hooke Verse which turned out to be atrocious. They would not stay in my ears and the noise level was unacceptable. Plus I never intended to record through Bluetooth.
These Sound Professionals earbuds on other hand have exceeded my expectations. I was telling a buddy at work that I ordered them and was saying “wouldn’t it be funny if they perform as good as the 3Dio”. Well, surprise! The recordings are equivalent to my 3Dio.
The reason I prefer these to the 3Dio is portability. I record continuous walks in cities and in nature. These are simple and discrete. Two earbuds and a wire hooked into a Zoom H1n resulting in pro audio for 200 dollars. People don’t even know I’m recording. I’m not cayuing heavy equipment around!
If you’ve never experienced 3D audio before you can YouTube 3Dio. The sound quality from these are no less so the 3Dio will give you an idea of what to expect.
A message to the makers/sellers of these. I sincerely hope you continue to make/sell. I will be a lifetime customer.
bookmouse –
Great value, a couple very minor quibbles
Reviewed in the United States
I’m an amateur or hobbyist user. I use these microphones with my Zoom H4n recorder specifically for the binaural (3d) sound.
Putting the microphones in my ears can be awkward, but I haven’t had any issues with them falling out (either with or without the wind screens) as reported by others. There is a small plastic ‘noose’ ring on the wires leading to each microphone, and I recommend tightening that ring so the wire is snug against the back of your head once you’ve put the microphones in.
Overall, this is a great value for the price.
Mark H –
The SP-TFB-2 microphones are absolutely awesome. It’s hard to believe the quality of sound they capture given their low price. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in binaural recording.Also, service from TSP is excellent.
Anonymous –
I love my new binaural in ear microphones from Sound Professionals. I have been recording for years and honestly haven’t heard a better sounding piece of gear,considering the price. I tested the mics side by side with the tascam dr-05 internal omni mics and it was clear which sounded better. Great customer service with Sound Professionals they answered all my questions fast and shipped even faster. Thanks.
Miika Silfverberg –
I agree with basically every 5-star comment above, excellent product! One thing to add is that this mic is also a great counterpart for Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which shoots great video, but has a lousy in-built mic. The SP mic works great with this SLR.
Anonymous –
FAST shipping, and these are just about everything I’d hoped for. I was a little worried that these would be too cheap to make a good recording, but they’re great (good sound quality and matched left and right) and the binaural effect is as good as you could hope for. In general, I find that the binaural effect is more effective in making sounds more “realistic,” and doesn’t capture the 3D direction as well as I had imagined. I suspect that this has more to do with psychoacoustics than with this particular set of mics. It still captures good directionality within a certain range of hard left or right (as opposed to front vs. back or up vs. down), but on the whole, I find that the advantage of recording this way is making a more life-like recording, rather than being able to capture a precise directional 3D sound field. So, if you’re curious about this kind of recording, you’re going to be happy with these microphones; for the price, they’re really impressive, and you can’t get them anywhere else.
Anonymous –
I used these to create an effect for our haunted house. These microphones are so amazing. I used a sony mp3 IC recorder and got great results. Thanks Sound Professionals for offering such a great product at a great price!!! 🙂
Sean –
Whoa! These mics are super awesome and pretty comfortable in my ears to wear. I haven’t had one single issue with these. Since they are so small and provide such real sound coverage, I always have them with me.
Drew –
This review is coming from a guy who is blind, so, obviously, sound is my world. If you are looking to do field recording which sounds through a good pare of headphones in future playback, at least 90 percent like it did in actuality, you need these. their not just stereo friends, their truly BINAURAL. Feel free to listen to the samples provided from the Sound Professionals, and while they might amaze you, their is truly no amazement like listening to something you, yourself have recorded with these microphones, and getting almost dizzy from the truly fine detailed placement of the many sounds within the stereo spectrum that float back into your ears. Though this may be astonishing enough in itself, it’s not just the sound placement that is apsalutly amazing about these microphones. The fine detail of sound capture: from the high sibalence of voices, to the low rumble of 4th of July Fireworks displays, all of this and more you will be able to relive again and again with the audio capture of these microphones. Being blind, digital sound recording is my camra, and these microphones are now the perfect lenzes for the job. Thanks Sound Professionals. their not just stereo friends, their truly BINAURAL.
Ronald Wilkinson –
I recieved these microphones in the mail today and at first I thought that the box may be empty, so I panicked a bit. It was just so small I didn’t see them right off the bat. They are small but the clarity is amazing. They have a surround sound quality…a very 3D effect. I didn’t notice any hum or hiss when using this microphone. Simply amazing.
Sergio Goncalves –
These mics are awesome. With all fairness, I have to say they didn’t feel that secure in my ears last night (my first recording with them). Maybe my ears are smaller than the average human ear, who knows? The playback realism is almost scary. However, I believe they get a little bit in the sound way, I mean, there’s a small sound blockage. Maybe it has something to do with my ears size( I had to stick’em real deep in my ears to keep them secure. Still, they deserve 5 stars. Great stuff for only 69 bucks.
Anonymous –
I have been very pleased with these mics. The sound quality has been good and they are very subtle.
Mike –
I have to agree with all the other reviews. These are very small but very able. The recordings are very convincing. If you’re in the market, these are your best bet!
Anonymous –
I really didn’t expect to be able to say this, but I just finished a really critical blind listening comparison between a set of DSM’s (really expensive) and these mics. My friend and I were right next to each other at the show and use the same model recorder. We adjust the levels using Soundforge so that they both had the same “loudness”, but no other changes were made. I really expected my recording with my $69 mics to be worse than the DSM recording (his mics were about $600!), but my recording actually sounds better on both headphones and speakers! My mics are also harder to see (stealthy). We both agreed that my recording with the ear binaurals was more open, more lifelike and had less hiss. We have had a few other listen also and the results are the same.My friend is not happy, to say the least.My suggestion is to try these out before you go and buy any other binaural microphone.Happy recording!Dan
Anonymous –
I edit films. It is necessary to have a continuous ambient sound track running along with film cuts of a similar nature. This creates an illusion that the cuts follow a continuous temporal sequence even though they may be shot on different days at different locations. Although I have a large library of ambient sounds I never seem to have enough. When I need a new ambient sound sequence in a hurry I use these mics with a Sony PCM-M1. The process is unobtrusive and I can collect sound sequences anywhere without drawing any attention to myself. This has saved my butt so many times.So far these ambients have ended up in 4 feature length films and 7 TV broadcasts. Is this cool or what? The sound is good enough for serious film work and you would never know it was collected by a dorky looking guy with ear buds. Even if I tell folks what I am doing they never quite equate the objects in my ears as mics. This really saves me time and money.
Brad Simpson –
I just got these mics the other day for field recording and I absolutely love them. They are so realistic it’s scary. I’ve been doing some field recordings with them and listening back, I have to turn my head to make sure Someone isn’t right behind me.
Anonymous –
These mic’s just rock…I dont have a battery box with bass roll of filter yet but thats the next thing to buy…My first test with these mic’s were at small bar with some live music..I was sitting at the back of the room with the band at the other end, very noisy crown as you know there is in a bar..people talking and shouting..but listening to this recording with headphones afterwards just blew me away, it was crisp and clear. A few days later I went to another small venue were the music were a bit louder, but that did not turn out so well the mic’s without battery box couldn’t stand the soundlevel..and the level of the recorder were set to 4 of 20 and the mic selector were set to low. My recorder is an Aiwa AM-F75..So for loud concerts it needs the B-Box. I will order the box asap..:-)
Daniel Engel –
The day they arrived I put them into my ears, set the record level on my MiniDisc recorder, and just walked out my front door.After ten minutes or so of just recording ambient sound around the outside of my home, I went back in the house and sat down, sliped on my headphones, and just listened with my mouth hanging open.The first thing that struck me was that there was a black crow cawing up in the corner of my livingroom. Then there was a car passing beside me on the right side of my easy chair. A cricket chirped on the groung behind me. I had to turn around and look to make sure that it wasen’t really in my livingroom.What else can I say… their stunning!For those who would like to know the technical stuff; I bought these binaural mics with a battery box with the bass rolloff filter. Since I own a Sony MiniDisc recorder without a mic sensitivity switch, I also had to buy a -20db attenuator cable (that’s Sony’s fault, not The Sound Professionals)
Anonymous –
I use these with a battery box/bass rolloff and these record really realistic sounds and they are pretty stealthy! My recordings have turned out really well!
Alex –
I bought a pair of these along with the sound pros mike preamp, I have them hooked up to my Nomad Jukebox 3’s line input(and I record in WAV format 44khz), the sound is amazing! and as far as I can tell there is little or no noise (using the etymotic’s er6’s) [hopefully ill have some demmos up in the near future]Great product!!
Anonymous –
On my first playback with these mics I was amazed. When listening on headphones you feel like you can reach out and grab the sound. On speakers the results are almost as impressive. This has to be one of the hottest output microphones I own(including big name mics) and could easily be used for shooting realistic(accoustically) foley(Extremely low noise). Since getting them I’ve recorded thunderstorms, protests(very nice that they’re so inconspicuous), metro/vehicle, roomtones. I’m using them on everything from now on. Quite susceptible to wind noise, but I’m not using the wind screens…yetNicely done Sound Professionals…
Caitlin Webb –
Over all they are very nice, and the playback is superb! When I listen to the recordings I am simply amazed by the quality and the realism! However, the recordings do clip at sirten points. This could be the recorder that I use, the lack of a battery module, and or the situations that I find myself in. I have had them for almost a year, and they still are astounding to use!
Sean Chang –
My impression of this wear-able binaural microphones is impressive, indeed. I use the microphones with my Sony mini disc recorder MZ-R70. Even-though, I didn’t use the power-pack for the microphones, I was able to obtain very detailed sound recording. The sounds of birds in trees, nearby wind-chimes, and distant ambulance sirens came through clearly in my headphone during playback, and that’s with standard sensitivity microphones. In fact it is a little too sensitive as it was able to pick up my breathing and my footsteps through my body. I guess one would have to either stand still and hold his or her breathes or breath softly and walk on tip-toe during recording. The left-right channel separations is very noticeable. This set of microphones met my expectations quite nicely.
Nick Bertke –
Overall I’m very impressed with these mics. My only gripe is that their cables are flimsy and the connections at the mics themselves are incredibly fragile. I’ve ordered two pairs so far, both of which now have faulty connections on one of the mics. I don’t feel like these are mics you can take on serious field recording missions because the cables and connections look like they’re ready to crumble right out of the packaging.However, I can’t rate these mics any less than this. The sound quality they offer is fantastic value for money.
Sarah Alawami –
This product rocks. I use it with my olympus ds320 and it is grate. I’m visually impaired and needed sighted help to get them in my ears at first but the easiest way I found to fit them in is to put the end of the half moon in the shelf part and place the rubber part aginst the canal part of my ear.
John Ong –
If I can rate 4.5 stars, I would.First of all, it is an overall great mics. Very realistic sound recording using this mic. Especially the 3-D space that it captures.I have been using it for a few months now. The only thing I’d have added to this mic is perhaps some shielding.I’ve used this mic for several of my podcasts, soundseeing tour. I have received only great comments. It has even stirred up a bit of a storm in finding out how to get these mics. You can check out some of my soundseeing tours on http://onglinepodcast.com
Andy Williams –
“You’re going to try recording with those in your ears! Why bother — something that small can’t be much good”. That’s what my pals said at the start of the Elton John open-air concert near Geneva, Switzerland this week-end (July 2002). But, when we got back home they were soon eating their words!! In fact, they were amazed. Me too — the sound was very realistic, over headphones or speakers. The only issue was on some tracks where there was loud bass and/or high volume, which apparently resulted in bass saturation/distortion. I think I am now going to buy a battery box/bass roll-off box. It will double the original purchase cost, but if the mikes are that good to start with, with a b-box they will be very impressive! Why not 5 stars? Only because they didn’t feel that secure in my ears. But, I bought the foam wind-shields, so will see if using them makes a difference (I did ease the tension in the cables at my ears by using a bit of medical tape behind each ear — I have long hair, so it wasn’t visible!)Note from The Sound Professionals: The battery module mentioned is indeed necessary for loud recordings, so this won’t be a problem in his future recordings. The mics come in one size and the windscreens are used for folks with ears somewhat larger than the ‘average’.