Description
BIG EARS PARABOLIC REFLECTOR
Despite the original appearance and name, these are no toytown gimmicks! True parabolic reflectors, lightweight and easily focussed, Big Ears and Little Ears are highly useful for sports or wildlife recording and broadcast, film, theatre and ENG. Little Ears (known in the USA as Lil’ Big Ears) is simply a smaller scale version of Big Ears, designed specifically for single handed ENG use.
The dish itself is precision moulded from a specially developed transparent material, (shatter resistant for touchline or journalistic use!), and is of near constant thickness, producing not only “sonic consistency”, but also a relatively undistorted view through the dish for the operator – the preferred method of pointing the device is by “sighting” the target along the top of the microphone support assembly. A carrying handle is moulded into the top edge. Disks are available clear, or in five colour tints (still fully transparent) to “colour code” the sources for the benefit of the sound mixer.
The transparent dish itself has quick release mounting points for the microphone yoke at the business end, and rear mounted grip bar, removable for nested storage of multiple units. Both are constructed of metal tubing, the handle having a comfortable black foam vinyl covering, which also has the useful properties of damping vibration and reducing cable rattle.
The microphone yoke has a central cylindrical mounting bush, with locking facility, of 22mm diameter. Through this is fitted either a user supplied microphone of suitable diameter, or the mounting tube supplied, intended to support a miniature lapel style microphone (user supplied), which is mounted by wrapping in the foam supplied, which push fits into the tube. Either type of microphone is “tuned” to the dish by adjustment in and out of the dish through the mounting bush. A mounting tube designed specifically for lavalier mics is available for Big Ears as a spare part.
The grip bar provides vertical grips at either side of the dish and a combined “foot” and convenient stabilising bar, which is rested against the body in use to “triangulate” positioning. Incorporated in the bar are two mounting plates for radio microphones and/or cue receivers, in conjunction with suitable clips or tapes, which gives complete portability (as may be verified by the careful inspection of touchline activity at some US sportscasts!).
A range of accessories is also available. A padded neck strap allows the operator to relax but remain ready, and is adjustable, with foam pads. An electronic targeting sight mounts on the yoke tube, and emits a red dot (reflect, not laser) sight similar to those used for targeting pistols. There are two carrying cases, one of which is soft sided, to hold one dish with accessories, with a shoulder strap for carrying whilst on a shoot. The other is a semi-rigid shipping case, for transport and use by rental companies, and will hold up to four dismantled units, to minimise shipping costs.
Technical Specification:
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| Big Ears | Little Ears |
|---|
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Overall size: | 675 × 650 × 250mm | 405 × 380 × 140mm |
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Parabola size: | 585mm | 330mm |
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Weight: | 3.3kg | 0.9kg |
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Working range: | 100–15000Hz (note 1) | 60–12500Hz (note 1) |
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Pick-up pattern: | 800mm diameter target at | 600mm diameter target at |
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| 30 metres (tunable) | 30 metres (tunable) |
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Useful range: | 1.5 metres to 90+ metres | 2 metres to 90+ metres |
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| (note 2) | (note 2) |
Note 1: Dependent on microphone
Note 2: Dependent on environment and surrounding noise level
All components are replaceable, and are available as spare parts to special order. More commonly requested parts are held as stock items.