The Crown PCC-170SWO is a handsomely styled surface mounted supercardioid microphone that is appropriate for use on the most elegant boardroom table or lectern. Other applications include churches, courtrooms and council chambers.

Because of its highly directional pickup pattern, the PCC-170SWO minimizes background noise and feedback. The microphone reproduces the voice with a clean, clear and natural sound. Since the microphone capsule is placed on a boundary or surface, direct and reflected sounds arrive at the diaphragm in-phase. This coherent addition of direct and reflected waves increases sensitivity 6 dB and prevents phase cancellations. The mic capsule is small enough to ensure phase coherency up to the highest frequencies in the audible spectrum, resulting in a wide, smooth frequency response free of phase interference. Clarity and reach are also enhanced.

The PCC-170SWO offers a silent-operating membrane switch that is normally off. The switch can be configured for touch on/off, momentary on or momentary off. This configuration is set by a bottom-mounted DIP switch. A high-intensity LED lights when the unit is on. The microphones attenuate 70 dB when the switch is in the off position. Self-contained electronics eliminate the need for an in-line preamp. Powered by 12-48V phantom power, the PCC-170SW has a low-impedance mic level balanced output which permits long cable runs without hum pickup or high-frequency loss.

A pair of extra leads in the mic cable allows the CROWN PCC-170SWO isolated remote sensing of the microphone switch closure. In a typical distance-learning application, a video camera would track to the person who switched on the microphone. Remote sensing is done by a patented opto-coupled MOS switching circuit. At the remote-sensing leads, the resistance goes low when the mic is on. The microphones attenuate 70 dB when the switch is in the off position.