M-Audio is shipping the Pulsar II ($199.95) small-capsule condenser microphone, which features a ¾-inch diameter, 6-micron Mylar evaporated-gold diaphragm, and a solid brass backplate. According to the manufacturer, this capsule design is ideal for many studio and stage applications, including drum overheads, acoustic guitar, piano, close-miking strings and woodwinds, and room miking.

The Pulsar II offers a thermally-treated diaphragm to yield an additional 2 dB SPL over the model''s predecessor (the Pulsar); a -10 dB switchable attenuation pad for capturing higher sound-pressure levels; and a 12 dB/octave highpass filter for reducing low-frequency rumble and the potential for overloading mic preamps. In addition, the mic has transformerless, Class-A FET electronics and a 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response. It comes with a wooden box, a windscreen, a mic clip, and a manual.

You may purchase the Pulsar II individually or as a matched pair ($399.95) with only ±1 dB variation from each other. M-Audio expects the boxed matched pairs to ship in the third quarter of 2007.

For more information, visit www.m-audio.com.