Looking for a good/inexpensive ribbon mic?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dr. Jeep
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I will be getting one of the cheap ribbons soon (through the group buy) and I am really looking forward to it. I have no pretense that an audiophile would find it as good as an AEA or Royer but it will be fine for letting me develop how to use a ribbon.

So for example I will learn how much differently my voice sounds on a ribbon and if/how to change my position and mic technique for it. If my voice sounds really nice on this cheap chinese ribbon then I can confidently make plans for getting the eventual 'pro' ribbon. It would make no sense to spend an arm and a leg only to find out that ribbons just aren't right for my voice and I should have been saving up for a good dynamic instead.
 
I've got two of the Apex ribbons and I'd definitely replace them if they broke. For the price, definitely pick one up if you have a preamp that can handle the gain -- usually the cheap preamps with a "make up gain" knob will be able to do it well.
 
On the ribbon mics, I've been around the Royer R-121, the AEA R84, AEA R92 and the sE R-1. None of these mics are cheap by they are all good. They are all in the same ballpark together in terms of quality of sound even though they all sound different.
 
Link to a very informative article comparing several different ribbon mics.....

http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_ribbon_revival/


I read this and came away feeling encouraged about my recent hunch that the Beyer M130 is a good middle-of-the-road ribbon mic purchse.....

(Unfortunately, this review was probably published before the Shinybox mics were available.)
 
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soundchaser59 said:
(Unfortunately, this review was probably published before the Shinybox mics were available.)
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...actually, the Chinese ribbon mics that were included in this comparison (Apex 210, Nady RSM-2 and SM Pro Audio MC04) are all coming from the same manufacturing source as the Shinybox mics (Alctron)...Shinybox does offer various high quality transformer upgrades that will improve performance while raising the mic's cost...
...any one of these mics represent a good entry-level introduction to the world of ribbon-microphones...since that article was published, Alctron has released a vast selection of different ribbon based models, most of which were the basis of the "group purchase" made by members of this site...we await the "hands-on reviews" of those Alctron mics from those who took part in that transaction... ;)
 
kidvybes said:
...actually, the Chinese ribbon mics that were included in this comparison (Apex 210, Nady RSM-2 and SM Pro Audio MC04) are all coming from the same manufacturing source as the Shinybox mics (Alctron)...Shinybox does offer various high quality transformer upgrades that will improve performance while raising the mic's cost...
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I cant find any sound clips of tracks done with the Apex 210.

I did listen to the clips on the Shinybox web site, and I was surprised to find that I could not hear any difference at all. None. I thought it sounded like the sound file was copied and four different file names were used. I admit I dont have top shelf gear in my basement, but my stuff shoudl be good enough to hear any obvious differences and even the not so obvious differences. I have a good ear, and I could not hear any difference at all in those clips. I really wanted to hear what difference the mods made in the sound....

But I wanted to...... The Apex is tempting cuz I can get one for $150 shipped. But if the Beyer M130 sound is as much of an improvement as the article seems to suggest, then I'd rather save my $$$$$......
 
If your looking for a cheap ribbon mic, then I suggest to look at the Nady series of ribbon mics
 
Twitch said:
If your looking for a cheap ribbon mic, then I suggest to look at the Nady series of ribbon mics
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Nady, Shinybox, and Apex all are the exact same mic. Buy from whichever reseller is cheapest.

That said, I do with Shinybox made the equivalent of the RSM-2. The 46 is similar, but the top of the grille is round on the RSM-2, and lobbed off flat on the 46.
 
...I also recommend this seller on eBay:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZloopsterman25

...the same (Alctron) mics as Nady, Apex, etc...excellent customer service as well...100% positive feedback on eBay...take advantage of his "Submit Best Offer" and get an even better price...I recently purchased his "dual ribbon" RM-4...I will be posting sound files shortly... :p
 
dgatwood said:
Nady, Shinybox, and Apex all are the exact same mic. Buy from whichever reseller is cheapest.
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If that's the case then check affordableaudio.com. He is a Yorkville dealer, Yorkville distributes Apex mics. The guy will quote you at 60% of list + shipping, and he posts the MSRP list on his web site so you can see for yourself. I think that puts the Apex 210 at about $150 to my door. That's a good price for the intro level ribbons, especially if they are all actually the same mic just re-labeled.

dgatwood said:
That said, I do with Shinybox made the equivalent of the RSM-2. The 46 is similar.....
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I am baffled as to why I could not hear any differences in the Shinybox sound clips...... I really thought those transformer mods would make a more obvious difference in the sound.
 
soundchaser59 said:
I am baffled as to why I could not hear any differences in the Shinybox sound clips...... I really thought those transformer mods would make a more obvious difference in the sound.
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It isn't as much of a difference as I would have expected, but they are subtly different in the high frequency response. It's somewhat more obvious if you listen on a good pair of headphones.

The stock 23 sample has a smooth high end, but a bit dull, which is consistent with my stock Nady RSM-2---I have to add a little shelving boost of a dB or so from the upper mids on up in order to get the sound I like.

The Cinemag transformer didn't impress me. It sounded like it had more highs to a point, but it sounded like it left an unnatural presence peek an octave or so above the top of the guitar. Maybe it just started rolling off at a higher frequency that seemed more objectionable to my ear. Maybe it sounds much better on other sources, but for acoustic guitar... not impressed.

The Lundahl is clear and open and really reflects the character of the ribbon. Absolutely gorgeous.

Bottom line is that I'd either buy the bottom one and add a slight shelving boost from... I want to say about 2k up, but that's from memory, so I may be remembering wrong... or I'd buy the Luhdahl version. Not sure if the Lundahl is really worth that big a premium, though.

I'd be curious which Lundahl transformer they're using. LL2911, maybe?
 
Interesting that almost every ribbon mic ad copy I've read says the ribbon is 2 inches long. But one of the newer Nady ads says "45mm".......I guess they dont want you to easily see that the ribbon is only 1 and 3/4 inches.

Although, I dont know enough about ribbons to say what difference a shorter ribbon would make. But it certainly didn't lower the price!

PS: Sorry Kidvybes, I just realized that I posted a link to the same article (emusician "ribbon revival") you did. I missed that in your previous post. Maybe that just means it must be a really good article!
 
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dgatwood said:
It isn't as much of a difference as I would have expected, but they are subtly different in the high frequency response. It's somewhat more obvious if you listen on a good pair of headphones.
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This is true......I listened again on different cans, and I could hear very subtle differences in the high end response. I heard the greatest difference between the 23 stock and the 46 stock, but I could also hear a slight change between the stock and the L transformer clip. Just going by that, I think I liked the stock 46 the best........but my need is really for voice, so I cant be sure if I would want to buy the mic or not.

Maybe I can find some voice tracks done with a shinybox.......
 
I would really like to see a review of the old Shure ribbon mics - the hypercardioid 330/SM33 and the figure-of-eight 300. I have several of these (you can still pick 'em up fairly cheap on eBay) and find them very useful.

Played a cocktails gig Saturday night and used the Shure 300 for the woodwinds player. It worked great until the guy who thought he could sing without knowing the words or the song structure came up and sang into the mic from the back side. Note to myself: It's a good reason not to use a bidirectional mic for live performances.
 
soundchaser59 said:
This is true......I listened again on different cans, and I could hear very subtle differences in the high end response. I heard the greatest difference between the 23 stock and the 46 stock, but I could also hear a slight change between the stock and the L transformer clip. Just going by that, I think I liked the stock 46 the best........but my need is really for voice, so I cant be sure if I would want to buy the mic or not.

Maybe I can find some voice tracks done with a shinybox.......
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If you are looking primarily for voice, see if you can snag a Beyer M500. They are discontinued, but come up on E-Bay pretty often. Prices vary a lot. I've seen them go from $120 to $300. If you can get a good deal on one, you are in the same price teritory as the Shiny Box.

It is a very nice hand held vocal ribbon IMHO. Was originally designed for performing. It has a bit of a presence peak and a higher output than the other Beyer ribbons - which works well for vocals. . Allegedly Sinatra's performing mic of choice. I have several of them and they are absolutely great on a lot of voices. Relatively hardy as well. I've not had to replace a ribbon in any of mine. Decent on instruments too, but I like the M160/M130 better for that.
 
Richard Monroe said:
Originally Posted by kidvybes
Good + Inexpensive =
http://www.frontendaudio.com/APEX_A...hone_p/7489.ht

Who says it's good? It isn't even due for delivery until late April.
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The mics are en route to their new owners now, and a well respected local pro studio owner just took delivery of a pair of the 205 after spending a couple of sessions with them. Pretty surprising for under $100, certainly not AEA quality etc but they sure sound like ribbon mics anyhow.

Perfect for the guy who just can't afford a ribbon mic, and good enough for some who can.

War
 
Warren (OR anyone else) any chance of you being able to put together some recordings with the Apex 205? I would love to hear female vocals and some trumpet...but beggers can't be choosers, right?
 
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