MXL R77 Studio Ribbon Microphone

[Muyukiguki]

This looks tasty to me... But I'm still a little leary of MXL.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-R77-Studio-Ribbon-Microphone?sku=581247

 

[dkelley]

This looks tasty to me... But I'm still a little leary of MXL.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-R77-Studio-Ribbon-Microphone?sku=581247

it's the same mic as the apex205 with a way cooler grille (or might be same as apex 210 with way cooler grille, either way...)

by the way the apex 205 type mic (and same thing from other manufacturers) is an incredible mic at any price and imho one of the best bargains in modern studio recording. that mxl looks amazing, hopefully ti won't be way over priced just because it looks cooler than my apex 205s look. it specs out identically so I think it's the same mic more or less.

this IS ALL JUST MY OPINION BASED ON THEIR WEBSITE THOUGH< I HAVEN'T HEARD IT YET! so don't blame me if I'm wrong

I think I'm right though

should be safe and great.

nothing wrong with mxl in particular, it's the same chinese stuff as apex, cad, se, nady, and so many others that build off of those mics with their own upgrades. I put cad a step above in quality but still, that's about how it goes.

cheers,
Don

 

[ToneSlinger]

it's the same mic as the apex205 with a way cooler grille (or might be same as apex 210 with way cooler grille, either way...)

by the way the apex 205 type mic (and same thing from other manufacturers) is an incredible mic at any price and imho one of the best bargains in modern studio recording. that mxl looks amazing, hopefully ti won't be way over priced just because it looks cooler than my apex 205s look. it specs out identically so I think it's the same mic more or less.

this IS ALL JUST MY OPINION BASED ON THEIR WEBSITE THOUGH< I HAVEN'T HEARD IT YET! so don't blame me if I'm wrong

I think I'm right though

should be safe and great.

nothing wrong with mxl in particular, it's the same chinese stuff as apex, cad, se, nady, and so many others that build off of those mics with their own upgrades. I put cad a step above in quality but still, that's about how it goes.

cheers,
Don

I snagged one of the MXL R144's for $99 just to play with. I was impressed for what you get for the money. I did a review with sound samples you can check out.

here is the thread link

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=290810&highlight=MXL+Ribbon+Mic

 

[darrin_h2000]

The Jury is still out on it...Ive had good and bad mics from MXL in the past.

 

[ToneSlinger]

The Jury is still out on it...Ive had good and bad mics from MXL in the past.

Yea, I've been fortunate. Haven't had any problems with them. But I've only bought like 3 MXL mics.

 

[Jim Lad]

I'm always looking for a new ribbon but $400 for this one seems a bit steep.
A 1.8 micron ribbon as opposed to the Nady RSM 2 (and a whole host of others) with 2 micron thick ribbons is different but I'm happy with the Nady sound.
Only one review on the site which says nothing about the microphone itself but plugs Cascade's Fathead so I'd be leery of that.
My bet would be that it's a very nice ribbon, a little brighter and a tad more fragile. The extra bucks would be for the looks and it does look sharp.
I would probably jump at it for $200 but without phantom power.... overpriced in my estimation.
I'm thinking about a Stellar Stereo ribbon though if anyone has tried it.

 

[dgatwood]

Actually, I'd say you're probably better off with non-phantom ribbons. The phantom-powered ribbons I own have relatively noisy circuitry and are built with surface-mounted components, making then nearly unmoddable to fix that flaw without designing a whole new board from scratch. By contrast, if regular, unpowered ribbons are too noisy, you can shorten the cable length, increase the cable gauge, crank up the transformer ratio, upgrade your preamplifier, etc. You have a lot more room to tweak to make the sound better, in other words.

Regarding the 2 micron vs. 1.8 micron, I agree that there should be little difference (assuming the 2 micron ribbon is really 2 microns and not 10). That said, I could have sworn the Nady RSM-2 you mentioned used a much thicker ribbon than that. Did they retool that model with a thinner ribbon?

 

[Jim Lad]

Yup!
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.co...275557&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=26021026
I just came back upstairs from setting up. Thought maybe I'd record something tomorrow.
You're not wrong about the inherent noise in the Phantom Powered models.
I spent about one solid hour on the RSM 8A trying to get it just right. Think I've got it but there may still be a little hiss to deal with but not too bad. Hooked up one of the RSM 2's to see if it was any better... nope. So the RSM 8A is an improvement. The Golden Age incidentally is no trouble at all.
Don't know if I mentioned but I have to face all of my Nady mics directly East or West or I get terrible interference.
Something to do with the high power lines on our property, I think.