AEA R44CE Ribbon Microphone

The AEA R44CE is a hand-crafted Cost-Effective RCA 44 reproduction with Black transformer case and one-piece cushion mount - satin nickel grill and formed steel yoke with a satin nickel finish.

The 44 was RCA’s best microphone from the 1930s into the ‘50s. Is AEA’s R44 that good? Both listeners and measurements say that the AEA R44 is better. AEA starts by using ribbon material originally manufactured for RCA. Next, AEA uses modern magnet technology, which is much more robust than period magnets. They also combined the original American undamped ribbon design with the later British RCA 44 innovations that lower the weight and hum sensitivity.

The R44 design runs contrary to all current ribbon microphone manufacturing. It is large and heavy when other microphones are smaller and lighter. The internal ribbon element is by far the longest, and its resonance tuning the lowest, of today’s ribbon microphones. It is a pure undamped ribbon design, an approach that had been out of production for over 50 years, while remaining in continuous studio use. It is different, and its sound is unique.

The R44 sounds good on everything. Leave it out and use it whenever you need to do a quick take. Bruce Swedien particularly likes them on vocals, Joe Chicarelli on sax, Allen Sides on electric guitar. Everyone has a favorite use, and everyone finds they sound good anywhere: brass, woodwinds, percussion, strings or voice work.

AEA R44CE Mic Features:

• Unparalleled warmth and legendary character
• Full and rich tonality with generous low end and proximity effect
• Faithful reproduction of the RCA R44BX with new old stock RCA ribbon material
• Economy exterior R44CE exhibits same, classic sound
• Active A440 upgrade has 18dB level increase and is optimized for all preamps
• Made in the U.S.A.