AEA N8 and KU5A Ribbon Microphones on a Classical Guitar

Ribbon microphones have a very long history, invented in the early 1920s by Telefunken in Germany, and have been used in countless historical recordings of all genres. An ultra-thin ridged aluminium (usually but not only) ribbon is placed between the poles of a magnet that translates vibrations (sound) to voltage.

Recordings made with Ribbon microphones sound very natural, have a full low-end, smooth mids and attenuated highs. They are never over-analytic if anything, they offer a relaxed presentation, making them excellent for instruments which mechanical sounds, like fretting or bowing, can be distracting. Furthermore, their pure characteristics and the bi-polar pattern generate a feeling of "being there" in the room with the musicians.

Ribbon microphones can be quite fragile and require a lot of attention even on how you store them; additionally, being passive they need a lot of very clean gain from the preamps otherwise the can appear noisy, especially with soft instruments and dynamic styles. The advances in HiFi recordings and playback systems, and their inherent downsides pushed Ribbon microphones out of fashion for several decades.

The last decades the trend seems to have shifted, at least partially. Musicians and engineers lust for the added warmth that Ribbon microphones exhibit naturally, and digital environments sometimes lack. For more than 20 years, AEA has dedicated its resources in developing and manufacturing high-quality Ribbon microphones that enable the listener to experience recordings as if he is in the same room with the musicians, and with the recent products, they hope to eliminate some of the inherent issues of this technology.

Nuvo N8 - Active Ribbon with an Extended Top-end

Derived from the very well received and fantastic R88, the N8 is a mono version of the former with an added active circuit, meaning that it requires +48 phantom power to function and in exchange, it provides a higher output, making it less dependent on the preamp, and subsequently delivering cleaner recordings. The AEA TRP2 stereo preamp that I use, is specially designed for the AEA Ribbon microphones, and with its extremely clean hi-gain performance and high-impedance, it should deliver stunning recordings.

AEA designed the N8 to be used as in far-field applications, thus making it a better match for acoustic and classical recordings. And in contrast to vintage ribbon microphones, which can sometimes sound dark and murky, the N8, and the R88, capture plenty of high-end and present a controlled low-end.

Unfortunately, KMR Audio (AEA's European distributor) couldn't provide me with a pair to test some of the stereo arrays, like Blumlein or M/S Blumlein that Figure-8 Microphones excel, but I'm excited nevertheless.

KU5A - A Super-Cardioid Ribbon

The KU5A is a rather unique design in the world of Ribbon microphones, as not many non-bipolar Ribbons exist, and even less Super-Cardioid. The bi-directionality of most Ribbon microphones can sometimes be more of a burden than a blessing when used in smaller-unattractive sounding rooms. The KUA5 is a front address Super-Cardioid, that eliminates the room and presents the ribbon smoothness and warmth in all its glory, with the benefit of a detailed, extended top.

A high-pass filter of 6dB per Octave at 283Hz makes the AEA Super-Cardioid suitable for close-miking any instrument and the transformer-based, active electronics allow it to function perfectly with any decent preamplifier.

The attributes of the KUA5 make it a perfect choice for concert applications, both for amplifying the classical guitar along with recording purposes. Notably, if you play in an ensemble, The Super-Cardioid pattern will minimise the bleed from other instruments into your amplified sound. Ribbon microphones are also more forgiving than condensers, which can be a huge advantage in live recordings.

Lastly, A common issue with live acoustic recordings is that the Audience can sometimes be as loud as the instruments, the KUA5 will make sure that less of these distractions will find their way to your recordings.

Other Things

AEA attaches the cables to the microphone on some of their products, and the KU5A is one of them, I'm not sure what to feel about this "feature" as it is nice to have, but makes the transportation awkward. The microphone itself is very well made, the built-it yoke is very sturdy and makes positioning very easy, and the is shipped in a very durable flight case. For concerts or location work, the flight case is undesirably big for the sole reason that it has to have space for the long cable.

The N8 is shipped with a durable plastic case which is very convenient for location recordings and for storing the microphone, a shock-like fabric cover to protect the microphone from dust, and a rubber mount that takes the place of a more regular spider mount and takes care of the low-end rumble and vibrations. The small size and weight of the N8 is also worth noting, as well as the standard XLR output, granting easy transportation and effortless positioning.

Conclusions

With active electronics for fewer noise-related headaches and an extended top-end, AEA carries the natural and calm presentation of vintage ribbon microphones to the demands of a modern workflow. Both the N8 and KU5A are excellent ribbon microphones that share the same DNA and are designed for particular situations.

If you want to remove the "room" from your recordings, the KU5A will do just that. While the N8, or better yer a pair of N8s in Blumlein, will put the listener directly into the hall that the performance takes place. Either way, a gorgeous sounding recording is guaranteed.