Audio Engineering Associates R44 Series Specifications

Audio Engineering Associates
How is the R44 different from other ribbon microphones ?
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 R44 is better. Why would that be? Using original ribbon material with modern high-strength magnets helps. Com-
bining the original American undamped ribbon design with British RCA 44 innovations that lower the weight and hum sensitivity
contributes to further improvement. Listening to comments from both users and ex-RCA engineers for over 20 years has also
had a lot to do with how good AEA's R44 has become.
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 rib-
bon microphones. It is a pure undamped ribbon design, an approach that has 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 particu-
larly 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.
R44 Series
Studio Ribbon Microphones
 An accurate reproduction of the original RCA Ribbon Mic
 Uses the same ribbon material as the original
 Built to the highest studio standards possible
 A single diaphragm Figure 8 ribbon microphone
 90dB down broadband at 90 degrees
 Custom AEA Transformer
 High SPL capability, max level is 140dB plus above 200Hz
 Low Self Noise
 Consistent polar response
 Operable in high humidity environments
 Sounds equal to or better than the original RCA 44
RCA 44 ribbon microphones have remained an essential part of studio
life well after RCA stopped manufacturing them in 1955. The sound
and response of the 44 B/BX were unlike anything else available,
and was cherished for its smoothness, forgiving nature and unique
tonal balance. As collectors began to buy up the supply of RCA 44's
through the 90's, the availability of this wonderful ribbon mic to the
studio was greatly endangered. Wes Dooley, a specialist in ribbon
mics of all kinds, recently began a project to restore availability of the
RCA 44 to its rightful position in the studio. After tracking down the
folks who built and designed the original RCA 44, Wes' company,
Audio Engineering Associates, acquired the ribbon material, made the
tooling and custom machined the parts necessary to build the original
RCA 44 B/BX design as it was in the 1930s. After years of painstaking
work, AEA has again begun production of the most important ribbon
mic of all time: the AEA R44C.