which stereo ribbon? AEA vs. Royer

[arpodthegreat]

i am mainly using this for chamber music and other live (mainly classical) location recroding.
i have tried AEA r84 and r92 but not the 44. (the r84 is amazing on cello by the way.)people only say good things about royer. the phantom powered royer would be great but it's too expensive. so i'm considedering either an AEA r88 or a royer sf12 i like the small price of the AEA but i reall like the small size of the royer. anyone tried one or both of these?

[Christophe - Au]

Hello,

You should really consider Naked Eye from Crowley and Tripp.
This mic really rocks ! Not too expensive and not too big.

A real alternative to others ribbon mics.

[Jim vanBergen]

For rock guitar cabinets I like the Royer but I always prefer the AEA for classical, chamber, or solo acoustic work for some reason- vice, vibe, and more vibe! Since the powered royer is out of your budget, I think you'll really like the AEA's tone and performance. I have never been disappointed by Wes' designs, they are time proven over the others, and are designed on the classical recording model. Hands down, AEA IMHO.

Best regards,

Jim

[arpodthegreat]

crowely and tripp looks great but i am really looking for the convenience of one mic on one mic stand. it looks better and that's important when you have a performer and an audience. like i said i'm not using this on cabs or drum OH or whatever. i am really going for a classical mic. Jim suggests AEA is the way to go. anyone else?

[Lynn Fuston]

If size is an issue, for visibility's sake (or rather invisibility), then the Royer wins. The 88 is a superb mic but it's one big microphone. No matter how far up you hang it, it still looks like a summer sausage floating in the air.

I've never put them side by side in a classical situation. You might inquire here though and find people who have.

[PlugHead]

FWIW,

I just got my R-88 this afternoon, and have had only minutes to try it out so far: I have Royer R-121's, SF-1, and have used the gamut of the 'pricey' ribbon mics (4038, R-122, R-84, M160/260/500 etc)

This thing sounds beautiful! Only tried it on the grand piano so far, but - it is clear, tons of detail, round mids and well defined bottom, and the smooth top end.

Did I say wow?

I've heard a buddy use one on a chamber session,also using a bunch of other spendy mics. During mixdown they soloed up the R-88 and everyone said THAT was the truest sound of what happened - they muted the rest of the mic's and went with the R-88 alone...

I look forward to running this thing thru some more paces, but I like what I hear.


The only downside I immediately see is it's awkward for easy positioning - it's not on a traditional "yolk" (has a fixed base) but the mic can swivel a bit side to side - it could be positioned easier with a 'cymbal-like' mic stand (multi-positioned clutch at the tip) - the only other weakness is it's low-output. However, the strong point is it's sound!

all the best,