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Post by bluegrassdan on May 16, 2022 19:14:37 GMT -6
Tell me about Bang & Olufsen (B&O) ribbon mics. How do they sound? What might they be compared to? Do they have quirks or other issues like noise?
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Post by anders on May 16, 2022 23:39:07 GMT -6
You can find a fairly exhaustive article on them at Xaudia (who does restorations). xaudiaelektrik.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-bang-and-olufsen-ribbon-microphone.htmlQuirks (apart from the ones all ribbons have to various extent): magnets may weaken over time, switches corroding, and also the DIN connector. Their consumer heritage means the connectors are a little annoying. There are several models, and I have only had one of them 25 years ago; the stereo BM5. As far as I can remember it was fairly neutral and nice sounding. But I didn't have a fitting pre then, so I wasn't able to use it as much as I maybe should have. And their sleek looks have inspired many others. If you're able to decode Danish, and should happen to be able to gain the trust of local sellers and convince them to ship, you might from time to time be able to pick them up cheaper on the Danish equivalent of Craigslist; DBA.dk Or you could buy an already restored one from xaudia xaudia.com/shop/ribbon-mics-for-sale/ or even an "inspired by" from Extinct Audio: www.extinctaudio.co.uk/ |
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Post by anders on May 17, 2022 4:29:00 GMT -6
Otherwise, @ulriggribbons is the local specialist and might be able to offer some comparison insights.
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Post by Tbone81 on May 17, 2022 8:43:36 GMT -6
You can find a fairly exhaustive article on them at Xaudia (who does restorations). xaudiaelektrik.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-bang-and-olufsen-ribbon-microphone.htmlQuirks (apart from the ones all ribbons have to various extent): magnets may weaken over time, switches corroding, and also the DIN connector. Their consumer heritage means the connectors are a little annoying. There are several models, and I have only had one of them 25 years ago; the stereo BM5. As far as I can remember it was fairly neutral and nice sounding. But I didn't have a fitting pre then, so I wasn't able to use it as much as I maybe should have. And their sleek looks have inspired many others. If you're able to decode Danish, and should happen to be able to gain the trust of local sellers and convince them to ship, you might from time to time be able to pick them up cheaper on the Danish equivalent of Craigslist; DBA.dk Or you could buy an already restored one from xaudia xaudia.com/shop/ribbon-mics-for-sale/ or even an "inspired by" from Extinct Audio: www.extinctaudio.co.uk/Those Extinct Audio Ribbons look beautiful. I've been lusting after a pair (or single stereo) ribbon mic. I'll have to add these to the list when it comes time to pull the trigger. |
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Post by ulriggribbons on May 17, 2022 9:25:41 GMT -6
Otherwise, @ulriggribbons is the local specialist and might be able to offer some comparison insights. Thanks for thinking of me anders! The B&O mics are one of the few ribbon mics that I don't work on. I've never had any B&O mics in the shop that had magnets that were working properly, all had a magnetic field far too low for what I would consider a proper working microphone. The output sounds anemic to me, which is why some people may say they are noisy (when you have to turn the gain all the way up, you often are getting more noise from the preamplifier than you would with other mics), but I would characterize them as very low output. The body machining is pretty great. I've talked with Stewart at Xaudia about them over the years, and I know he used to rebuild them/replace magnets. The Extinct Audio mics certainly look inspired by the B&O, but you would say that about the Royer 121 as well. That said, a lot of people like to use them, and pay top $ for them. I personally would put my ribbon $ into other microphones. That's my $.02, hope that helps in some way. Regards Jon |
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Post by EmRR on May 17, 2022 11:02:35 GMT -6
Yes, Xaudia seems to have sorted all the restoration/upgrade paths for these.
I’ve used a friends stereo B&O for drum OH years ago, sounded nice but probably darker than it should have been, i assume it was all original and probably could have used service.
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on May 18, 2022 22:04:06 GMT -6
Yes, Xaudia seems to have sorted all the restoration/upgrade paths for these. I’ve used a friends stereo B&O for drum OH years ago, sounded nice but probably darker than it should have been, i assume it was all original and probably could have used service. The B&O mics just like a couple of their all out speaker efforts, tend to fly a bit below the radar because you Think B&O you think Yuppie 80 and 90’s Beosystems. This also means the B&O mics like the Beyerdynamic/Revox 3500 were a consumer hobbiest fave. Honestly put a decent pre with enough gain ( most B&O seam to have been used with consumer gear built in pres that didn’t have the clean gain. Every couple of years someone rediscovers the B&O and what they can do, then someone compares them to the modern mics that were influenced by how they look. If you can find one in great shape and you have the right pre they are a fun mic, most I have found sadly need a good rehab. |
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