Warm Audio WA44

I would be careful comparing this with their other mics, those circuits on the condensers and tube mic are a lot more complicated with more variables. A lot less things to consider with the 44 design specifically, I don't want to turn this into comparisons with all the other warm gear threads. I'm struggling to find anything (aside from the ribbon thickness) they really skimped or cut corners on with this one. They could have easily tried to hit the $500-$600 price point and done this cheaper, it doesn't look like Warm did that. Here's what I wrote on the purple site:

I've got a couple of thoughts after reading through here. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't AEA use neodymium magnets as well in their 44 series (might use them in all their mics)? I was pretty sure they did, but looking at their website and the manuals for the 44 series, I don't see anything confirming that. I think I'm right, so the Warm is using a similar magnet to the top clone of this design.

As far as price, I'm seeing a lot of comparisons to the AEA R84 and the Coles. The R84 is like $1200 new and the Coles 4038 are getting close to $1500 at this point. I think the Coles is priced too far out of the range to be a fair comparison, the R84 is definitely a contender (and I see they've lowered the price to almost $1000 today on the R84 . Smart move). There's definitely a lot of similarities between the 44 series and the R84, so sonically I think that's fair game for some comparisons. The Coles sounds nothing like a 44 type mic though, so I really don't see any point comparing them. Different enough to warrant having both and just liking one more than the other.

The Cloud 44 is another good consideration, but I don't think they make the passive one anymore, so you're stuck with the Active version that's $1500 now (which is the one you want anyway, it's great). I got to work with a pair of the Cloud 44's for years and although I like them a lot for certain things (best drum room mic I've found), I didn't like them as much on acoustic instruments and preferred the AEA's. That's definitely my opinion, but objectively I'll just say that it doesn't sound like the AEA R44 or any of the vintage 44's I've used. I would classify it as it's own sound. Not a bad thing by any means, but it's definitely not a 44 clone in my experience.

I don't have as much experience with the Stagers, they've all knocked my socks off in my limited uses. Again though, I havn't heard anything from them that made me think they can do the 44 thing. All original designs doing their own thing, and their larger ribbon models are $1500 and up (which takes them out of the "fair comparison" category in my opinion).

There really isn't any magical, unobtanium thing as far as doing a 44 clone. I think all the other mics that Warm clones are a much more complicated can of worms, but in this specific instance and design, I think there's potential to pull this off well. You need big honking magnets, a large ribbon and a good transformer. The body of the mic is icing on the cake, as the acoustics of the housing and cage definitely come into play. The one thing I'm seeing is the thicker ribbon material they're using, and I would bet that was an intentional decision. Less likely to get damaged in shipping, less likely to get damaged by the people buying it and less returns. This is probably going to be a lot of people's first ribbon purchase, you don't have to baby these things but you do have to be careful. I baby my gear and I've had to re-ribbon my AEA R88 twice in the last 10 years. The first time, I'm really not sure what happened. One side was just responding differently, the ribbon came loose a bit somehow. The second time, my dog saw a squirrel outside, freaked out and managed to knock it over on the Latch Lake stand. Leave it to that fur ball to have enough stupid to pull that off .

As I already said, it's easy enough to send one of these in to be re-ribboned. Pitman Microphones (formerly ENAK) charges $185 to do a re-ribbon, so if you're concerned about the thicker ribbon stock from Warm, that's an easy solution. I would be curious to see what Warm is tensioning these at from the factory, I know AEA does theirs pretty low. At some point, it would be great to have a pair of the WA-44's and send one off to be re-ribboned and hear the difference.

They got the ribbon size right at least, magnets look like they're right, the transformer is right, they can do it at $1k because they're making a lot at once and they're not hand made like the AEA's, it make sense. In this specific instance, I really doubt they've cut any corners. There just isn't much to these old RCA ribbon mics, it looks like Warm understood the assignment, did their homework and have probably made a really good mic. I'm looking forward to trying them at some point.

Nope.  These folk have engineered at plenty of nice places for 50 years.   It's the effect on the ribbon at that angle.  


I'd like to see the Warm next to an RCA, see how accurate it really is.  I approve of the black/silver versus the turkey shit brown (cough, Umber) of the later RCA.   Need to lose the Phillips head screws in favor of slotted types.  Didn't use no freakin' Phillips head in the USA back then.  Horrors if they're metric.....

Tilting that mic would tend to reduce the thunderous low end response?

Anyone have any news on a Warm 4038 yet? Seems an inevitability

Warm are awful. Totally the new Behringer. Seeing all the repairs on instagram and Facebook is so funny.

I'll give TWO Fathead's for ONE 44 then.

 My Cascade Vin-Jet still looked brand new 15 years later... I did make sure to polish with microfiber every few months. Maybe they had good QC on materials or something 

I can see it now - grab my Warm Audio WA-44 hardly used with natural PATINA 
or 
Grab my Warm Audio Wa-44 which has been relic'ed !

But i wont be able to help myself and I will end getting a WA44 just to see what its like as i just love ribbon mics. But bear in mind I will make some adjustments to it. 

I'm still waiting for the keychain USB Ribbon mic...
From Neumann.

Thanks for the post.
But IMHO...
Mic sounds a bit "too Modern" tonally,
to be mistaken for a "real" 44. Minus the HUGE low end for one thing/maybe they Processed it out?
Chris