Superlux R102

To be fair, this is my first ribbon mic. And I never really was a fan of ribbon microfones, could not imagine I would actually buy one some day. But I'm a fan of Superlux and theit price/quality ratio, have some of their gear I would never call flwaless, but it was the best I could buy in my region and with my money.

So far it's my first week posessing R102, and I've already tried it on recording vocals, making CabIR from Warwick Sweet 25.1 bass amp (15" speaker) and Peavey XXL412 cab, utilizing it in Mid-Side configuration to record a rehersal. The results are quite satisfactory, according to my subjective taste and positive feedback from my drunk friends.

Other reviewer said its "built like a tank" and that's not mere words. It is pretty weighty, so much that it gives you a sence of confidence in the product you are holding in your hands. The mic holder has metal frame and plastic housing, but it looks like a good type of plastic, that would not break in the next half of a year given moderately careful treatment.

I have seen lots of reviews on youtube with samples of different applications, and comparing it with Shure SM7B or other microphones. Most of them tend to argee that Superlux R102 is simply a solid mic on it's own and the price of it is pretty attractive and tempting. So if you are microphone enthusiast, which i think I'm slowly, painfully and partially unwillingly becoming, or just have a need or want for a microphone with warm, yet not muffled, ribbon sound for whatever sick applications your twisted mind might have and have spare 100 euros to spend - go grab one. I would say with this one you have a pretty low chance to be disappointed in this little guy.

BTW, I couldn't tell if the design of this mic was borrowed from somewhere, as it happens usually happens, or it is a Supurlux original design - the mic looks neet. That's comming from a person preferrs application over appearence and would rarely complement such thing.

I initially bought this mic for it to be rigged up permanently at my laptop for video calling. However, in the brief time I've had it, I have tried it on an acoustic, guide vocal, trumpet and saxophones, and I must say, I really like it.
Now, it's not the world's best ribbon mic, but for the price I dare anyone to complain about it. It's absolutely true to the frequency response diagram that came with it, so the top end does indeed roll off a little. I've yet to mix the horns, but I'm confident about being able to compensate some of the higher frequencies with some EQ. As for the low end, there is some warmth there, especially on a tenor saxophone.
For vocals, again your not going to get the same detail and brightness as you would from a large diaphragm condenser, but for podcasting and possibly BVs, it's worth every penny...and some!
Once again, quick and reliable delivery from Thomann...many thanks!

Overall a great budget mic. Built as a tank, substantial, produces a full sound with abundance of thick low mids and smooth subdued high end. This is what is to be expected with ribbons, so all is good. The pictured scene is not dimensional sounding as some expensive alternatives, but it can sound pretty good on its own or in combination with others. I have two, and sometimes use the blumlein arrangement. Sensitivity is almost comparable to a condenser mic because it is active and needs 48 v to operate. The specs suggest high spl capability but I reached the limit of the mic with rather close micing of a full blast 25 tube guitar watts into a 12 speaker. The metering on my preamp and daw showed ample margin but I found that distorsion causes unusable recordings far before clipping the input stage of the preamp. A little more distance from the driver solved the issue, but I was expecting a tougher behaviour. This is what caused the missing star. Used always with a popfilter, it’s a ribbon.