Sontronics has announced their latest microphone called the ARIA. It is a cardioid design specifically tailored for recording vocals but is said to work well with piano, acoustic guitar and strings. It seems very well built with great specs and comes with power supply, shock mount, velvet lined wooden box plus a flightcase. Sontronics also states the ARIA has a no-nonsense lifetime warranty. I would love to put it to the test in the studio.
From the Sontronics website:
"The Sontronics ARIA valve/tube cardioid condenser microphone will give you stunning, beautiful results on every recording, thanks to its silky-smooth characteristics, its accurate response and our trademark Sontronics high-frequency roll-off.Housed inside the chromed grille is a large, 1.07-inch, edge-terminated capsule that captures all the detail and subtleties of any male or female vocal, while the hand-selected European 12AX7/ECC83 tube lends a character that you'd expect to find in a classic vintage valve mic.For that extra level of control, the accompanying SPS-2 power supply unit boasts pad (0, -10dB) and filter (linear, 75Hz) switches as well as a tube-ready LED, letting you know when the mic is warmed up and at its best to record. Inside the unit is a pro-quality, medical-grade electricity filter to ensure that the power supply is pure and interference-free.During the 12 months of ARIA's development, it has been beta-tested by top artists and musicians including producer/writer Paul Epworth (Adele, Florence & The Machine, Paul McCartney), singer/songwriter PJ Harvey, and also several engineers at Abbey Road Studios, all of whom now admit they can't live without their ARIAs! These and other users have all told us that ARIA's sound and quality is easily matched to mics (both modern and vintage) that cost ten times more"
SPECIFICATIONS:
- POLAR PATTERN: CARDIOID
- FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20HZ TO 20KHZ
- PAD: 0DB, -10DB
- FILTER: LINEAR, 75HZ
- SENSITIVITY: 28MV/PA –35DB ±1.5DB (0DB = 1V/PA @ 1,000HZ)
- IMPEDANCE: ≤200 OHMS
- EQUIVALENT NOISE LEVE: 18DB (A-WEIGHTED)
- MAXIMUM SPL: 125DB (FOR 0.5% THD @ 1,000HZ)
- SUPPLIED WITH: WOODEN BOX (MIC), SPS-2 POWER SUPPLY, POWER LEAD, CONNECTING CABLE, SPIDER-STYLE SHOCKMOUNT, RING MOUNT, ALUMINIUM FLIGHTCASE
Here's a NAMM 2014 video of the Sontronics ARIA:
MSRP: £899/$1488
via Unit 8 Recording Studios
