Royer R101 Ribbon Mic (Used) #1

Royer R101 Ribbon Mic (Used)

The R101 is a passive ribbon with a figure‑eight polar pattern, and uses Royer’s own offset‑ribbon transducer design with a 1.5‑inch, pure‑aluminium diaphragm that is 2.5 microns thick. This offset design places the ribbon slightly closer to the front of the mic than the back, protected behind a new wire-mesh windscreen construction inside the body’s sound entry slots. This arrangement apparently also helps to reduce the proximity effect that can make close sources sound bass-heavy.

A high‑efficiency neodymium magnet assembly ensures a reasonable output level of about 4mV/Pa — roughly 6dB more than the original R121. Apparently the R101 is designed for both studio and live-sound applications, with a particular tolerance of loud sources like electric guitar and brass instruments. The frequency response is remarkably flat: within about ±2dB from about 40Hz all the way up to about 17kHz, with a mild hollowing of the response by about 3dB between roughly 9 and 12kHz.