Golden Age Audio - R1A PREMIER

The R1A PREMIER follows in the tradition of legendary ribbon microphones, capturing the sonic aesthetics and dynamic behaviour of the models that have marked the history of recording for over 80 years. It combines a wide pure aluminium ribbon with completely discrete active electronics, with no integrated circuits, to preserve the harmonic richness and transient response characteristic of classic ribbon microphones.

Thanks to its active amplification powered by +48 V, the R1A PREMIER boasts a much higher output level than a passive ribbon. This design eliminates the need for very high-gain preamplifiers and guarantees optimum sound stability, even with long cable runs or audio interfaces with varying characteristics. The active circuit effectively isolates the ribbon and output transformer from the preamp impedance, ensuring consistent reproduction from one system to another.

The microphone adopts a figure-of-8 pick-up pattern, providing balanced front and rear pick-up, ideal for natural vocal pick-up, acoustic instruments, strings, brass, orchestral ensembles or ambient pick-up applications. The extended, controlled frequency response maintains a full bass, an articulate midrange and a smooth, non-aggressive top end.

Equipped with a Swedish-made Lundahl 1927A transformer, carefully selected audiophile components and Mogami cabling with gold-plated Neutrik connectors, the R1A PREMIER combines long-term reliability with high sonic performance. The high-pass filter and attenuation switches make it easy to integrate in demanding studio or live situations, while retaining the ribbon's typical musical character.