Royer Labs Announces SF-2 Active Ribbon Microphone

Burbank, CA. Royer Labs, a leading manufacturer of high quality ribbon

microphones, is pleased to announce the SF-2 Active Ribbon Microphone.

Designed as a premium instrument for use in classical performance

applications or to capture acoustic instruments, the SF-2 is a phantom

powered version of the company's original SF-1 ribbon microphone and

combines Royer's legendary audio performance attributes with their exclusive

active electronics for ribbon microphones.

The new Royer Labs SF-2 has an output level of -38 dB-putting its

sensitivity on par with that of phantom powered condenser microphones. This

enables the microphone to be used with a wide variety of mic preamplifiers,

regardless of gain characteristics. The SF-2's unique electronics and custom

designed FET's deliver ultra-quiet operation; with self-noise of lower than

18 dB.

The SF-2's magnet/pole piece transducer structure provides a wide, uniform

frequency response with no substantial peaks or dips, and the 1.8-micron

ribbon element delivers superb transient response. The result is excellent

frequency response, regardless of the angle of sound striking the ribbon.

Equally noteworthy, the microphone's off-axis coloration is negligible.

These characteristics enable the microphone to deliver rich, full-range

sound quality indicative of Royer Labs' legendary reputation for sonic

accuracy.

In terms of gain structure, Royer Labs' Active Series ribbon microphones are

as sensitive as phantom powered condenser microphones-enabling one to use

virtually any microphone preamplifier or board preamp. Conventional ribbon

microphones are typically 15 to 30 dB less sensitive than condenser mics,

necessitating the use of high-quality, high-gain microphone preamplifiers

when recording quieter sound sources such as acoustic instruments, vocals,

room ambiance, etc. The SF-2 contains a fully balanced, discrete head

amplifier system that utilizes a specially wound toroidal transformer and

ultra-low noise FET's to deliver a sensitivity of -38 dB. Even with

extremely quiet sound sources, the SF-2 provides enough level to drive any

recording medium.

Equally notable, the SF-2's electronics create no additional self-noise. All

of the microphone's higher output is the result of its large, specially

wound toroidal transformer, which provides an additional 14 dB of 'free

gain.' The phantom powered system operates at less than unity, adding no

noise of its own.

The electronics in the SF-2 provide a perfect load to the ribbon element at

all times, enabling the microphone to deliver 100\% of its full sonic

potential regardless of the input characteristics of the following mic

preamplifier. Due to its low-impedance output, the SF-2 can be used on

extremely long cable runs with minimal signal loss.

A proper impedance match is critical to the performance of any ribbon

microphone. Impedance mismatching loads a ribbon element improperly,

resulting in loss of low-end fullness and body, lower sensitivity, and an

overall diminished level of microphone performance. With Royer Labs' Active

Series ribbon technology, the ribbon element sees a perfect impedance at all

times, regardless of the preamp one chooses. As a result, the ribbon

element's performance is never compromised by the effects of improper

loading. Further, the ribbon element cannot be damaged by phantom power,

electrical glitches, or incorrectly wired cables.

John Jennings, Royer's VP of Sales and Marketing, commented on the new SF-2

Active Ribbon Microphone. "Our new SF-2 is the product of extensive research

and field testing," Jennings said. "We've had twenty prototype SF-2's

circulating in major studios and scoring stages for years. It has been well

accepted in the classical recording and scoring worlds, which is where we

see the microphone being of greatest benefit due to its extremely natural

sounding pickup, flat frequency response and second-to-none off-axis

response. The SF-2 already has a great track record with recording choir,

piano, woodwinds, strings and a number of other applications, so we're

pleased to finally make it available to engineers worldwide."

The Royer Labs SF-2 Active Ribbon Microphone ships in an aluminum

presentation case with an SFS-2 shock mount, mic sock, documentation, and

owner's manual. There is also an optionally available SF-2 Deluxe Package

that includes a beautiful Padauk wood presentation case, a Royer-made

20-foot microphone cable, a premium RSM-24 shock mount, documentation, and

owner's manual-all packaged in an aluminum carrying/storage case.

The Royer Labs SF-2 Active Ribbon Microphone is expected to ship September

17, 2012. MSRP pricing is as follows:

SF-2 Standard Package:          $2,495.

SF-2 Deluxe Package:            $3,295.

About Royer Labs

Located in Burbank, California, Royer Labs' microphones are a staple of

leading recording and broadcast facilities. For additional information about

all Royer microphones, please visit the company at www.royerlabs.com.