AEA Microphones R44CX Legacy Ribbon Microphone

This is the AEA R44CX, the “X” version of the R44C, equipped with two additional magnets for a higher output. RCA 44 ribbon microphones have remained an essential part of studio life well after RCA stopped manufacturing them in 1955. The sound and response of the 44 B/BX were unlike anything else available. It was cherished for its smoothness, forgiving nature and unique tonal balance. As collectors began to buy up the supply of RCA 44s through the 90s, the availability of this wonderful ribbon mic to the studio was endangered.

Wes Dooley, a specialist in ribbon mics of all kinds, began a project to restore availability of the RCA 44 to its rightful position in the studio. After tracking down the folks who built and designed the original RCA 44, Wes’ company, Audio Engineering Associates, acquired the ribbon material, made the tooling and custom machined the parts necessary to build the original RCA 44 B/BX design as it was in the 1930s. After years of painstaking work, AEA has again begun production of the most important ribbon mic of all time: the AEA R44C.