Royer Labs R-122V - Manual (Page 5)

distortion and very high SPL handling without the use of pads. The system gives the R-122V an
output level comparable to that of condenser microphones, and its buffer stage provides a low
impedance output while presenting a perfect impedance load to the ribbon element. Non-
powered ribbon microphones suffer substantially degraded frequency response and lowered
sensitivity when they are paired to a preamp with too low of an input impedance. With the
R-122V’s vacuum tube circuitry, the microphone’s frequency response and output are much less
affected by variations in the input impedance of the following preamp.
Sonically, the R-122V differs from the non-powered R-121 and the phantom powered R-122 in a
few subtle, but significant, ways. Due to the extra iron in the R-122V’s much larger transformer,
low-end frequencies sound slightly tighter and more focused than with the R-121 (the R-122 also
utilizes this special Royer designed transformer). Compared with that of the R-121, the transient
response of the R-122 and R-122V is faster, giving the sense of a more open high-end response.
Sonically, the R-122V is set apart by its increased midrange reach and detail, and a lushness that
is hard to describe. The R-122V also has an enormous amount of headroom available, making it
useful on extremely loud applications. Phantom powered microphones are limited with regard to
maximum headroom as a result of the phantom power source. With the vacuum tube design,
greater headroom is achievable because the voltage source is supplied by a dedicated power
supply. The vacuum tube operates with a supply voltage greater than twice that of a phantom
powered microphone. The vacuum tube also provides the extremely high input impedance
required for the specialized ribbon matching transformer and offers transient response superior to
any solid-state component.
Key points:
• No longer is it necessary to mate a ribbon microphone to an ultrahigh gain, low noise
preamplifier for optimum performance. Any preamplifier of nominal gain will provide good
results with the R-122V.
• No longer is it necessary to carefully consider impedance matching characteristics when
choosing a preamplifier. Microphone loading is a non-issue (although we still suggest that the
load is above 2,000-ohms for optimum technical performance).
• No longer is it necessary to be concerned about damaging the ribbon element with phantom
power. The vacuum tube electronics completely isolate the ribbon element.
• No longer is it necessary to worry about the effects of long cable runs degrading the
performance of your ribbon microphone. The vacuum tube electronics provide a robust low
impedance signal that can handle long cable lengths without loss of signal.
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