Warm Audio have just announced the launch of a new microphone that offers a modern take on one of Bang & Olufsen’s classic ribbon designs. The Fen-tone promises to deliver the rich sound associated with the original, but introduces some handy extras such as an onboard in-line preamp.
The Fen-tone sports the same distinctive vented body as the original, but benefits from some modern upgrades internally. a custom Japanese ribbon is joined by a US-made CineMag transformer, delivering a refined midrange that helps instruments to stand out in a dense mix. The mic is said to excel when used on loud sources such as horns, drum overheads and guitar cabs, and features a ‘forgiving’ high-frequency roll-off above 15kHz that helps to tame overly bright sources and avoid any harshness or sibilance.
The front-facing toggle switch that was present in the original design remains, although rather than offering a choice of voicing modes, it now engages a built-in in-line preamp. The all-analogue JFET circuit provides an additional 26dB of gain at the mic’s output, bringing the Fen-tone in line with capacitor mics and ensuring it’s capable of delivering a healthy level to preamps that don’t provide enough gain for lower-output mics. The company warn that the Fen-tone should not be connected to a phantom power source unless the in-line preamp is engaged.
It's possible to buy two Fen-tones as a matched stereo pair.
“This style of microphone has been around for a long time and the tone has evolved since the original, we're excited to deliver an affordable version of its most contemporary tones. We’re all familiar with the body style of this mic, but not everyone knows it originally comes from a design from the 1950s. While other B&O-inspired designs have used upgraded ribbons and components like ours to deliver that guitar tone we all know and love, we’ve also upgraded the original switch that cycled between various modes for ‘Talk’, ‘Music’ and ‘Orchestra’, to now being an active in-line preamp to offer even more value. We revived the trademark to keep it authentic to its history while bringing the Warm formula of premium components to the build to deliver today’s most sought-after guitar and instrument tones.” - Bryce Young, Founder & President, Warm Audio
Pricing & Availability
The Fen-tone is available now, with pricing as follows:
- Single: $699£639 including VAT / €749
- Stereo Pair: $1199£1159 including VAT / €1349
