Tannoy Cardioid Ribbon 05424

Tannoy made a lot of different microphones over the years but documentation for them is scarce. We have only seen a single example of this model, which is one of their earliest microphones and most likely dates from the 1930s. There is no model number but the microphone carries a numbered plate marked 05424.

This short official history of the Tannoy company tells us that Tannoy were building microphones by 1934.

Momics technical note:

This microphone is built around a large, heavy horseshoe magnet in a design that is not dissimilar to that of the Siemens EML24, although the ribbon in the Tannoy is substantially wider. The ribbon connections are made via screws which are pushed through the ribbon itself, which can be a source of failure or noise.

The sound of the mic is very sensitive to the cavity inside the magnet and behind the ribbon and also the lower bell of the which is prone to ringing. Careful attention should be paid to damping the cavity behind the ribbon to get the best bass response without excessive peakiness.

Thanks to Neil at Premises Studios for sharing this microphone.

A long post about Tannoy's cardioid microphones at the Xaudia blog.

Read a short history of the Tannoy company.