[48 V] I took a chance on this mic as there's not a lot of reviews on it out there. I'm kinda an ART fanboy, so I figured this mic would be alright. It is! I use it for electric and acoustic guitars and find it to be rich and smooth, like a ribbon mic should be! I find it to be low noise and very balanced. With the right placement (not too close) I didn't even need to eq it! Not having to worry about using my cloud lifter is a plus as well, the active circuit works very well at boosting the signal. Also, it comes with a sturdy aluminum case, shock mount, and velvet pouch. One thing - the shock mount is a little not great - the only thing that holds the mic in is a little thumb screw that pushes a piece of felt into the mic body. It does come loose after a couple of hours. Overall, this mic stands it's own again other cheap ribbon mics very well! I have a cascade fathead and an Se X1r, and this one sounds just as good! And is about $70 cheaper! Way to go, ART!

[Phantom Power] AEA is known for great mics and great pre-amps and the TDI is built the same way, high quality, clean and transparent. In the couple of weeks I have had it, it has been used on multiple basses, with passive and active pick-ups as well as acoustics with Piezos. Regardless of input, there was absolutely no distortion and no coloration, the sound of the instruments came through, good or bad, but gave me total control at the console. Excellent for Piezo pick-ups, as the 10MOhm input impedance loads the pick-ups nicely, no harshness or overtones like some DI's. This has quickly replaced my old classic Type 85 and my newer J48 as the go to DI in my kit. I have not been excited about a DI in a while, a lot out there, but the newer ones were all about imparting their color, not the TDI, it is as good as it gets, and looks great too.

[Side Address] I needed a ribbon mic in the home studio, mainly to record anything that's loud and needs a warm tone. Most ribbon mics seem really expensive, so I'm glad this one exists. Using this up close to a guitar amp sounds great. Combining this with a good dynamic (Shure SM57/Audix i5/Audio-Technica MB 2k) side by side up against a guitar amp sounds awesome!! I also tried to record a trombone with it, as I've heard ribbons are the best mic to use for that. This thing blew any dynamic mic out of the water for capturing brass sound. Thank you Nady and B&H!!

[Phantom Power] If your looking for s low priced great sounding ribbon mic, you've found it! The ribbon is a 2 micron snd has a super response. You can not beat it for the price .

[9.8 x 8 x 4"] What can I say. I've worked in radio and voiceovers for a number of years, and I've made my rounds through the U-87 type mics -- the cadillac of recording mics, you could say -- but the 4038 was, to continue the metaphor, the Bentley. I bought it to record some voices for an album that I'm designing to sound as if it were produced in 1960, so this was the obvious mic choice. And it exceeded my expectations. Two separate recording producers were, after a day of recording with this mic, actually annoyed by the sound of their own mics. This is not a bright sounding mic, so it will not deliver a pop music sound, if that's what you're after. However, I will say that it changed my life.

[Mono] The re-birth of the ribbon microphone. I had been looking for one for the last six months and was so happy to finally find it at B&H. Thank you!

[48 V] The one and only... You probably already know that!

[9.8 x 8 x 4"] I have an extensive collection of ribbon microphones in my
mic locker that I use on a regular basis, mostly live, but also in the studio.





When the N13 came out, I ordered it as soon as I could.  AEA makes up a good part of my inventory and
I knew it was a good bet that the N13 would be a quality microphone.

Since purchasing it I have put it through its paces on a
variety of sources.  Piano, electric
guitar, acoustic guitar, trumpet, flute, vocals, drum overhead, sousaphone and
steel pan.

The N13 has all the same great characteristics that you
would expect from a ribbon, but with something a little more.  With a shorter and thinner ribbon than the
other AEA Big Ribbon Mics, the N13 has a better impulse response which
translates into a much more detailed signal. 
Although I have seen it described as brighter, I would stick with
detailed.  Often ribbons are used to tame
the highs on drum overheads, brass and especially steel pan, the N13 was
wonderful on these sources as the detail was there, but I never felt like I
needed to tame the high end and there was absolutely no harshness.    On vocals, I still have the same wonderful
ribbon response, but the extra detail which captured breath sounds so smoothly,
and added an intimacy to the vocals that was something I didn’t know I was missing until now.

The sousaphone was my favorite use, as it was a fusion band,
with a New Orleans second line feel, but with electric guitar, bass, drum kit
and trumpet.  The N13 made the sousaphone
big and bold, but the detail added and element that really made it work in the
mix like never before.   For the finale,
I was even able to work it into the sub, it was huge.  

I definitely plan on adding more to my inventory as I definitely
want to use it on multiple sources for some shows I do.

[48 V] I am a professional opera singer, and I want to capture my bass-baritone voice in a small space without it sounding too crisp and treble heavy. This mic captures my full spectrum with a nice warm natural quality. I'm improving my placement and studio space so I can add reverb to simulate the large halls that are best for operatic voices. The mic is very sensitive and picks up well at 12-18 away without much room noise. It sounds like me when I'm listening. It's connected to a Tascam DR44w recorder with 48v. The build quality is very nice, but I am always gentle with it and mindful of storing it upright because of the fragile ribbon.

[Mono] After reading the reviews, I thought I'd finality take the plunge and purchase my first ribbon mic. I was going to buy two right off and use them for drum overheads. I bought one just in case it didn't live up to the hype. I'm buying another right away! The first take, the mic was a bit far away (on purpose) second take with the mic about 2' over the rack toms, wow! No one can believe that was recorded with one mic. Snare cracks wonderfully, you can hear the toms breathing. All it lacked was the kick's low end and bite. Can't wait to try it on vocals, upright bass, guitar, etc. The high end takes EQ beautifully just like the reviews said it would. I wish it would come with a better shock mount system. I'm going to try damping the shell to see what difference that will make. All in all, I'm very impressed for the money.