recordinghacks

Samar Audio Design VL37

Bidirectional Ribbon Microphone

The Samar VL37 is a passive ribbon microphone handmade in the US.

The VL37 is engineered to be a lower-cost version of Samar’s flagship ribbon, the MF65. It uses the same internal parts and same machined stainless steel body as the MF65 but with the following differences:

• The ribbon motor is screwed to the body as opposed to glued in.
• The warranty is 5 years as opposed to lifetime (though it includes a two re-ribbon provision).
• The microphone box is now a foam-lined wooden box as opposed to the lavish maple box of the MF65.
• The mic comes with a generic rubber isolation clip instead of a shock mount.

Mark Fouxman (designer, Samar Audio)

The main idea was to engineer a mic with the same sound quality as the MF65, but make it much more affordable, so besides professionals, budget oriented home and project studios could use them as well.

The VL37 and the MF65 are sonically identical, both having Samar’s almost totally flat response from 20Hz to 8kHz, as well as the same top end response that extends beyond 25kHz. Samar calls it a “vintage vibe with a modern sound” which is presumably in comparison to vintage ribbon mics — Coles 4038, the RCA mics, etc. — that have a steep drop off in high end above 10kHz.

The VL37 also has a hand-wound toroidal transformer designed and tuned specifically for this microphone.

Permalink: Samar Audio Design VL37

The mic was released in 2015.

Specifications

Pickup Patterns	Pads & Filters
CHART Bidirectional (2 mV/Pa; 20 - 25,000 Hz)

Ribbon Construction	Impedance	SPL/Noise
VL37 Frequency Chart	250 Ohms (Low)

Weight	Length	Max Diameter	Interface(s)
375g (13.23oz)	195mm (7.68'')	33mm (1.30'')	3-pin XLR male (1)

Power Specifications

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