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SKU
846
beyerdynamic M 160 Hypercardioid Double Ribbon Microphone
Classic hypercardioid double ribbon microphone
MFR# 100668
Product Description
The beyerdynamics M 160 is a very unique ribbon microphone, with it's unusual hypercardioid polar pattern, it sets itself apart from your standard ribbon mic. M 160 has a very warm, silky sound, and a very high transient response, that makes it great for drums, acoustic instruments, brass sections, vocals, or as a room mic.
The hypercardioid polar pattern offers 25 dB of off-axis noise rejection, making it a go-to mic when multiple players are in the same room. The M 160 is the signature sound of John Bonham's huge drum tone, featured on Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks", as well as Eddie Kramer's first choice for Jimi Hendrix's guitar cabinet on all his recordings.
Features:
- Hypercardioid polar pattern
- Unique double ribbon microphone transducer
- Extended frequency response
- Excellent transient response
- Compact and rugged design
- Warm and natural sound
Product Specifications
| Condition | New |
|---|---|
| Package Contents | Mic, mic clip, mic bag |
| Length | 156 mm |
| Diameter | 38 mm |
| Unit Weight | 156 g |
| Tube or Solid State | Solid State |
| Transducer Type | Ribbon |
| Polar Pattern | Hyper-Cardioid |
| Number of Microphones | Single Microphone |
| Phantom Required | No |
| Impedance | 200 Ohms |
| Frequency Range | 40 Hz - 18 kHz |
| Sensitivity | -60 dBV/Pa (1 mV) |
Product Reviews
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Go to overhead mics
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OK, Its Bowies favorite live vocal mic, Andy John's captured Bonham's iconic drum room sound for "When the Levee Breaks" with a pair of these and Eddie Kramer used it on most of Hendrix's recordings.... and last and not least, hand assembled in Germany by the same woman for decades... I was told by a Beyer representative "when she stops making these they will stop being made"
The mic itself is a workhorse and unique in design having 2 ribbon elements on top of each other, the result is a hotter output and more consistent tone... It can handle loud SPLs and some even love it on a snare, very natural on overheads, cabinet and just as well a acoustic or cello. Great if you wanted to warm up a Taylor guitar or Trumpet.. not to mention excellent rear rejection, a rare welcomed quality for a ribbon. This is a great first mic if you wanted to get a pro grade ribbon as it will be most useful over other more traditional designs.. Its a studio must have... -
Great sounding microphone. Exceeded my expectations.
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Depends what you are looking for.
This is not bright but I have found uses for it where nothing will get this sound. I also purchased an m130 (figure 8) to match up for M-S recording. -
Im not a professional musician or audio engineer, but my buddies and I like to record some covers as a hobby. We play a lot of classic rock covers, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Alice Cooper, etc. I was reading up on how they got some of those iconic drum and guitar tones and this mic came up time and time again, apparently it was the microphone of choice for Jimi Hendrix on his guitar and the mics used to get the huge John Bonham drum tone. We decided to add two of them to the mic collection and record some Zeppelin and Hendrix tunes. When I put it on the electric guitar, I was instantly pulled to the past, it was the closest my guitar rig has ever sounded to a classic recording. It had far more definition in the note attack than my previous microphone, and much warmer sounding with my Strat. When we did the drums, I had a mic on the kick and snare, then put the M160s farther back in the room. At first I wasnt getting that huge tone, but once I learned what compression was those two mics sounded bigger than anything we tried recording before. Im really glad we added these mics to the setup, finally able to make some recordings that sound like my heroes.
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I run a medium-low budget project studio, but my studio has a few high-end preamps and excellent conversion. After purchasing this mic with an M130 and AEA TRP preamp for primarily acoustic guitars, I knew ahead of time that this mic would get a lot of use on other sources. I'm a horn specialist & multi-instrumentalist. Recently I tracked my tenor sax with this mic, and I was seriously floored with the sound. The tracks on tenor sax was like something you'd hear on any top-notch modern jazz or pop album. Overdubbing solos & horn-lines to beach-music type tunes, I honestly didn't need any EQ or compression - the tracks were that even, smooth & natural. I have a music partner who does a lot of songwriting, and he's tracked entire demos with just this one mic. Now, I just have to keep myself from taking this mic out of the studio to live gigs! I will buy another as soon as finances allow. Definitely a 'work-horse' mic. BTW, the gain & clarity on the AEA is amazing on these ribbon mics. I'll be trying the AEA on dynamics & tube condensers soon.
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Perhaps the most unique mic on this list, the Beyerdynamic M160 is a ribbon mic with an unusual hypercardioid polar pattern that works great for drums, acoustic instruments, vocals and more. The focused pickup pattern helps reject unwanted noise, especially when performing in the same room as others, while the extended frequency response delivers a warm, silky sound that engineers love. From John Bonham's huge drum tone on Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" to Jimi Hendrix’s roaring guitar cabs, the M160 can be heard on countless classic recordings.10. Josephson e22S Condenser Microphone
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If you have any questions or would like to purchase any of the microphones mentioned in this blog, we're here to help! Please contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant via email or by phone at 866.644.0160.
Every acoustic sound source, be it a piano, violin, guitar, speaker cabinet, or the human voice, requires a 
One question we always get asked here at Vintage King Audio is, “How do I get huge sounding vocals that have warmth and color?” Over the years, we’ve shared our gear picks for how to do it on an 
If you have questions about any of the gear mentioned in this blog, we're here to help! Please contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant 
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