Sony C37a #4558 (Vintage)

Great mic for electric guitars, vocals, overheads, rooms. Nice for creating 'smokey' vocals. Can tame harsh or sibilant sources.

The Sony Condenser Microphone Model C-37A is a high fidelity, variable directional (uni/omni-directional) microphone developed by Sony acoustic engineering staff.

The excellent performance of the C-37A got great reputation in the entire field of acoustic concern when it was introduced, and it has been used in world-wide broadcasting stations, film studios, recording facilities, etc., where superior characteristics and reliability is required, owing to its stable function, excellent performance, simple operation and rigid construction.

The upper part of the microphone is a C-3 capsule mounted in the metal netting, and the lower part, inside of the metal case, is a cathode-follower circuit including an electron tube 6AU6. The entire internal assembly is rigidly shielded against an external static field.

The diaphragm of the microphone capsule is a very thin plastic film sputtered with pure gold. Since this diaphragm is mounted on the capsule so that it may get full damping effect acoustically, the condenser microphone model C-37A shows very excellent high frequency performance.


Originally designed to rival the Neumann U47, which was the dominant condenser microphone of the early Fifties, the Sony C37A has become a legend all its own. The early prototypes were used to record the NHK symphony rehearsing in the studio under visiting conductor Herbert von Karajan in 1954. The results were so encouraging that engineers pressed ahead with the designs, and the C37A was soon debuted at a 1958 Hi-Fi Show in Los Angeles.

This large diaphragm tube microphone was the type used extensively by Frank Sinatra and Nat 'King' Cole at Capitol studios. The sound of the mic was considered so good, it was proudly displayed on album jackets. The chief recording engineer for Capitol at the time said "Never before have I seen such a wide frequency band or such a smooth response in the upper range."