AEA KU5A

The AEA KU5A is a ribbon microphone with supercardioid polar pattern that captures pure, direct sound while rejecting room tone from behind, prefect for live lounges and group recordings. This feature prevents excessive monitor and audience bleed when tracking musicians live in one room or on stage. Traditional figure-of-8 ribbons, which distinctly incorporate both direct sound and room sound, rely on sharp nulls to reject unwanted bleed.

The KU5A’s end-address directionality and tight supercardioid pattern allow for effortless positioning on snare, toms, and other instruments that may be difficult to access. Signal bleed captured by dynamic mics and condensers often sounds harsh and brittle due to top-end frequencies. The minimal bleed captured by the KU5A sounds more natural as a result of its smooth top end and coheres well in a mix.

AEA KU5A Features

• Supercardioid polar pattern that rejects room tone and instrument bleed
• Detailed, extended top end with ribbon smoothness and warmth
• Supreme durability for close-range, outdoor, and live use
• Active electronics and custom transformer optimized for all preamps
• Front address design with built-in yoke is simple to position
• Integrated high-pass filter switch reduces proximity effect at close-range
• Matte black finish is discreet on camera

Specifications

• Height: 8 in (20.3 cm)
• Width: 3 in (7.6 cm)
• Weight: 2 lb 9.8 oz (1.19 kg)
• Shipping weight: 4 lb (1.8 kg)
• Connector: XLR-3M wired to a 3 meter captive cable
• Operating Principle: Pressure gradient transducer
• Directional Pattern: Supercardioid
• Frequency Range: < 20 Hz to >20 kHz
• Maximum SPL: 135 dB SPL (1% third harmonic > 1 kHz)
• Sensitivity: -43dBv (at 1 kHz, no load)
• Output Impedance: 92 Ω broadband
• Load Impedance: 1.0 kΩ or greater
• Phantom power: Requires 48V Phantom Power, 7mA
• Polarity: Pin 2 high for positive pressure at the front of the microphone.