Revox Micro M3500 - sauce up your snare

Revox M3500 – the Special Beyerdynamic Microphone Made for Revox

Rare German Vintage Microphone | Manufactured exclusively by Beyerdynamic for Revox | Distinctive Presence Voicing

Offered for sale is a rare Revox M3500, a dynamic studio/instrument microphone from the great era of German microphone engineering.

The M3500 is particularly interesting because it is often described as the Revox version of the Beyerdynamic M201. That description is technically incomplete: Beyerdynamic itself confirms that the M3500 is based on the M201N(C), but is not identical to it.

THE KEY DIFFERENCE: DIFFERENT VOICING FROM THE M201

The crucial difference lies in the electrical and acoustic design.

The Revox M3500 uses a 600-ohm voice coil and does not have the passive filter used to reduce the presence region. The Beyerdynamic M201N(C), by contrast, uses a passive filter that broadly attenuates the presence range slightly.

The result is a distinctive tonal difference: compared with the M201, the M3500 sounds somewhat brighter, more direct and more present – Beyerdynamic itself describes it as “more forward”.

The M3500 is therefore not simply an M201 with a different badge, but a specially manufactured Revox version with its own voicing.

BEYERDYNAMIC MADE FOR REVOX

The M3500 was manufactured by Beyerdynamic exclusively for Revox. Its relationship to the M201 is obvious and makes it particularly interesting to collectors and engineers – but the differences are important.

There are also constructional differences: the M3500 has five rear slots compared with six on the corresponding M201N(C), and it does not have the hum-compensation coil found in the M201.

SOUND & APPLICATIONS

Its somewhat more forward voicing makes the M3500 particularly useful on sources where clarity, attack and presence are desired.

Particularly interesting for:

• Snare drum
• Toms
• Percussion
• Guitar amps
• Brass
• Vocals
• Speech
• Acoustic instruments

On snare and toms in particular, the presence voicing can be an advantage, bringing attack and transients clearly forward without necessarily requiring a condenser microphone.

A REVOX CLASSIC WITH ITS OWN IDENTITY

The M3500 is considerably less well known than the Beyerdynamic M201. That very lack of recognition makes it interesting to collectors and vintage studio enthusiasts.

Anyone looking for an M201 has plenty of examples to choose from. Anyone specifically looking for an original Revox M3500 is searching within a much smaller niche.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Revox M3500
• Manufactured exclusively by Beyerdynamic for Revox
• Dynamic microphone
• 600-ohm voice coil
• No passive presence filter
• Brighter and more direct than the M201N(C)
• Five rear slots
• No hum-compensation coil
• Rare German vintage microphone

A fascinating microphone for Revox collectors, Beyerdynamic enthusiasts and studios looking for a characterful dynamic classic with a little extra presence.