Royer LabsR-10

Tonal profile

The affordable R-series ribbon: same 2.5-micron element and figure-eight pattern as the R-121, a multi-layer windscreen in front of it and a different transformer behind it. Royer publishes A/B files of the two on electric guitar on the product page itself, which is rare and more useful than any adjective.

Gain staging

-54 dBV/Pa is seven decibels quieter than the R-121 and about two above an SM57, into an output impedance of 100 ohms - low enough that the recommended 700 ohm load is easy to satisfy. Royer states that load as a recommendation rather than a minimum, which is the useful way round.

Production Warning

Passive ribbon - no phantom power required, and Royer asks that it be switched off while connecting or disconnecting rather than claiming immunity. The R-10 costs less than half of an R-121, which makes it the one people are most likely to hot-patch on a live stage; that is exactly the situation Royer's note is about.