our favorite mics

Here are a few of the outstanding historical microphones in the Oddio Shop mic museum. All these mics came to us from the Bob Paquette Museum in Milwaukee, WI.

RCA AZ-4082 Condenser

Here is a very early condenser from what was then a brand new company, RCA. Amelia Earhart was photographed with radio station WGY’s AZ-4082 during the historic Antarctic broadcasts with Admiral Byrd at the South Pole.

RCA 4-A-1 Condenser

As a companion to the previous mic entry, here is the actual mic used by Admiral Byrd while transmitting radio programs from the South Pole, and it is another early RCA.

Western Electric 373W Carbon

One of the most successful of all early carbon mics, these Western Electrics were used by everyone, from major broadcasters to amateur radio enthusiasts. Actor Gloria Swanson (left) pictured with a pair of 373’s.

Marconi Round-Sykes Dynamic

The Round-Sykes mic is the very first dynamic microphone in production, developed by Capt. Round at Marconi Labs. This is a super-rare microphone!

RCA 44 Ribbon (above) and the Harry Olson Prototype 44 Ribbon (right)

The iconic profile of the RCA 44 ribbon mic is known world-wide. It is the most recognizable microphone in history. Designer Harry Olson developed the design by building prototypes like the one you see above. Incredibly, the prototype 44 is a functioning ribbon!