Best ribbon microphone I've tried. The violin, cello and viola da gamba sound divinely soft. I have to use two preamplifiers due to low power of the mic, my first is maximum 72db and it’s not enough, the second is an additional 28db and with it I have to make it quieter and I got what I needed. I compared it with Cole 4038, it is also good, but AEA has a softer sound at high.