Aston Microphones Stealth Broadcast Quality Cardioid Condenser Studio/Live Microphone

Specifications

• Equivalent Self-Noise Level; 10dB A-weighted
• Sensitivity at 1kHz into 1kohm – passive mode; Average 1 mV/Pa (varies across 4 voices)
• Sensitivity at 1kHz into 1kohm – active mode; Average 150 mV/Pa (varies across 4 voices)
• Maximum SPL for THD 0.5%; 140dB

Aston Microphones Stealth Broadcast Quality Cardioid Condenser Studio/Live Microphone

The Aston Stealth is a broadcast quality, microphone for studio and stage. With 4 switchable voices delivering incredible performance in almost any situation, a Class A built in mic preamp with autodetect 48V Phantom power and featuring a unique Sorbothane internal shock mount system and Aston’s legendary build quality, we reckon Stealth is one of the world’s most versatile microphone.

• Transducer Type; Moving coil
• Directional Polar Pattern; Cardioid
• Frequency Response; 20Hz – 20kHz (+/-3dB)

Features Four Settings, Four Different Voices

Think of Stealth as four professional microphones in one. There are 2 vocal settings, optimised for different vocal tones, a guitar setting which is equally suited to Spanish guitar, Electric guitar cab and steel string acoustic, and a dark, vintage setting, reminiscent of classic ribbon mics.

The Stealth provides a choice of four pure, high quality signal paths. The voice settings are not EQ filters, they are contour networks, meaning the bulk of the signal does not pass through any sort of filter circuitry. The whole signal is slightly attenuated, with some frequencies being added back in at a higher level. This results in much lower phase distortion than conventional filter designs.

Active & Passive Modes with 48V Autodetect Function

Stealth works with or without 48V phantom power. In passive mode (unpowered) the active circuit is completely bypassed and Stealth operates with the simplest possible signal chain to give a beautifully clean sound.

A unique built-in Autodetect function senses the presence of 48V phantom power and will automatically switch the mic to active mode to utilize the onboard class A mic preamp.

Built-in Class A Mic Preamp

When in active mode Stealth features a high quality built-in Class A Mic Pre, dispensing with the need for an expensive external gain lifting device.

Stealth features a fully balanced signal path from capsule to output, yielding a superior reduction of ‘Common Mode’ noise compared with single-ended (unbalanced) designs.

Unique Sorbothane Internal Shock Mount

Aston Stealth includes a proprietary internal shock mount design with the capsule suspended in mid-air, completely isolated from the mic chassis, and supported at 3 points by Sorbothane polymer hemi-spheres.

Sorbothane is a synthetic viscoelastic urethane polymer used as a vibration damper and acoustic shield used in computing, hi-fi and many industrial applications.

Exceptional Side Rejection

Stealth’s acoustically tuned headstock provides a highly focused cardioid polar pattern with enhanced off-axis rejection.

Excellent Rejection of EM Hum

Stealth’s capsule is fully enclosed in a Stainless Steel Faraday cage – an enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields (named after the English scientist Michael Faraday, who invented them in 1836)

A Faraday cage operates because an external electrical field causes the electric charges within the cage’s conducting material to be distributed such that they cancel the field’s effect in the cage’s interior. This phenomenon is used to protect sensitive electronic equipment from external radio frequency interference (RFI).

Custom Stand Mount

Yet another unique design element of the Aston Stealth is the use of custom moulded end caps with integrated XLR and a special design quick release stand mount. An included stand mount allows you to simply click the mic into place, and release it just as quickly for storage, and can angle the mic perfectly for any application.

Sensible Packaging

We have put our hearts and minds into creating the most beautiful performance pieces possible with each Aston product. When it comes to packaging we believe simplicity is king. Protective, re-useable, environmentally sensible packaging that doesn’t cost the earth.

Aston 33

A microphone is not just a functional tool. It is a musical instrument, and the very heart of every recording you will ever make.

So, when we set about developing a new microphone brand, it was critically important to us that our final ‘sound’ was something which would not only ‘do the job’, but which would also inspire the confidence of the artist, the producer or the engineer, to get the very best performances possible.

Right from the start of ‘project Aston’, we worked with a group of top audio professionals, creating a unique sound development panel to be our ears, while we focussed on perfecting every tiny detail in these crafted works of arts, to finally produce what we believe to be the very best products in their class.

At each stage of product development we conduct double blind listening tests with our test panel. We call them the Aston 33 after the original panel which was made up of 33 of the top producers, engineers, FOH guys and artists in the UK.