MXL R77 Review / See All ZenPro Audio Reviews Here: Review Page

I have only begun to test the R77, but so far so good. The R77 exhibits an extended top end and low end that is noticeably higher fidelity than many ribbons. The appearance is, I gotta say, slightly gaudy in person. I only say that because the ‘clash’ of the silver and gold is maybe a little much but it’s not ugly…! Just different looking, it actually has the old “ Radio City” look to it too. The R77 has a 1.8 micron ribbon element. The yoke mount is very solid, it ships with a Mogami cable (a thinner gauge 2 conductor, not Gold Series quad) and a cleaning cloth which, now that I think of it, is pretty much needed to keep all that chrome and gold shining.

The extended sound of the R77 is pretty detailed overall. It has a natural sort of sound for the most part, the low end has more of a deep and round thing happening and not the ‘woof’ associated with many ribbons. The midrange is linear sounding for the most part, but there is a bit of a point to the upper midrange. That point can help a source like guitar and some instruments cut through the mix, or of course it could need to be EQ’d out (some vocals for example may need a little de-essing in that range). Either way, it has a specific bump in the upper mids. Top end response is refreshingly open sounding for a ribbon. Self noise is noticeably pretty low.

Conclusion: The R77 is a nice entry to the ribbon mic market for MXL. It feels very solid, and certainly looks vintage. It’s a more extended sound, but does have a bit of a specific sound in the upper mids compared to other ribbons.