recordinghacks

Nady RSM-3

Bidirectional Ribbon Microphone

The RSM-3 is a Chinese-made passive ribbon microphone, likely a rebadged Alctron HRM-10, itself based on Royer’s R-121.

The ribbon measures 35mm by 5mm by 2 microns in thickness. It is advertised as being offset from front to back, providing slightly different sounds and making the front side capable of higher SPL. However, this innovation was patented by David Royer in 1999. The RSM-5 initially shared this design, but was subsequently changed to a symmetrical design, and it seems likely the RSM-3 will follow suit.

The mic ships with a padded nylon bag, a wooden storage box, and a shockmount. It carries a warranty that expires upon receipt — as the User Guide puts it, “the warranty on this microphone does not extend beyond an initial inspection, since these microphones can be so easy damaged during handling and use.”

The MSRP was $359.95 when the mic was introduced, Street prices as of Summer, 2008 were quite a bit lower, $250-$270. The mic has been discontinued as of 2010.

The Nady RSM-3 is also known as: RSM3.

The mic was released in 2005.

Specifications

Pickup Patterns	Pads & Filters
Bidirectional (2 mV/Pa; 30 - 15,000 Hz)

Ribbon Construction	Impedance	SPL/Noise
35mm x 5mm, 2-micron aluminum ribbon	600 Ohms (Low)	Max SPL: 148 dB

Weight	Length	Max Diameter	Interface(s)
496g (17.50oz)	175mm (6.89'')	37mm (1.46'')	3-pin XLR male (1)

Power Specifications

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