The Golden Age range of mics are Chinese in origin but have been tweaked here and there to improve performance by the GA company which is based in Alingsas in Sweden. GA are one of the best known pro-audio dealerships in Scandinavia and they have had a considerable input into the design of this range of Ribbon mics which includes a couple of passive ribbons, a valve ribbon and the active ribbon we bought for the studio.

The R1 Active Mk3 is unusual in having active F.E.T. circuity which boosts the output to similar levels as a condenser microphone which means that the mic can run of any normal 48 phantom desk pre without the need to buy an expensive high gain pre that most ribbons require. It's a good looking sturdy mic and comes in a padded bag like AEA which considering the price of this mic is stunning value.