NAMM 2019: Delphos 2 USD 999 boutique condenser mic
At this year’s NAMM, boutique microphone maker Roswell Pro Audio revealed Delphos II, its second-generation flagship studio condenser mic. It improves on the original model with the addition of a third polar pattern and a new low-noise power supply. The mic body has been enlarged and finished in metallic blue. According to Roswell founder Matt McGlynn, the Delphones 2 sounds particularly good on vocals and acoustic guitar, owing to a balanced frequency response and clean FET-like character.
There are two switches to be found on the mic’s body – a polar pattern selector (Cardioid, Omni, and Figure-8) and a -10dB pad. Frequency response is rated at 20Hz – 16kHz, EQ’d for fuller lows, neutral mids and high-frequency detail without sibilance. Delphos 2 is hand-built in California, incorporating low-noise NOS transistors and high-end capacitors. The capacitors are matched and JFET transistors are manually biased with the goal of achieving high SPL while reducing distortion as much as possible.
Each mic is “burned in” for 24 hours and undergoes listening tests and QC inspections prior to shipment. Obviously, Roswell isn’t kidding around with the “boutique” thing. Interestingly, the price is well under what you might expecting considering what you just read.
Price and Availability
Priced USD 999, the Delphos 2 ships in a custom flight case and includes Roswell’s proprietary Cutaway shockmount. I think that’s a very competitive price considering the effort going into this mic. Thankfully, the manufacturer has distributors around the globe so sourcing a Delphos 2 outside the USA isn’t a problem.
- More information about Roswell Pro Audio microphones is available at their official website.
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