info on valve microphones?

Answer 1

Might as well just stick to semiconductors. The rest of the audio world uses semiconductors.
Only a die hard element resolutely stick with valve amps, (despite the fact that the music they play would have been recorded using semiconductors).

Answer 2

Certain types of microphone elements (condenser microphones in particular) produces 'charge' instead of current or voltage, when sound waves 'hit' the element. A device is needed to convert charge to voltage, to make it useful for the rest of the audio system. These converters require a very high input impedance amplifier.

There are only 2 types of electronic devices that have super-high input impedances: electron tubes (also known as valves to our British cousins), and field-effect transistors (FETs).

Any condenser microphone must have a matching charge-to-voltage converter. It is also called the microphone preamplifier. It will use either a valve or a FET. Valves are relatively expensive compared to FETs, but a lot of people in audio professions think valves just sound better than FETs.

I personally own a condenser microphone with a FET preamplifier (charge-to-voltage converter), and I think it sounds great -- especially compared with the other main kind of microphone; the dynamic microphone (a Shure SM58 is an example of this).

If you want more specific information on particular model types and numbers, add more info to your question or e-mail me. I can point you to places where you can buy good valve condenser microphones (and FET condenser microphones).

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