Sontronics APOLLO 2 Active Stereo Ribbon Microphone

The APOLLO 2 is a stereo ribbon microphone built around a pair of ribbon elements arranged in an X-Y Blumlein layout, giving engineers a single-point stereo capture tool rather than a matched pair of separate mics. Because both elements share one body, phase relationships between the left and right channels stay locked, which matters enormously once a mix gets collapsed to mono. It is built for distance miking — room, orchestra, choir, drum overheads — anywhere a wide, natural stereo image beats a spot mic.

Each of the two ribbons can also be engaged on its own, effectively turning the APOLLO 2 into a conventional figure-eight mono ribbon microphone when that is all a session calls for. Sontronics builds an RFI filter into the circuit of its ribbon mics, a detail most ribbon designs skip, which keeps radio interference out of the signal and makes the mic safer to use on stages thick with wireless gear as well as in the studio. Given how exposed the ribbon material is, the ABS flightcase and shockmount that ship with the mic are not just extras — they protect a genuinely delicate transducer.