Much like the RNR1 Active Ribbon and RN17 Small-Diaphragm Condenser, the RNT is something truly special, developed over several years of careful listening and measurement by Mr. Rupert Neve, Mr. Siwei Zou, and the engineering teams from both Rupert Neve Designs and sE Electronics. The RNT utilizes fully discrete, Class-A electronics throughout both of its active stages. The first stage is tube-based, with a hand-selected, low-noise ECC82 tube within the microphone chassis, and implementing a custom-built Rupert Neve Designs output transformer. The second stage is within the floor box - which controls polar pattern, filter and gain switching - and is also coupled with a second custom-made Rupert Neve Designs output transformer. This second stage is is built around the same custom op-amps used in Rupert Neve Designs' flagship 5088 recording console, known worldwide for its unrivaled transparency and headroom. The custom handcrafted large-diaphragm true condenser capsule is the finest capsule sE has ever made, born from years of rigorous testing and listening, and developed and constructed by hand in sE's own factory. The Class-A electronics and switchable gain ensure a massive dynamic range, with high sound pressure level (SPL) handling capability and extremely low-noise components, and the switchable low-cut filters eliminate rumble or footfall noise, and can also compensate for an excess of bass frequencies caused by the proximity effect. This enables the RNT to close-mic many instruments including electric guitar speaker cabinets, brass instruments and drums. Lastly, the 9-position polar pattern switch allows for omnidirectional, cardioid, and figure-eight pickup patterns (plus several positions in between each) for precise tailoring of the balance between direct and ambient sound when recording with the RNT.
