The microphone that informed generations is heading into retirement.
When the Electro-Voice 635A was introduced in 1965, it was plugged into 16 mm film news cameras. It has been connected to cassette and MiniDisc audio recorders and video cameras and is still being used with digital audio recorders. In 2021, Radio World reviewed the remarkable history of this little microphone that could.
But the final 635A models left the factory in the spring of 2024. As Electro-Voice Product Manager James Curl put it, “It had a good run.”
Given that users found the 635A virtually indestructible, those mics will likely see use for many years to come.
Steve Gregory, now with all-news KNX(AM/FM) in Los Angeles, remembers being handed a 635A and a Marantz PMD-222 cassette recorder when he started his career in Colorado.
“I dropped it; kicked it by accident; left it in the heat; and dropped it in the snow multiple times. Kind of like a Timex, the mic took a lickin’ and kept on tickin’.”
At the Cumulus cluster in Tucson, Chief Engineer Mark Simpson recalls issuing kits of a 635A and a Marantz to reporters at a New Jersey station known for its news coverage.
“It can withstand the best the news reporter could throw at it, not to mention the days where there would be a press conference without a mult box and the reporter would have to duct tape the mic to the podium. Inevitably, someone would knock one of our mics on the ground or bang theirs into ours. The 635A would almost never even get a scratch on it.”
Omnipresent omnidirectional
The 635A is a dynamic mic with an omnidirectional pickup pattern. It will likely go down as one of the most popular microphone models ever made.
An EV executive wrote in 1965, “There is increasing demand for a small, lightweight, high-output microphone for stand and handheld use.” Now Electro-Voice’s sales team estimates that between 750,000 and 1 million 635A units were sold during the six decades it was on the market.
Making its debut in Electro-Voice’s signature fawn beige finish, the 635A was compact, at just half a foot long. The line grew to include the 635A/B, with the “B” indicating a black finish. For customers who thought the original was too short, Electro-Voice introduced the 635L and 635L/B, adding 3-1/2 inches to the length. It also added a 635N/D and 635N/D-B with proprietary neodymium capsule.
Curl said two developments led to the decision to stop making this audio icon.
The first challenge was COVID-related supply chain difficulties. The second was market evolution. “Users want to be able to plug directly into a laptop,” he said.
As the sound industry grows into new markets, Electro-Voice has expanded its focus beyond broadcast and recording studio clients. Curl says it was all about connectors and connections. Companies in the sector now face two markets, the traditional audio customers who prefer XLR connectors and the social media consumers using USB cables.
It is also a global market. “Places like China, the last numbers that I heard for the USB microphone industry, they’re expecting 15% to 20% growth year over year,” Curl adds.
For users seeking a sturdy, omnidirectional dynamic microphone, Curl suggests what some call the “son of the 635A.” EV is still manufacturing the RE50B and RE50L.
“The capsule inside of it is basically the same as the 635A,” he said, while the RE50 design offers better shock mounting to reduce handling noise.
Electro-Voice still holds an industry standard in the studio mic category with its RE20 line, which has become a choice of podcasters as well.
“Standards are getting higher too, so people don’t want to listen to something that sounds like garbage,” Curl said.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Electro-Voice is very flattered. According to Curl, “One of the major things that influences (podcasters’) buying decision is what they see on YouTube and television, etc. So, if you turn on ESPN, guess what? You’re going to see an Electro-Voice RE20. It’s all over the place.”
Electro-Voice as a brand will mark its 100th anniversary in 2027. It has not been a standalone company since 1998, when it was purchased by Telex, which itself was acquired by the German conglomerate Bosch in 2006.
Last December, the German private equity firm Triton announced the purchase of Bosch’s security and communications technology business, including Electro-Voice. In the acquisition announcement, Triton’s Sachin Jivanji said, “Our goal is to invest in the company’s brands, technology, sales force and go-to-market strategies.”
Curl echoed the optimism, “There is a lot of renewed energy and excitement around the office these days, so look forward to many great things to come.”
One of the things to come, Curl teased, is the possibility of limited-run centennial products. Those may include “some blasts from the past.”
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