Cadenza Crystal Mics - a mystery solved!

This Ebay auction has solved a little mystery for me!

Cadenza Crystal Microphone

Cadenza was a British brand remembered primarily for their 'Rocket' ribbon microphones. They are still quite common, and I have repaired many of them in the course of my work.

Cadenza microphone with ribbon element

Most of the Cadenza mics are grey or pale blue in colour, and have a removable stand. However, I have come across three or four of these mics with black bases and a fixed stand. These often have a crystal element rather than a ribbon motor, and I and speculated on their origins in a previous blog entry. When I first encountered one of these, I had thought that it was some kind of DIY 'repair' job, but having seen more than one, it seemed more likely that they came out of the factory this way.

Crystal element in a Cadenza body

Until now I had never seen an advertisement, manual or box that could confirm the existence of a Cadenza Crystal microphone. The photos in the auction show the original packaging, marked 'Cadenza Crystal. So this was indeed a Cadenza product, using the same body as the ribbon microphones.

I like the triangular box!

Thanks to Benchmark Collectibles for permission to use this photo.