In honor of the 5th anniversary of Aston's flagship large-diaphragm condenser microphone, the Aston Spirit has been given a new look. The limited edition of 2000 pieces is intended to honor the success of the microphone since its launch and professes its allegiance to Aston's home country of England in the artwork.
The Aston Spirit is a high-performance microphone with a switchable characteristic and a one-inch (1") gold-coated capsule. A switch on the microphone body toggles between the characteristics omnidirectional, cardioid and figure-of-eight characteristics.
Its versatility predestines it for most instruments, and its qualities come into their own especially with acoustic guitar and vocals. The hand-selected capsule is backed by a high-end transformer-balanced circuit made of the highest-quality components (such as WIMA capacitors), as used in boutique microphones that cost many times more than the Spirit.
The goal in designing the Spirit was to create a beautiful, open soundstage with radiant harmonics. This high-precision microphone allows for amazingly natural and transparent sounding recordings. It captures all the detail in the highs, without the austerity that is characteristic of some condenser microphones.
The Aston Spirit features a distinctive waveform basket. This unique design not only looks good, but also provides excellent protection for the capsule. Because of its shock-resistant, waveform design, if the microphone is subjected to strong vibrations, the microphone head can deform momentarily and return to its original position without damage. It also suppresses noise outside the recording axis, preventing your recordings from being affected by unwanted artifacts.
Integrated into the heads of Aston's vocal condenser microphones is an exclusive steel mesh pop filter. The random structure of the mesh allows the signal to be picked up to pass through, but removes virtually all unwanted explosive sounds at the source. At the same time, it provides shielding against various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, making the microphones particularly well suited for electronically sensitive applications. This continuous fabric cage encompasses the entire capsule. It is made of stainless steel and can even be removed and washed.
Another unique component of the Aston Spirit is the custom molded end cap with integrated XLR jack and stand adapter. No other microphone has anything like this. Because the internal damping system works so effectively, you can mount the mic directly on a mic stand with this interchangeable threaded adapter. The design of the Aston microphones also makes repair and maintenance particularly easy.
Part of the beauty of our microphones comes from the unique finish of each individual enclosure. Instead of an assembly line paint job, each cabinet is given a finish that is as durable as it is beautiful by being barrel-treated for up to four hours. In the case of this special edition, this protects the unique artwork against all environmental elements.