MICROPHONE OF THE MONTH APRIL 2025

The 9536 is a rare Philips ribbon microphone, a desk top model. It was made from the late thirties until the mid forties. It is a variant of the 9522, which I previously brought to your attention, as mic of the month June 2019. It has a completely different appearance, but under the hood it is actually completely the same. The magnet and the construction with the aluminium ribbon were the same, only the transformer was different, it was externally, mounted behind the microphone casing.

The table model was advertised as 'of the highest quality', 'specially developed for speech' and 'where a microphone stand is not necessary'. With its weight of 2.65 kg, the microphone stood firmly on a desk top. It was also particularly suitable for stage use, where it could be placed inconspicuously near the edge of the stage.

Philips had already released a table model of a ribbon microphone in the mid-thirties, that looked very much the same. This type 9516 was internally identical (except for the transformer) to Philips' first ribbon microphone, the type 9514.

Philips had adopted an invention from Siemens & Halske for all their early types of ribbon microphones; the vulnerable aluminium ribbon could relatively easy be replaced if it broke. It was mounted in a metal frame that could be removed and replaced in its entirety. Therefore, a broken ribbon microphone did not have to be returned to the factory for repair. Only the connecting wires had to be soldered loose; a simple operation that many people could perform themselves, even on the spot.

The system from Siemens & Halske was even smarter; with their ELA M 25 ribbon microphone, no wires had to be soldered loose, a frame with a new ribbon just had to be screwed into place. Philips probably did not dare to copy that system for patent reasons; that would have been blatant theft and Philips was too smart for that. Philips however did claim "'Only Philips microphones have this property", which was simply a lie.

I have never come across the earlier model 9516 anywhere, I have not even seen any pictures of it, except for a drawing in the service documentation of these models.

The 9536 also does not seem to have been made often, because my copy is the only one I have ever seen. Philips' ribbon microphones were the most expensive types the company sold at the time, and therefore probably too expensive for most users, who usually did not need 'studio quality' sound.

Perhaps they were used in large theaters at the time, I hope to find out someday.
If anyone has information about that, I would like to hear it.

Many more types feature in my book Witnesses of Words. More information about that can be found at www.witnessesofwords.com