Coles Electroacoustics is a British manufacturer of professional ribbon microphones, including the iconic 4038 broadcast ribbon mic originally designed by the BBC.

Coles

Survey-backed equipment entry from the Upsound 2026 studio equipment research. Observed in 16 studios with 16 total mentions. Country coverage: US: 4, UK: 7, DE: 2, SE: 2, DK: 1. English category/type: Ribbon. Raw survey examples: Coles 4038 x2 | Coles 4038 (5) | 2x Coles 4038 | Coles 4038 (1 pair) — floating | Coles 4038 (x4).

The Coles 4038 is a ribbon microphone produced by Coles Electroacoustics. The microphone was designed and patented by the BBC in the 1950s and was originally known as the STC 4038. The sound of the microphone has been described as "British" with a "BBC politeness", and its appearance has been likened to that of a waffle iron. It is used in both sound recording and radio broadcasting.

Survey-backed equipment candidate from the 2026-04-28/29 Upsound studio equipment survey. Observed in 1 of 44 surveyed studios (1 mentions; US 0, UK 0, DE 0, SE 1, DK 0). Raw examples: Coles 4030 (x2)

Coles

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