Extinct Audio
Extinct Audio is a UK-based company specializing in ribbon microphones. It was the brainchild of Stewart Tavener, an engineer with a stellar reputation for repairing ribbon mics at his facility in York.
Tavener has a background in chemistry, magnetic resonance, and music. He spent years performing, eventually starting a studio and record company. In the early 2000s, he came across an old, broken ribbon mic, and after some research, was able to repair it. That led to his founding of Xaudia, a microphone repair company he started in 2007. After averaging about 500 mics per year for ten years, he and partner Adam Watson founded Extinct Audio in 2017.
Extinct Audio builds three models of ribbon mic: one for general use, one with a less-pronounced bass response intended for close mic applications, and a third which is a stereo version of his flagship model. All transformers and ribbons are made in-house and the metalwork and plating are both done in the local region. The company’s microphones are aesthetically based on older Danish B&O mics, but contain none of the same circuitry or parts.
In addition to his microphones, Tavener designed the Fenrir “vibration mount”. He machined the original design himself and had a partner draw it up for production. The Fenrir fits Extinct Audio mics as well as older B&O mics and the Royer SF12. It is CNC machined from aluminum stock, has eight rubber contact points, and is tightened by a screw on the back of the mount. These are machined locally and assembled in-house.
Extinct Audio sells its products direct to consumer, and through dealers.
