This now perhaps modest‑looking Melodynamic 75A is a French icon that, in its golden age, gave a voice to an entire nation.
From the mid‑1930s well into the 1960s, the 75A was one of the most widely used microphones in France. And not only that: it became the voice of French radio, reporters, singers… and even Édith Piaf.
Its construction is surprisingly sophisticated:
- a duralumin diaphragm system paired with an extremely lightweight coil (less than 30 mg!)
- 10‑ohm impedance
- frequency range 50–10,000 Hz
- sensitivity –55 dB
For its time, it was top‑tier engineering — robust, reliable, and capable of capturing the human voice with remarkable naturalness.
The first version of the 75A had a shape known as the “searchlight” — inspired by the American Western Electric 618, but reworked by Melodium into a more elegant, elongated form.
The later post‑war version (the one most often seen today) received a wire mesh grille instead of horizontal slots. It’s a microphone that looks as if it belongs in a 1940s film studio — and that’s exactly where it often stood.
But above all, the 75A was the official microphone of Radiodiffusion Française, the French state broadcaster.