Warm Audio Fen-tone

Is there substance as well as style to Warm Audio’s Danish‑inspired ribbon mic?

Despite its small size, the Bang & Olufsen BM3 ribbon microphone casts a long shadow. Decades after the Danish manufacturer gave up making mics to focus on hi‑fi and lifestyle products, it remains the ultimate inspiration for current products from manufacturers such as Royer and Extinct Audio.

In the USA, Bang & Olufsen mics were imported by a company called Fenton, and the BM3 was sold under the Fen‑tone moniker. This brand name has now been revived globally by Warm Audio for a microphone very obviously inspired by the BM3.

Shine On

The Warm Audio Fen‑tone (left) is both smaller and shinier than its inspiration (right) but very much recreates the general aesthetic.Photo: Samuel Fitzgerald KayThe Warm Audio Fen‑tone closely mimics the shape of the original, to the point of including the ‘collar’ around the base even though this has no obvious function in their version. Internally, however, Warm have incorporated modern improvements, and as well as offering much greater sensitivity in passive mode, the Fen‑tone has a built‑in, fixed‑gain preamp. So, in place of the BM3’s three‑way switch, which turned it on and off and introduced a high‑pass filter, the Fen‑tone has a two‑way toggle that transforms it into an active, phantom‑powered ribbon mic.

The Fen‑tone is available individually or in stereo sets; the latter were not yet available at the time of this review, so I can’t comment on Warm Audio’s pair matching. It is supplied in a tough and practical Peli‑style plastic case, with a nice branded sock to protect it from wind blasts when not in use. However, you don’t get any sort of a shockmount, just a cheap ‘crocodile clip’ sprung holder made of black plastic, which doesn’t exactly enhance the stylish vintage aesthetic. Though well built, the Fen‑tone is noticeably smaller and lighter than either the BM3 or other modern interpretations such as the Royer R‑121 and Extinct Audio BM9, in part because the main housing is made from thinner metal than is used in those mics. The other obvious visual difference between the Fen‑tone and the other mics is that it’s a lot more shiny!

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