Ah, the famous Manley Reference Cardioid! If the brand needs no introduction, let's talk about the microphone. Cardioid as its name indicates and equipped with a 12AT7 tube (older models had different tubes, if I am not mistaken), the Reference Cardioid stands out primarily for its very neat, very clean design. The build quality is there and it shows: the finish is perfect. Inspired by vintage German microphones, this mic nevertheless brings a certain modern freshness when plugged in, thanks to its capsule with a diaphragm coated with 6 microns of gold. Very sensitive, it indeed offers a very modern sound full of details. In the bass, it is precise and rather round. In the mids and highs, it is extremely detailed and quite bright, without being harsh to the ear, which is a real plus. Depending on the preamp you use it with (I recommend, for example, Neve-type preamps...), you can influence the tone of the Reference Cardioid to attenuate or, on the contrary, highlight this characteristic brightness, which is very suitable for modern pop recordings (I mainly think of vocal takes, male or female...) In short, an excellent microphone that has its place in any studio producing somewhat modern music!