Recording - September 2017 - 28

LEWITT
LCT 240 PRO

The most affordable LEWITT mic yet-
and still an impressive performer

REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.

W

e have been looking at the LEWITT line since
the company first launched. LEWITT is an Austrian
company whose mics are designed in-house
and manufactured in its own factory overseas.
One look will tell you that these are not run-of-the-mill OEM Asian
microphones, and one listen will confirm that in a heartbeat.
LEWITT has crafted a unique look and styling all its own-
and a sonic signature all its own as well. These are not clones
of anything past! While the dual-topology tube/solid state LCT
940 sits at the top of the LEWITT hill, the solid-state LCT 640
best represents the paradigm, with digital pattern switching,
digitally controlled pad and highpass filter, unique capsule clipping indication/history, and (on the LCT 640 TS) individually
recordable capsules for after-the-fact polar pattern adjustment.
In the LCT line, the company has taken a logical top-down
approach by creating a family of models that step down in
feature set and in price, but with each model using the same
capsule, circuitry, and largely yielding the same sound. A
good example is the LCT 440 PURE, which offers no switching
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RECORDING September 2017

of any kind and a cardioid-only pattern. We reviewed it back
in our May 2017 issue; it ships with a slimmed-down accessory
package and comes in at around $270 street price.

The LCT 240 PRO

Now it's time to meet the LCT 240 PRO, which is not to be
confused with the older LCT 240. That mic does have some
onboard switching of pads and filters... but it also costs a lot
more than this mic does.
The brand-new LCT 240 PRO is also a large-diaphragm
condenser but makes use of a new, smaller, permanentlypolarized pressure-gradient transducer with a fixed cardioid
pattern. Its capsule is 17 mm vs the 25.4 mm capsules found
in the rest of the line. It is housed in the same body styling as
the LCT 440 PURE, made from the same Zinc alloy, and has a
choice of white or black enamel finish. Its accessory package
is even more streamlined, with an angle-adjustable hard mic
mount/clip, a foam windscreen, and a vinyl pouch.
Specwise the LCT 240 PRO has a Sensitivity of 16.7 mV/
Pa, -35.5 dBV/Pa, and equivalent noise level of 19 dBA, a
maximum SPL of 142 dB, and a dynamic range of 123 dBA.
Frequencywise it's a 20 Hz to 20 kHz mic with a scooped,
sloped low end below 200 Hz, down 6 dB at 20 Hz. It's flat
to 1kHz and then has a small 2 dB bump up to 5 kHz, climbs
to about 7 dB up around 9 kHz, and ends with a smaller
secondary peak around 14 kHz. As such it is a tight, bold,
and mid-forward mic with an open top end.
While it's not as quiet or sensitive as the upper-end LCT
models (hey, 'quiet' is their thing!), it is still not a noisy mic. It's
more than adept at cleanly capturing low-volume vocal parts,
acoustic guitars, and strings.
Compared to the LCT 640 sound, the LCT 240 PRO is a
punchier and more forward mic with less low-end buildup
(nice, as it does not have a highpass filter) and less upper-end
sheen. As an entry-level mic, it is designed to cover a lot of
ground, and it does! From vocals and guitar to drums, room
miking, and more, it's an honest mic with a clean, forward
character that is on the neutral side over all.
It has a neutral and even off-axis rejection and a restrained
proximity effect. It does well to retain its sound and clarity,
while just adding a filled-out but not too chesty or muddy bottom end as one moves closer.
I used it for a remote demo-writing session at a farm/bed and
breakfast to track acoustic guitar, cajon, vocals, and mandolin
through a Universal Audio Apollo Twin MkII using the 610B Unison plug-in preamps, and I was more than happy with the results.
The tracks were clean and believable with a great mid-forward
quality and took EQ in the mix well. This is a clean, reality-style mic
and not a vibe box, and it is very flexible as a result.
Ultimately The LCT 240 PRO is a great first condenser mic for
beginners and project studios, as well as a nice utility mic well
suited to most tasks. That would be true at a much higher price
than it costs. Now there really is a LEWITT mic for everyone!

PRICE: $149
MORE FROM: LEWITT, www.lewitt-audio.com/
products/microphones/lct-recording/lct-240-pro
http://www.lewitt-audio.com/products/microphones/lct-recording/lct-240-pro http://www.lewitt-audio.com/products/microphones/lct-recording/lct-240-pro
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - September 2017
