Recording - February 2021 - 52

REVIEW

TZ Audio Products
Stellar X3

Large Capsule
Condenser Microphone
The X2 and X2 Vintage gain
a versatile new big brother
REVIEW BY ALEX HAWLEY

Z Audio Products recently released the Stellar X3 large diaphragm
condenser mic, hot on the heels of the Stellar X2 and X2 Vintage. I
recently gave both predecessors a favorable review in the December
2020 issue, especially given the price points-the Stellar X2 has an open
and airy top end, while the X2 Vintage has a warmer, more colored
response. So, where does the X3 fit in the Stellar family? Read on.

Overview

The Stellar X3 features a high-grade
brass and iron body with a new metallic
TZ medallion. It's larger than the X2 series
mics; the head basket was designed to
help provide a more transparent and less
colored signal. It has a powder-coated
black finish with matching grille color
and features two switches on the body:
highpass filter and -10dB pad.
The K67-style capsule is gold-sputtered
and 34mm in diameter. It's made from
pure brass and 3-micron thick Japanese
Mylar. The 3-micron design (as opposed to
the traditional 6-micron) results in improved
sensitivity and better signal-to-noise ratio
(compared to the X2 models).
Stellar X3 features a custom transformerless JFET circuit designed to warm
up the typically bright capsule without
sacrificing detail. This custom tuning
helps achieve a more natural and balanced response. The JFET in each microphone is manually biased at the factory.
52 RECORDING February 2021

TZ Audio Products says this process ensures that any two Stellar X3 mics will be
consistent enough to be a matched pair,
even if they're produced years apart.
Stellar X3 has a fixed cardioid pattern and a listed frequency response
of 20 Hz - 20 kHz. The response chart
is almost entirely flat from 20 Hz to
15 kHz (+/- 2dB), with a gentle rolloff beyond 15 kHz. The only area of
emphasis seems to be from 5 kHz to
10 kHz, with roughly a +1dB peak. It
has a respectable self noise of < 8dB
(A-Weighted) and a max SPL handling
of 135dB.
Stellar X3 comes with a sturdy aluminum flight case, a new and improved
shock mount, and a foam windscreen.
The flight case and shock mount are
great accessories, but I'd recommend using a pop filter in place of the foam wind
cover whenever possible. The new shock
mount design features longer elastic
bands to minimize vibrations, a screw-on

mounting system, and a very workable
range of angular articulation. It's compatible with previous X2 models and will
also be available on the TZ website if
X2 mic owners would like to upgrade.
While I didn't have any problems with
the previous shock mount design, this
one is undoubtedly an improvement, as
I find it to be more secure and better at
absorbing vibrations.

In Use

I set up the X3 on a variety of sources
including piano, guitar, percussion,
and voice. Overall, It sounds very
clean and full with a natural top end
and smooth midrange. Given its transparent response, it provides predictably consistent results on just about
anything you throw at it, making it a
sort of Swiss Army Knife in the studio.
Overall, it lives comfortably between
the Stellar X2 and X2 Vintage, sonically speaking; it provides a more accurate and transparent sound than either
of its predecessors.

Recording - February 2021

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