RECORDING May 2022 - 28

REVIEW
JZ Microphones
NEW Vintage V12
A silky-smooth large-diaphragm
condenser inspired by a legend
REVIEW BY ALEX HAWLEY
he Vintage Series from Latvia-based JZ Microphones aims to recall
the sound of some of the world's most sought-after microphones
while keeping the price obtainable for working-class engineers
and musicians. The Vintage 47 and Vintage 67 are inspired by classic
Neumann mics, while the Vintage V12, reviewed here, is of the AKG
C12 persuasion.
A drop of gold
The Vintage Series mics use a similar
Vintage style
The Vintage V12 sports a classic
aesthetic to match its name. It's 6.10 "
x 2.8 " x 1.8 "
softly
rounded and
rectangular body features a textured
black finish with a gentle glittery sparkle
and a large dominating matte gray
head basket. Vocalists should be excited
to sing into this attractive and uniquelooking
microphone.
The capsule is internally shock-mounted
within the head basket. Consequently,
an external shock mount is not provided
and shouldn't be needed.
The
mic ships with a ball-style swivel mount
allowing a limited range of motion.
28 RECORDING May 2022
center-terminated single, shared backplate
Golden Drop capsule. The proprietary
Golden Drop Technology is designed to
lower mass around the diaphragm. The
result improves transient response, imparts
clarity, and reduces distortion. [Check out
our August 2021 review of the JZ Microphones
BB29 and corresponding video
review for more on the Golden Drop Technology:
https://youtu.be/3awk-_ljCv0 ]
The GDC12 capsule in the V12 offers
a fixed cardioid polarity. The frequency
response chart shows a 2dB dip around
2 kHz, followed by a broad bell-shaped
peak around 9 kHz before gently tapering
off. There are no surprises here, as
the AKG C12 is famous for its brilliant
and airy top-end.
In Use
Seeing as the original AKG C12 is a
legendary vocal mic, it made sense to start
my tests with the Vintage V12 on vocals.
The first thing I noticed was the top-end
sheen - it jumped from the speakers. It has
an airy and present character that, in a
way, sounds larger-than-life. While it leans
toward an overall bright sound, it remains
smooth and silky - not bitey or aggressive.
the Vintage V12 in 2011, and it was
re-released in 2021. According to JZ
it is technically the same mic, but with
a better build owing to higher quality
standards. Like all JZ models, the
Vintage V12 is handmade in Latvia.
While JZ certainly isn't shy about its
naming inspirations, the Vintage Series
models are far from being clones. Each
model features a transformerless solidstate
circuit vs. the transformer and tubeequipped
inspirations.
The low-end response is natural, and its
proximity effect can be leveraged for more
bottom end if desired (the head basket
doesn't provide much plosive protection,
so I'd recommend using it with a pop
filter). The midrange is well represented
and precise, with a softer upper-midrange
that gives way to its top-end. I found
that vocals needed little to no effort to sit
comfortably in a mix - it packs enough
clarity and detail for vocals to easily float
on top of guitars. The only trouble I ran into
was needing to soften the sibilance range
depending on the vocalist, but it wasn't
overly exaggerated for the most part.
I also tested the Vintage V12 on
acoustic guitar and grand piano. It was
a solid contender on both, especially
acoustic guitar. It took a bit of work to
find the sweet spot, but it captured more
weight by inching it closer to the guitar's
body while keeping the detailed top-end
intact. Its ultra-low noise floor also makes
it an ideal candidate for softer sources,
such as nylon-string fingerstyle guitars.
Twelve times two
Here at Coupe Studios in Boulder, CO,
we have an extensive mic collection.
Our most prized piece is undoubtedly a
lovingly maintained vintage AKG C12.
T
A fresh take with vintage roots
JZ Microphones originally released
https://www.youtu.be/3awk-_ljCv0
RECORDING May 2022

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