RECORDING March 2023 - 60

REVIEW
Soyuz 1973
A new hand-built solid-state workhorse
REVIEW BY ALEX HAWLEY
B
ased in Los Angeles, Soyuz is both an American and a Russian
company (Soyuz means Union). Its microphones are handcrafted
south of Moscow in the city of Tula. Soyuz is known for high-quality,
hand-built mics made by engineers and master machinists. Soyuz currently
offers a curated selection of mics, including large and small diaphragm
models with solid-state and tube variants. On review today is the Soyuz
1973 FET condenser mic, which represents the most affordable large
diaphragm mic from Soyuz to date.
Inspired by an Era
The Soyuz 1973 is designed to be
an all-purpose studio workhorse with a
fixed cardioid polar pattern. Rather than
being a clone of some kind, the Soyuz
1973 is an original design inspired by
an era.
While Soyuz boutique mics are traditionally
expensive, the Soyuz 1973
was designed with affordability in mind.
Coming in with a $799 price tag, it's
significantly more affordable than the
next step up in the lineup, which is the
$1,399 Soyuz 023 Bomblet (reviewed
January 2020).
Looks and Style
The Soyuz 1973 effortlessly captures
the same charm as its Soyuz
siblings, with a polished metal and
vintage-looking aesthetic. It ships with
a mounting ring and is also available
with a black finish.
The mounting ring serves its purpose
of holding the mic in place; however,
it can be sensitive to vibrations and is
not the most flexible when it comes to
placement. I recall having a similar experience
with the mounting ring included
with the Bomblet. If Soyuz offered a
deluxe edition with a shock mount (as
was the case with the Bomblet), it would
be an easy upgrade to justify, especially
if you want to use it on vocals or drum
overheads.
60 RECORDING March 2023
The mic features a tank-like build quality
and all-metal construction. It has a robust,
" bulletproof " feeling in the hands.
The Soyuz 1973 is deceivingly heavy
for its smaller size, but at 0.66 lb, it's
not so heavy that it's prohibitive when
placed in hard-to-reach spots.
The Capsule
The Soyuz 1973 has more in common
with its larger Bomblet sibling; both
mics are designed around the same S23
capsule. While the S23 is an original
design by Soyuz, it has roots pointing
back to the original AKG CK12 brass
ring capsule.
In the early 1970s, Lomo redesigned
the legendary capsule, pruning down
the CK12 build while preserving its
acoustic principles to increase consistency.
Soyuz continues with the Lomo redesign
but has made some readjustments
to the membrane's tension and picked a
value that gave Soyuz the sound it wanted
for the mic.
The S23 is paired with a transformerless
output, equating to the lowest selfnoise
of any Soyuz mic.
The Soyuz 1973 frequency response
ranges from 30 Hz to 18 kHz and features
a -10dB or -20dB pad switch accessible
on the bottom plate of the body.
With a maximum SPL rating of 140dB,
the Soyuz 1973 is suitable for just about
any source you can throw its way.
Sounds
I recorded a wide range of sources
with the Soyuz 1973, including acoustic
guitar, vocals, percussion and grand piano.
In fact, my signal chain for testing
traveled through time, with the Soyuz
1973 running into a Drawmer 1972
preamp (review on page 52). Overall,
its tonality sounds natural while giving
its sources a centered, weighted tone.
Soyuz describes the sound of the Soyuz
1973 as offering " lows that are present
but not boomy, a midrange that's forward
but not boxy, and a high-end that's
open and airy without being harsh. " I
agree with everything Soyuz states about
its sound. The lows are full but not too
thick or bulky, the midrange has plenty
of articulation and presence, and the topend
provides an airy sheen without feeling
overly emphasized or hyped.
Overall, there is little coloration to
speak of and the Soyuz 1973 paints a
realistic portrait of its sources.
Acoustic Guitar
Acoustic guitar was among my favorite
sources with the Soyuz 1973. It
captured a rich midrange with balanced
lows. Not too thick on the bottom and
with a lot of clarity. The mic does an
excellent job of capturing the high-end
attack, giving background acoustic layers
the ability to speak in a full mix by
highlighting the picking action.
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