Recording - February 2010 - 24

B Y PA U L V N U K J R Avant Electronics BV-1 Multi-Pattern Large-Capsule Valve Microphone A mic meant to impress from the moment you open the case It has only been a few years since Avant Electronics (Avantone) slipped quietly onto the recording scene, but spend some time on the prominent gear forums and you will see that many of their mics like their CV-12 have moved from general curiosity to high regard. With this in mind I draw your attention to their newly minted B-series flagship, the BV-1. Retro style The whole package from mic to case exudes a vintage vibe, sort of a Zoot Suite Era artifact from Capone’s vault. It starts with a vintage, plush-lined, (imitation-) alligatorskin case. The case holds a beefy power supply, a large stylish suspension mount, a custom nickel-plated mesh pop filter, a 15’ Gotham Audio microphone cable, and a large padded wooden box. Inside the wooden box is the lollypop-styled BV-1, resplendent in its crème-colored and chrome glory. In fact, the B in BV stands for Butter Crème series. Knobs and switches The BV-1 features a 10 dB pad and a highpass filter switch (80 Hz 6 dB/octave). The matching power supply features a large knob for selecting one of nine available polar patterns (hypercardioid, supercardioid, cardioid, omni, figure-8, and points in between). This mic is robust and heavy—nearly 3 pounds of metal. I strongly recommend a sturdy mic stand for this one. Guts and specs The BV-1 can best be described as an American-infused Chinese microphone. While most of its parts come from the Far East, they are assembled, set up and QC’ed in California. Additionally, the BV-1 uses U.S.-made Switchcraft connectors, a Cinemag Transformer, and a handselected 6072A tube. With an edge-terminated, 34mm / 3 micron dual capsule, the BV-1 has a 25 Hz–20 kHz frequency response, can handle a 134/144 dB SPL level, has an < 18 dB A-weighted equivalent noise level and a 78 dB signal to noise ratio.RECORDING FEBRUARY 2010 Put to work After the requisite tube warmup, I put the BV-1 to work on male vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, djembe, drum overhead (in mono, since I only had one of these mics), voiceover, and room mic duties. The first impressions off the top of my head: Solid, forward, and big with a hint of velvet. It is actually easier to tell you what the BV-1 is not sonically, vs. what it is. It is not dark, or fat, or heavily colored, nor is it overly bright or airy. While Avantone uses the word “vintage” to describe the BV-1, what I found refreshing is that unlike so many of the current crop of Chinese imports the BV-1 does not try to be a clone of anything. The BV-1’s vintage tone, like its styling, is palpable, but you cannot put your finger on where or when it came from—it’s its own beast! Compared to my Peluso 2247LE (a Chinese U47 clone), it was tighter sounding. The low mids were a bit more forward and the high end was not as wispy. It was also nowhere near as clean or stark as my Brauner Phantom Classic (reviewed December 2008). This BV-1 held its own well with both comparison microphones, and with the Phantom Classic and 2247LE each being about $700 more, this is a nice tip of the fedora to the BV-1.

Recording - February 2010

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