Recording - October 2012 - 56

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

In our January 2012 issue we looked at Mojave Audio’s MA-300 large-diaphragm tube condenser microphone, the new multipattern version of Mojave’s original cardioidonly MA-200 (reviewed January 2007). Similarly, the brand new MA-301fet under review today is the multi-pattern partner to Mojave’s solid-state cardioid-only MA-201fet (reviewed December 2009). If you are unfamiliar with Mojave Audio, it is ribbon guru David Royer‘s other microphone company, home to all of his non-ribbon designs.

Presentation and build The MA3-01fet is of overseas origin, and while this may seem like hyperbole, it truly does not look or feel like a “cheap Asian import” in any way. This is a solid, hefty microphone, and its 75/8" x 2" brass body has an impeccable fit and finish inside and out. As you would expect, it comes as part of a kit that includes a black and silver aluminum briefcase and a suspension-style threaded shock mount. Inside it is virtually the same as all of the other largediaphragm condenser mics in the Mojave line, without the tubes. It has a dual-backplate, center-terminated K67 style capsule with a 1" gold sputtered, 3micron thick dual diaphragm. It uses a military-grade FET circuit, custom designed low-noise resistors, and has a Jensen transformered output stage.

from the same cloth. Having the two capsules, one on top of the another and perfectly in phase, gave me a rare opportunity to truly hear the difference a tube makes in an otherwise near-identical design. Both mics exhibit a similar balanced sonic fingerprint, strong tight low end and solid open highs, with a slight mid dip. In my MA-300 review I equated that model to a fine wine that was “robust and full-bodied with a smooth finish and slightly smoky signature.” To describe the MA301fet, simply remove the smoky top and some of the robustness in the lows and you have a FET microphone that is still full bodied and smooth. The MA-301fet is the more neutral sounding and less imposing of the two, but it stops short of being too clinical or vanilla. The best descriptive: natural with a slightly sweet top end. Compared to my Brauner Phantom, a microphone that can be viewed as clinical sounding, the MA-

Mojave Audio MA-301fet
A solid-state version of this multipattern mic provides great sound at a great price
Family resemblance A common theme at both Royer and Mojave is that essentially each line contains a signature microphone or two, and then all subsequent models are variants of that design. The MA-301 uses the same body, head amp, and Jensen transformer as the MA-201, and the same double-sided capsule as the MA-300. (Similarly, the MA-200 and MA-300 share the same head amp/tube stage and Jensen transformer.) And just as the MA-300 extended upon the features of the MA-200, the new MA301fet adds features beyond just the multiple pattern choices of figure-8, cardioid and omni. There is also a 15 dB attenuation pad and a 6 dB/octave highpass filter. With a matte black body, white etched lettering and a black double mesh sloping grille, the MA-301fet looks almost exactly like the MA-201fet. The only difference is the addition of the three-position pattern-selector switch on the front just below the capsule, and the pad and filter switches on the rear.
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RECORDING October 2012

Some specs The MA-301fet has a standard 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response, and its specs differ only a dB or two from its cardioid version with a –40.5 dB sensitivity (ref. to 1V/Pa), 120 dB SPL (135 dB padded), and a self-noise of 14 dB nominal, not to exceed 16 dB (A-weighted). If the frequency plots on the website are to be believed, interestingly the MA301fet has slightly more in common sonically with the multi-pattern tube MA-300 than it does with the solid-state MA201fet, with a slightly higher low-end response and a more natural and even high end. This most likely has to do with the double capsule and back plate design shared by the 300 and 301fet models. The same but different Graciously Mojave let me hang onto the previously reviewed MA-300 until completion of this review so I could test-drive them together, and indeed they are definitely cut

301fet was nowhere near as stark. Next to my Shure KSM44, I was surprised to find the two mics’ upper midrange response to be similar, while the MA301fet had a touch more low-mid oomph and its top end made the KSM44 seem slightly blunt by comparison. In use I know it may be boring when you read “this mic sounds good on pretty much everything”, but Mojave has crafted an all-around champ and there is no source this mic won’t tackle with ease. It is a well-rounded vocal mic, equally at home on male and female vocals. It is well suited to everything from modern pop— where it can help sit the voice comfortably forward in the mix—all the way to smooth R&B and even jazzier leanings with a very natural tone. It is also a good choice for clean, acoustic folk recording, on everything from vocals to steel-string guitar, fiddle
Recording - October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2012
