Soyuz 1973 - Budget Microphones vs "Budget" Microphones

[@Haze763]

You do the best mic reviews on the internet. I've got a bedroom studio and I never thought of a super nice expensive mic not being the best for the home studio artist. I was thinking, I wish I could afford a $3000 mic, that would be a huge upgrade. You made me feel better having my MXL v67 and my SM57. They do everything I need. Thanks for the great info.

[@ae86409888]

Spend that 2000$ on yor sound treatment maybe better than all in the microphone

[@AudioHaze]

ah thanks Michael! At the end of the day that's always the message I want to get across :)

[@realsmt]

They really tried to drive home the sense of elegance, excellence in craftsmanship. Interesting they used the term expensive in their marketing, they should have used the term premium.

[@AudioHaze]

Yeah they definitely like that style :) its definitely backed up in their build quality though

[@maxborosiuk3570]

is it ok with everybody that brand Soiuz is actually from Russia, the country which killing hundreds in Syria, Ukraine dayly?... The brand which paying taxes to this killing machine from your purchases... is that all ok with you people? are you actually people after that?

[@pip5528]

I always love how these demos are in a less-than-ideal environment. It really helps. I can hear that bedroom-style reverb here but it's not as pronounced as something like my NT1 in my living room with hardwood floors.

[@Mike_Benz_]

The 1973 in the blind test was easy to pick and to my ears on my bluetooth speaker sounded the most pleasing because it's less fizzy top end

[@AudioHaze]

Nice! They are great at the tone over at Soyuz

[@chrislink73]

I thought the 1973 sounded the most vintage, warm and cozy to my ears. I was easily able to pick it out in the test among the other budget mics during the spoken word section, the other mics sounded sibilant and harsh by comparison. The 1973 had a richness and warmth in the upper frequencies that I imagine would be difficult to reproduce with the others. It seems like a nice option at the price point.

[@AudioHaze]

Nice! It’s definitely a good balance between warm with a bit of presence

[@dannylightning-audio-reviews]

Lewitt is awesome .. love those microphones

[@AudioHaze]

Yeah they're sweet :)

[@BeauStephenson]

For anything hand-made with those materials, that is absolutely a great price. It's a good idea to look at these mics as "buy once" pieces.

[@techmed-rainer]

Danke!

[@AudioHaze]

Thank you Rainer :) you're always too kind!

[@techmed-rainer]

@@AudioHaze You're welcome!

[@Skatz09]

I think there is a wide range for how a "budget" microphone can be defined. In my opinion, the 1973 is a budget microphone because it can go toe to toe in sound quality with a good handful of $1500 microphones. The way you compare it to the TLM 102 is a perfect example of that quality being a noticeable difference. A normal recording studio (which functions as a business) can easily be upwards of $100,000 worth of gear. A home studio for a hobbyist, someone on a budget who is not in the music industry, is not necessarily trying to cheap out for a $200 microphone.... There's a difference between a "budget" and an "entry level beginner microphone." I'd say the 1973 is easily one of the best microphones I've heard in the sub $1k price range. I own a pair of soyuz 013 FET small diaphragm condensers, which sound incredible and punch way above their price point. I am definitely looking at grabbing a 1973 soon.

[@MATTHEWJOHNBELL]

To be fair, I think the different boom arms played into the difference between the TLM 102 and the 1973. I've used both types of arms, and I recognize the sound of the cheap spring arm that the 102 was on.

[@AudioHaze]

That's true, but the difference is much larger than the boom arm could contribute to. Not to mention in the original review regardless of the arm it was on, it picked up tons of noise

[@37.hertz.poland]

I had the arm that you used with tlm203. The springs just cause so much noise that these could be the reason of boominess.@@AudioHaze

[@henrikpetersson3463]

I've been eyeing this mic ever since it was announced. It seems like a really solid option. My current workhorse mic is the TLM102, which I think is excellent for the price, and I got the set with the with the shock-mount. I agree that the main problem with that mic is the sensitivity to vibrations. Even with the shock-mount the vibrations sometimes travels through the cable and into the mic. So I'm pleased to see that the 1973 is an improvement in that department. But yes, it is disappointing that they don't include a shock-mount. I wonder if it would fit the 102 shock-mount? That would be super. I don't think Neumann are worried about the 1973. But it does seem like the better choice to be honest. The only downside is the lack of a fitting shock mount in the same style. Neumann has the upper hand there. Their shock mount is superb. I agree that this is not the price range I think of when I think of budget microphones. But it's still in the home-studio friendly price range in my opinion. There is some stiff competition with many excellent mics in that price range though. Thanks for an excellent review! Although I miss vocal samples.

[@ShinyShinyBlack]

Great review. Here's my two cents - it's the perfect budget user's "upgrade" mic. They bought the Scarlett and a bunch of budget mics, and now they've gotten settled in, and they'd like to get one "real" mic, one that makes it seem like forward movement is happening, something cool, something new is in their world - but they're not quite ready to drop $1500 on a mic yet. That's who this mic is for, and ten years ago, it would've been the perfect mic for me. :)

[@SpeakHerMusic]

I agree for me I don't see a reason to have this mic since I have a Sony c100 and a Mojave ma300 but if this mic existed earlier in my journey I would've bought this fs

[@mypal1990]

Soyuz really went for the vintage aesthetic much like the old school RCA mics. I find it interesting how they brand themselves that way. But it's really a preference for these microphones.

[@AudioHaze]

It’s all a big branding move baybeeee, got to hit at those heart strings for the consumer

[@maxborosiuk3570]

@@AudioHaze go to Russia for that aesthetic, these mics sounds on native land much better for sure.

[@tatenaugle]

What microphone would you recommend between the Rode NT1 and the AT4040 for in studio singing purposes. I currently own an AT2020 and I am looking to upgrade. Thanks! Love the content!

[@AudioHaze]

Pretty similar mics! I would personally go with the rode, it’s a tad more flexible perhaps. Really depends on your voice tho

[@chucknkd]

thanks for the video, only quip I have with the review is that you say 'budget', they say 'more affordable Soyuz', which it definitely is. I've used the entire Soyuz line and honestly I am astonished that they've done what they have with this mic for the price. I wouldn't think twice about putting it up in a master vocal session

[@systemoftheabyss7383]

Lauten Audio Clarion is my go too for everything, it’s a fantastic and very much at home in the project studio setting 👍

[@meistudiony]

Great review! I've been thinking of picking up the 1973 for the studio. Seems really well balanced from your demos. Agreed its not priced "budget" for the average joe... for a studio though, its definitely on the lower end of the price point spectrum. Im really digging how its handling the high end though and it makes me think it may be a viable alternative for front of kick vs a FET47 type mic.

[@mr.awesomesauce8412]

5:31 Wow, you weren't kidding when you said that this mic picked up everything. (Faint car honking)

[@humnaset]

A good friend of mine started a youtube channel around a year ago where he records himself singing Christian Hymns. For this, he took a course on how to use digital music production software, which wasn't cheap. He built a home recording studio with top of the line equipment. He took a singing lesson from a friend of ours who studied singing in Germany for 12 years. And last week he bought a Soyuz 017 tube. He has the passion, and the money to do his hobby...

[@jasper_north]

Love your serial killer glasses. Just kidding. Described to your channel because of the good content. Martin D18 owner with alot of mics. Will start broadcasting soon…

[@clementinelives]

Lol

[@AudioHaze]

Lol thanks, can’t wait to check out the stuff!

[@inseparabletheband]

"it was made in Russia!" lol. I love the not too subtle xenophobia there...

[@NadirLeal1985]

His commentary was awkward

[@v_shkafu]

in a blind test Soyuz really sounded a bit more focused and less reverberant on voice (and less sibilant, imo). When Bandrew reviewed this one there was an annoying frequency in his voice in mid-highs which I don't hear on yours. It's strange (good but strange) :D For me 800$ is still too much for mic like that. For the half of the price it would be a good option. Thanks for sharing!

[@AudioHaze]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@TheRyanKellner]

I recently got myself a Blue Kiwi. I would love to hear your take on it! Not a lot of reviews on KZbin for it either

[@nhk403]

Another great video! Nice Sundaras btw

[@aquieteveningmusic]

Def not as dark as the bomblet but still a little too dark for my taste. I feel like it would just muddy up the mix in a lot of cases. I really preferred the Lewitt on the guitar test

[@AudioHaze]

Lewitts are SO good on acoustic :) so much detail in the high end

[@ruslanadayev589]

My two cents. If you live in Russia or close to it, then the prices are different. Like, Electro-Voice RE20 is more expensive than Soyuz 1973 (in my city I can buy the former for 57000RUB new or 40000RUB used while Soyuz costs 40000RUB new and with some scouting for promocodes I could even lower it to 37600). Other mics in the same price range are Shure SM7b, Aston Microphones Spirit, Lewitt LCT441Flex and Rode NT1000, so it competes with mics that are in 400$-500$ (maybe up to 600$) range in USA. So as far as I can tell by this review, it's very much worth to buy it if you are somewhere like Eastern Europe where the price is lower due to lower tariffs and shipping costs

[@pjuliano9000]

Like where specfically? ... I'm in Italy

[@RusAD-gb9jk]

@@pjuliano9000 well, nowhere at this time. Since I wrote this comment, the price rose by 50 percent, so even if you buy it directly from the factory it's ~650USD

[@CarlyonProduction]

Great content, new sub! Personally I think the question of whether it’s a budget mic or not is neither here nor there. The question is how does it perform against other mics in the price range. I totally agree that more cost friendly companies (sontronics comes to mind) often do a better job when it comes to the sub 1k market (which is super competitive nowadays) But honestly, I find this mic category to be the most interesting in recent years. Sure, 1k is still a lot of dough for most of us, but having a vocal mic that can hang with the classics for under a grand is a huge breakthrough. In the early 2000s, that was unimaginable to me. I used to have to hire mics when I had a big project coming up, because there were no mics in that price range that could hang with even a u87! Whereas now I have a sontronics aria - which is a real tube condenser made and tuned specially for vocals. I would almost never choose the solid state u87 over this one now…and it cost under a grand. Sure, still not ‘cheap’ compared to some, but they are already really pushing the envelope in terms of what kind of tube mic can be produced for under a grand. So in summary I think first you need to know what you want the mic for. In this j stand for me it was vocals. Then when making a choice I had to decide how much it was worth spending. You can get a reasonable bright, modern mic for a few hundred if you like (Aston comes to mind) But I really think saving a little more is worth it. The sub 1k market is super competitive now and as long as you have a good idea what the mic is for and what sound you like - you can make a great decision. Actually content like this can be really helpful when deciding (if you can’t test them out yourself) so I applaud you! Beyond that, I think the mics in this price bracket have gotten so good in the last decade, you need to spend several grand to get a big step up in sound quality. Even there, the value has gotten better. For example, you can buy the chandler red mic for a few grand. That’s expensive, but the quality for the money is insane compared to what was previously available in the old mic market. We really are living in a great time for buying mics!! Sorry for the ramble. Will definitely be interested to hear some more shoot outs from you!!

[@CarlyonProduction]

Also I think you raised a super valid point - part of the appeal of this one is that it is hand made. That can be important for some. But I would argue in the under 1k market what you are looking for really is sheer sound quality. I personally would say unless you just want one all rounder, it’s worth getting super specific I.e vocal mic, drum overheads etc. I think that’s how you get the best for your money in this price bracket. Interesting you mention background noise - this was a big thing for me as I sing quiet. Finding the mic with the right pickup pattern / sensitivity and freq response for your Voice is everything!! I also pair it with a great dynamic mic (also super competitive market now) and I feel I have all bases covered for under 1500. Not cheap but when you consider the results stand up to pretty much anything - it’s a great outcome.

[@Bad_Phil]

Have you ever tried the British-made Aston Spirit mic, or even the Origin? I’d like to see how they compare for you.

[@samchoate1719]

I have the Spirit and I really like the features. The built in mount and pop filter really drew me to it at first. I like that they are trying to do something different and push the envelope. I use it all the time for acoustic guitar. Great quality in my opinion and I’m a stickler.

[@Bad_Phil]

@@samchoate1719 I’ve used it for acoustic guitar, room mic’ing, and vocals quite successfully so far!

[@aquieteveningmusic]

He did a review / comparison vid with the Spirit vs NT1

[@HomeStudioPro]

I like this sound, and all the specs. But would probably still save/invest just that little bit extra to get the tlm103 instead. do you agree?

[@b.u.nrecords]

Not really

[@roman2374]

Or you could get an Austrian Audio or AKG 😊

[@TomFria]

Excellent review! I agree with your take on this mic.

[@AudioHaze]

Thanks Tom :)

[@JohnGauge790]

That mic sounds incredible

[@hellopartner18]

I would love to hear a comparison to the stellar x2. I think they are both shooting for u47 sound and the stellar is $200. My favorite mic I’ve ever been able to afford to own is an oktava mk-012 with a u47 clone capsule (RTT “lomo”).

[@resound7]

Great review, I appreciate your honesty. Have you tried the Soyuz Launcher? I'd be closer to getting into one of those (if they actually do what they say they do) than investing in another fancy mic at this point.

[@AudioHaze]

I have! It was fun, but I’m not too interested in standalone launchers as review pieces :) that said it worked great! Creamy

[@maxborosiuk3570]

it's really "great" that lot of you so interested to support russian economy by buyng mics from Soiuz, the hundres of killed civilians by russians in Syria (from 2010) and Ukraine (2022) no matter, the sound probably is main matter... ""very nice" of you... "people"

[@zynewxv]

​@@maxborosiuk3570 Homie there is no ethical consumption in a capitalist society that trades with authoritarian states. If you've bought literally anything in the past 4 years it's probably come from China, where there is a literal genocide going on right now, full with concentration camps for the Uygher ethnic minority. These people in these concentration camps are also slaving away in manufacturing. That's not to say that I support the Russian government or don't think you should be conscious about where you buy things from, but don't hark on people for it when you yourself are guilty of the same sin you attempt to convict others of. Matthew 7:1-5 "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." Also love your sax video bro, great tone and your setup looks clean af. This all comes from a place of love I'm not trying to start conflict.

[@maxborosiuk3570]

@@zynewxv I completely share your thoughts Zyne, but you know - we are all neutral until such staff take place in your home. I really don't wish anybody on a planet to face any conflict. I know that my comments are hysteric, but it's just to attract attention. People need to believe that even small actions also counting. And yeah, thank you very much for your feedback of my video. I was about to start my cover-music channel, but the war made it stop. that's it.

[@nik9470]

​@@maxborosiuk3570 ​ this is why you are here exactly right now. But I'm pretty sure, that you didn't give a F, when it happend anywhere around the world. And you bought stuff from USA, China and others. So please, be kind and remove your presence from non-political channels. Because your presence here is already supporting Soyuz as brand. You are creating net traffic like views and comments, which leads people like me to see this video in reccomendation-section. But thanks, I saw this beautiful mic. And strange, but the more h*te I see from political brainw*shers, the more I want to buy this mic. I still search for a mic, but if I end up buying this one - I will definitely post a picture here. Greetings from Germany.

[@mattyb5402]

Please more Jamming in the yard!!! Soooo Good. (I didn't know they had yards in New York 🤣

[@AudioHaze]

Oh they don’t lol, that was in the countryside haha

[@mattyb5402]

@@AudioHaze LOL I knew it HAHA. Either way, I have said it before. U are a seriously good guitar player and we would love to hear more. Be safe and have a GREAT X-MAS!!

[@jonos138]

You should do a review of 3u audio warbler mics. These are very rarely reviewed and in my opinion are a very good mic at a budget price. The owner doesn't go in for fancy advertising and cuts out the middle men by selling direct.

[@AudioHaze]

I’ll check it out!

[@chrisdoninzane]

I like that mic so cute and vintage aesthetic vibe .

[@alanbrucke]

Now I regret my TLM102 purchase slightly lol. Good review!

[@LynXDT]

Ain't the difference in the tapping sounds rejection down to the much cheaper stand with the newmann? I have the same one, rings like hell if you are not wrapping the springs with the tape or something

[@AudioHaze]

That certainly contributed, but you can hear in the older review that regardless of whether it was that stand or the other I had, both picked up tons of noise

[@DanBires]

The best all around mic I have is the AKG c414 xls. That’s the one that has more a flat frequency response but when switching polar patterns will give you a bump in frequency, so out of all the mics in my locker it’s either 414 or sure sm7b . The 414 covers everything and sounds smooth as butter.

[@themartinhawkins]

Neumann was just missing the upside down Rode NT1 shock mount.

[@Max-Green]

I was really wanted to get Bomblet - it is so cute. And 1973 so nice too. And cheaper! But in real world I have hunted down sE 2200 Vintage Edition, and totally happy for the money.

[@AudioHaze]

Nice choice!

[@BenjieMoreno]

Haze my man! i was about to buy it! $799 though, anyway back to Nt1 😂

[@AudioHaze]

Hahaha maybe used who knows

[@offplanetfilms]

I quite like the look and darker tone of it, but that self noise level is a dealbreaker for me.

[@AudioHaze]

I can totally see that being a worry :/

[@maxborosiuk3570]

I'll open a secret of this self noize and other issues. it's a "straight hands" of russians proffesionals, who could not do anything quality, as same as invent anything. russia was poorly replicating everything western starting from 19 century, and still doing it at same level. the same issue you'll see in Oktava mics. Soiuz mics is basically producing mics on same equipment as it was in USSR, maybe with some visual updates, not necessary in general quality. But what ever, everybody excited to bring money to russia 👎👎👎

[@enriquekahn9405]

I don't consider the '73 "budget" at all. It has a unique sound to my ear that makes it just another, very worthy addition to the Soyuz stable.

[@AudioHaze]

Yeah budget is all relative haha

[@kubancossack8496]

In TLM 102 capsule sits on a rubber shock absorber that decouples it of resonances of solid materials of body. I can't remember problems associated with this. So you can always knock harder by 102 and less by 1973, and the result will be equal )) Because 1973 has capsule screwed rigidly to the PCB, which rigidly to the body. And this scenario always makes unwanted resonances of body elements to penetrate to the sound.

[@KINNZ94]

Man, it sounds really good :)

[@Sinisterbvnny]

You gotta check out the Tula Microphone. It's pretty fantastic

[@MiloCarrete]

Russians know how to do stuff.

[@powersliding]

that is one sweet looking mic though...good point on what is budget too

[@AudioHaze]

Thanks man!

[@vasia_riser]

Hey! Great video overall. But your blind test is kind of deceiving imo. Your most dynamic and emotional take was on the rode nt-1. And that's kind of understandable because you wanted to get the most out of the cheapest mic. But this doesn't help to choose the mic if you cannot distinguish the performance and the technical aspects of the microphone. Also I doubt that the recordings were level-matched properly. I say all this because I had experience with 1973 against similar price mics and 1973 stood out really well. Anyway, not trying to be rude here, just wrote my 2 cents. You have a great channel, thank you for your work.

[@legacyShredder1]

I love your work so take this next argument I submit lightly: I don't think your argument towards this mic is reasonable. It's the unreasonable person who wants to buy this mic, not the budget conscious, creative, DIY home crowds that get great sounds out of sheer determination rather than money. This mic is just more budget friendly for this specific buyer than most other options. Soyuz asked if you missed when items were hand built at 1 facility under 1 roof starting from the design all the way to completion. They said "we make expensive microphones," and that's due to in house R&D and the hand labor in manufacturing each part, final assembly, quality control, testing, inspections, and shipping. They said this mic is a more affordable Soyuz (expensively hand built & developed in house mics,) not a budget mic nor an affordable mic in general. This mic is exactly what they claimed it would be when they set their own criteria by giving us the definition. This isn't a budget mic. This isn't an affordable mic in comparison to more common affordable mics. Rather this is more affordable for a hand built mechanical piece of art that is more easily attainable then their other selections. With this in mind, we have to assume that the quality of build and finishing are at a high level while the flexibility of the mic will remain somewhat basic. That's the nature of hand built. Even though some sell for over $100,000, a perfectly restored 1960's Corvette is arguably and objectively worse at being a good car than any budget modern car. The corvette has worse handling, breaking, fuel economy, horsepower to the wheels, aerodynamics, comfort, without any modern amenities, etc. The person who buys the Corvette isn't reasonable in comparison to 99.9% of all living humans.

[@TheDougSpot]

Anything under $1,000 is definitely a budget microphone. What you’re describing is a cheap microphone. Big difference.

[@noth606]

Lol. Technically the most expensive mic there is, is a budget microphone. So anything over a grand is just as budget as anything under it, people not knowing what words mean is their problem. It's stuff for a bigger or smaller budget. $800 for a mic isn't cheap, or 'budget'. It's stupid. But then people buy stupid $hit every day. A cheap mic is those plastic stick on mount ones you stick to your monitor or whatever, that are in the $5 bin at bigger computer shops.

[@hl321662]

Still eagerly waiting for the Austrian OC16 review. Hope it would be a killer at $400.

[@AudioHaze]

Hopefully soon :)

[@A.o.D1991]

That was a great review I agree I could buy a whole studio with that money. I rap and I’m damn good at it . I personally recorded all my music on a lewitt

[@SDA-Sound]

Soyuz are Russian designed and made and American marketed. It’s a joint venture between audio enthusiasts not governments or military. That being said they aren’t to be underestimated. Their production/build quality top notch. Their design, eye catching and unique, their customer service and quality control, outstanding. I’ve seen way too many videos dubbing or comparing them as “killers” of other high end boutique microphones and that they are not. What they do do, they do very well. I thought the 017 FET was amazing.. compared it to the 017 tube and honestly didn’t see the point of the tube or its additional price point.. until! I heard it in the mix, now I track ideas all day long on the FET but when it’s to print I use the tube. Acoustic guitars, electric guitars etc just use the get cause really who cares ha! for anyone considering a Soyuz just go ahead and get it, let its beauty and quality inspire you! That will do way more in your songs that staring at an ugly vintage Neumann thinking people will be able to hear it. Were not all Chris Martin 🤣

[@pjuliano9000]

For those who don't know Russian Engineering schools are no fucking joke. They only take the best of the best. What sucks is their governent who doesn't support entrepreneurs .... and so a lot of talent goes to waste. The lucky one leave and get a job in Europe or the USA. So, I would trust Russian engineers over Chinese.

[@jimjones1505]

What was your mic chain for the video

[@AudioHaze]

No chain :) All mic reviews are always the raw audio

[@NealKVoice]

Not a bad mic at all, but they certainly need to be brought up to speed on what exactly constitutes "budget" for the average buyer.

[@Protocol_17]

Many countries think everyone in the US is rich.

[@chinmeysway]

Kinda wish it was a large diaphragm dynamic suited for kick drum in

[@garrywindshield1]

I'm really grateful for this review. One thing I'd like to point out that it is pronounced not soy use (lol) but Soyúz. I don't know why their voice over artist pronounces almost like soy-use too. Maybe because that's how they are used to pronounce this in the English speaking countries. Soyuz (Союз) is actually "Union" from... yeah, Soviet Union (Советский Союз). They probably continued to produce microphones after the collapse of USSR. The haiku :D awesome

[@tomnaumann2104]

Instead of looking at it as a budget microphone as in “I could get an RE20 for $350 less,” I view it more as “I could buy four 1973s for the cost of one new U87.” Or a mid-level studio might view it as “I could spend $800 on a 1973 for a kick-out mic instead of a $4500 U47 Fet and I can use it for other things, too.” I think Soyuz views it as “this is our most stripped-down, low-priced microphone. It is half the cost of our SU17 Fet and even less than our previously stripped down Bomblet mic.” I guess the term “budget” has a sliding scale, but there’s different ways of looking at it.

[@David.C.Casselman]

Idk if you could answer this question for me. I love the frankness of your videos. I'm looking for mics to cater to classically trained singers as well as pop. Like a Broadway singer essentially. I'm torn between sm7b and neuman 103. Do people like the sm7b because it's good? Or because it's good "for its price" I want to make high audio quality songs/videos. Your thought would be greatly appreciated man. Thank you for your videos

[@mojoiam]

Microphones don’t kill people. Soyuz do! jk.. I want to try their 017. Heard amazing things.

[@AlexanderHaibel]

generally liked the Lewitt better, although that's in isolation and not in a mix

[@AudioHaze]

True :)

[@dosiabeats5395]

does the rode nt1 not sound like the best option?

[@MrPieNo1]

In Russia, this mic costs $400 (40,000 rubles). If you want a very budget microphone, which is made in Russia, then you need to take the microphone of the Oktava (Октава) company.

[@lilhoss1]

Beautiful microphone, but something like an Audio Technica AT4050 with a lot more versatility is $100 cheaper. A Rode K2 (A Multi-Pattern Tube microphone) is also $700.

[@GameUserBox]

In Russia it costs about 450 and that's the perfect price point, cause the goddamn sm7b costs a 200 more

[@magnuseriksson8081]

Made in Russia?

[@Tyl-Fiedler]

Yes and its incredible ❤

[@staffcarpenborg]

hah yeh that was a weird thing to say.. like we’re here for the mics & the sound - not some regurgitated mainstream political commentary..

[@NadirLeal1985]

Exactly! Politics , religions and otakus don't have a place in this channel. We want MICS!

[@magnuseriksson8081]

@@staffcarpenborg you don’t make any conscious buying based on your values?

[@magnuseriksson8081]

@@NadirLeal1985 you don’t make any conscious buying based on your values?

[@caminglis53]

To me the 73 sounded way better than the others

[@petermcginty3636]

I always listen to mic comparisons on my phone and many times, I cannot tell the difference. The only time that I heard a noticeable difference was when Booth Junkie auditioned the CAD E100sx and ONLY cost $500! Why do I only listen on my phone? Because I do online corporate training and most of my clients listen to me on their phone or on cheap laptops. If I cannot hear a big improvement from 1 mic to another over my phone, I am not getting my credit card out!

[@perrykeshahwalker5321]

I like the 1973 better than the lewitt. Actually, the mxl 67g sounds just as good as the 1973 mic.

[@sergeypopov8279]

By the way, Lewitt is produced at the Takstar plant in China.

[@nubieOSS]

daddy haze

[@AudioHaze]

lol

[@nubieOSS]

@@AudioHaze you dont have a bb belt but you have me ;)

[@cowboytonydee]

The acoustic guitar test isn't relevant because the positionning was totally different between the two mics

[@AudioHaze]

No it wasn’t. 7inches away from the sound hole, parallel to the 12th fret. They have two different types of clips so one needed to be hung upside down. Trust me I’ve been doing reviews long enough to know to keep a consistent position on mic tests.

[@Marshall_EL34]

People don't think about it or don't know. What we record through now vs the 60s vs the 70s vs the 80s changed so rapidly and so thoroughly. The 414 mic was designed to be BRIGHT and clear bc it was being plugged into old tube vintage gear ...followed by all analog class A and class AB solid state boards. It needed to be BRIGHT to bring that clarity. Well ...now it has reversed. We are plugging into gear that is digital, transparent and cold ...vs the old days ...so we need mics that are richer and warmer to take off the edge of the digital harshness. Anyway that's my .02 cents. Thank you, Live Long and Prosper.

[@johnheiser2604]

It is a great sounding mic, but I agree; it's not a budget friendly mic. TLM102 comes to mind. On the least expensive end of the Neumann range but in no way a budget end mic.

[@tomsiegel9759]

For the money, I’d rather save a bit more and get an OC818

[@AudioHaze]

Good choice :)

[@narrator-timothymckean]

Other budget mics might be "made overseas"... As compared to Russia, Austria, Germany?

[@Mamont00]

I want this mic. It's good that his price in Russia is 500$ with all taxes.

[@SenfSenferson]

i wouldn't get it... for me versatility is importand and turning a bright mic dark/dull is easier than vice versa. Nice Review nontheless

[@jeffreyduncan989]

It’s as budget friendly that you are going to get for anything hand built…

[@NebulonRanger]

I mean, WeissKlang's offerings are hand built in Germany and much cheaper than this.

[@waves7300]

The only way to know the true characteristics of any mic is to actually be an engineer. How to use saturation,eq,compression (not just downward compression). Nothing against the video or creator but I believe he is severely under qualified.

[@judahgamermedia]

Guessed them all right, man I new the lewitt right way and never owned one yet!! I do like the tone out of the soyuz but not for that price! not for project studio work for sure!

[@matahari1576]

So, you are sharing about your personal definition of the term “budget” , rather than talking about the specific qualities of the Microphone.

[@Godzillah]

If u get the right sound card any mic should work. It’s better to have the right setup than the right mic. It’s not budget though $799. Desktop will give u better recording. Lewitt have 4db self noise compare to this. I did test about 10 mics I say best is what u like to use that’s it. I did test the rhode nt1a sound too muffle to me I don’t know what the fuss is about.

[@FriendlyAudio]

It'd be pretty if you did stairway to heaven on one of your guitar tests

[@AudioHaze]

Hahaha maybe for the meme one day

[@FriendlyAudio]

@@AudioHaze also.... POST VIDEOS IN THE DIDCORD MORE MAN, else I will continue to make goofy stickers of all you audio youtubers

[@FriendlyAudio]

(Pretty please)

[@SpLitSecondS_]

Yeah this mics made in Russia and they are one of the Best (if not the Best) i'v used for years. Btw behinde all of this BS about Russia and rusophobic narratives cnstantly spreaded around the Western media - Russia made lot's of high quality stuff ( gourges watches, clothes, musical instrumental and audio fx/preamps, food of all kindes e.t.c).

[@NebulonRanger]

This was also brought up in another review of this exact mic, but it's also worth noting that Soyuz as a company have no direct affiliation with the Russian government, unlike Oktava, the company they kind of evolved from.

[@paolotonolo1140]

Be sure to check out the Wagner Model lol

[@caddisking]

Dr Evil, "How bout noooo!" Budget at $800 is um not budget. Soyuz makes great products but not budget friendly mics.

[@TheHonestTruth]

Listening....

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

Take into account that they're a Russian company when making your decision because of the current _political climate??_ Ugh, okay. Your videos that I've seen so far had been so good up to this point that I had forgotten you're a Caucasian hipster living in Brooklyn. Which of course comes with the strictly prescribed world views and opinions. Ones which are often openly contradictory. Like, are you suggesting that potential microphone consumers consider disregarding Soyuz because of what, _the government they're under???_ The fact that you simply felt the need to _make_ that comment shows you _SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THE VIDEO_ if you felt some type'a way about engaging in consumerism with Russian companies/citizens. But nah, you wanted that dope free mic, yea? Which in that case, dignity would dictate you do the video _without_ the "pandering to your culture masters" caveat. You wanted to have it _BOTH_ ways though. The free mic _plus_ the "good boy, right think" cred. How many mics have you reviewed that were made in China? Any similar caveat to viewers about "considering" that before making a purchase? Any issue with what China have done to Uigur Muslims? Tibetans? In Hong Kong? To their own students, teachers, doctors and citizens with dissenting opinions? Or any other of a million shit things that regime does on the daily? Or do we ignore that because China and their (or maybe _because_ of their) communist bent get a pass by stylistically leftist, cookie dough soft, middle/upper middle class American hipsters and taste makers who guard the gate to "cool?" Shit, if we're giving out caveats based on government activities, any company from the good old US of A should come with one too, no? But hey, you don't have to worry about the cultural gate keepers crawling into your comments and Insta DM's, revoking your hall pass for not somehow slyly admonishing private American and Chinese business interests (wait, does China even _have_ private business interests?) now do we? For anyone considering a Soyuz that's sane and rational enough to realize they dont have a substantive understanding of the geopolitical situation regarding Russia, Ukraine, the US and NATO (or for most of us, _anywhere_ for that matter) and also gets that not every Rusky in the Motherland is Ivan Drago mainlining liquid hero doses of Putin-zeal and HGH+testosterone while taking bites out if his Ukranian cousins - dont hesitate to go with Soyuz. _All_ of their microphones are cheaper than they could/should be. At $4,600 for instance, their flagship 017 tube mic stands right beside, if not above, Neumann's current U67 offering and the same for their 017 FET with the Neumann U87 or 47 FET. So if youre a home/project studio setup and want high end, smooth mic sounds from what will be your primary mic for vocals, acoustic, mono overhead, whatever, but need to come in under $1k - get the 1973. If you're an established studio/engineer and already have one or more $10k+ "holy grail" microphones and want to add a top notch, transformerless, LDC to get a fresh flavor of incredible electric guitar and acoustic drum/instrument sounds - get the 1973. In both cases you'll feel like you came out saving money in regard to the competitive options. I'm sorry to be salty and I'm prepared for the shit I get but let's call it fairly or not call it at all. No one deserves to be discriminated on based off the actions of or policies of their government.

[@MrSpektraFantom]

And what to do? Online influencers must accept the majority's point of view. But the situation in Western countries is such that everyone has been brainwashed by American propaganda and does not understand this. But they believe that everyone in Russia is evil, they have no opinion, and it is the Russians who submit to propaganda. There are few people in Russia who support the war simply because of propaganda. Most of the supporters saw for themselves how it all began. Of course, no one wants war, but they understand the reasons for its outbreak. What can we say, Angela Merkel herself confirmed that NATO countries have been preparing Ukraine since 2014 to attack Russia. Her statement can be easily found on the Internet.

[@nik9470]

thanks for your opinion, now I want to buy this mic even more

[@TheFibtastic]

As somebody who made the mistake of buying fancy mics for a room with bad acoustics...fix your room first. My cheaper, less sensitive mics worked better for home recording than my $3000 condensers.

[@jamesr141]

TLM 103 is the gold standard at this price range. It has huge clout and kills the shootouts. So my question for you is: is the 1973 better than the TLM 103?

[@ezrashanti]

TLM103 is yuck TLM107 is ok.

[@jamesr141]

​@@ezrashanti Two words. Billie Eilish.

[@maxlarsen]

Maby they prefer making a Better mic than put a shockmount and popfilter

[@McSynth]

The TLM102 does not come out of this too well...

[@TheRandomINFJ]

Soyuz too sweet for my blood. The Bomblet's mad cute but these prices are making me fart a brick (because girl's don't poop lol).

[@kelvynification]

I’m a Soyuz fan but it sounded worse than the other microphones on the haiku vocal. The high frequency lift on the Lewitt sounded best for your voice on the haiku. The Soyuz 017 FET sounds amazing… not cheap though;)

[@AudioHaze]

Lewis tend to sound really good on my voice :)

[@officialWWM]

That “cheap” mic is still $1350 here in Australia! I think by “budget”, they mean “high budget”!

[@AudioHaze]

oh damn yeah that's a lot of import fees, still not cheap in the US but that's another level :/

[@officialWWM]

@@AudioHaze yep, fees, duty, taxes and the exchange rate…it really kicks us in the butt!

[@markhilltaco4079]

Why are u mentioning taking politics into account. The creators engineers and company have nothing to do with that BS

[@NebulonRanger]

In Russia, that *can* be a bit complicated, especially once you start scaling up. Good example is Oktava, the company that Soyuz kind of grew out of. They have contracts with the Russian military, and so the Kremlin has direct input into the running of company operations. That led to a mess when David tried to contract with them to market their frankly great mics in the West, because Rostec intervened and fired all of Oktava management, effectively cutting off the contacts David and Pavel were talking to. There's a whole story about Soyuz's beginnings in another review of this exact mic.

[@lazul6611]

Just get a Townsend Sphere L22 and call it a day.

[@gr500music6]

Seems to have great low end. Is it possible they could make an exploding model for one time use by Mr, Putin?