Avantone began making microphones close to 20 years ago, and has recently updated their BV-1 large-diaphragm tube condenser microphone to the BV-1 mkII. First off, this upgrade comes as a significant design change. The original BV-1 was in the form of a large lollypop, whereas the mkII looks more like a standard large tube condenser. The color of the mkII’s mic body is similar to a vintage Telefunken ELA M 251 yet slightly more yellowish. Its shiny chrome basket houses a hand-selected, edge-terminated “34 mm CK12-style capsule.” Specs list its frequency response at 25 Hz to 20 kHz, with a S/N ratio of 78 dB, and a max SPL of 134 dB. There are two switches directly under the chrome band (between the basket and the mic's body): One for a 10 dB pad, and the other for an 80 kHz high-pass filter. The included power supply shares the same paint color and finish as the microphone body and connects via a custom 7-pin Sommer-made cable, which utilizes thicker gauge conductors for the valve heater and heater ground that "ensures the vacuum tube is always being provided the best current." The power supply also allows the mic to operate with a continuously variable polar pattern between omnidirectional, cardioid, and figure-eight. The mkII uses carefully chosen and individually sourced capacitors and incorporates a custom-made Cinemag transformer. The BV-1 mkII (and the included wood box that safeguards the mic), power supply, cabling, and spider-type shock mount are all housed in a “hardshell briefcase.” It's a complete package with protection should you ever need to travel with this mic.
As I initially set the BV-1 mkII up, I noticed five open vents at the rear of the mic that allow the internal tube to be slightly visible and let the heat from the tube disperse out of the microphone instead of building up internally. "We did extensive testing on thermal venting with this design and found that allowing heat to vent resulted in more consistent results from the microphone as heat no longer built up on the surrounding components and values no longer drifted as heat built up inside the shell." I did struggle with the thin-wired clip mechanisms of the shock mount. The clips felt flimsy, and it took a bit of pressure to get them to lock fully. I was careful not to push them too hard for fear they might break. In addition, I could never get the included microphone cable to click into place when inserting it at the base of the BV-1 mkII. So, I crossed my fingers that it stayed put and powered it up – ready to hear what this mic could do.
For all of my testing, I ran the BV-1 mkII directly thru an AMS/Neve 1073DPX [Tape Op #115] without EQ and then into a Black Lion Audio modded Universal Audio Apollo. The first to record was a male vocalist who naturally had a bright top end to his voice. What was really nice about the BV-1 mkII is that it didn’t overly accentuate that portion of his voice. His vocals were warm while still being present. The mic also added a lovely bottom end to this singer’s tone. I did notice that the proximity of this mic was quite sensitive, and if I needed even a bit more low end it was achievable by moving the vocalist in a few inches – a nice perk for thin-voiced singers.
Female vocals also shined with the BV-1 mkII. Generally speaking, a female vocalist is naturally going to sing in a higher range than a male vocalist, which as a result, moves the occupied frequency up a bit. However, due to the BV-1 mkII’s body and warmth, her vocals sounded incredibly good – maintaining her natural sheen without accentuating it. Apart from rolling off at 100 Hz, her vocals needed zero EQ on the track she sang.
Because I only had one BV-1 mkII to work with, I could only use it as a mono overhead when tracking drums. Again, due to the microphone’s natural warmth and less bumped high end, all cymbals sounded fantastic and never harsh. I was impressed because I like my crashes to be strong without being overbearing, which typically requires a good bit of EQ to get the sound I want. Not an issue with the BV-1 mkII!
While the mic performed admirably in front of a modded Friedman guitar amp, I preferred it on acoustic guitar. In cardioid pattern, the BV-1 mkII sounded very focused on both my Takamine and Taylor. Most Taylor acoustics have a brightness, which makes them a big draw for me, but when putting mine in front of the BV-1 mkII it sounded especially good, sitting deliciously on its own in the mix – never overly strident but still well-defined.
As a drummer and percussionist, I like tube microphones on high-frequency-focused percussion. Shakers, maracas, tambourines, and cabasa all benefitted from the sonic body of the BV-1 mkII. Not to flog a dead horse, but all of these instruments became strangely easy to find space in my mixes for because of the non-hyped high end of this mic.
On the other side of the spectrum, you may think this microphone is dark – but it hardly is. It is, however, big-bodied, fantastically warm, and reminiscent of a microphone from the ‘60s and ‘70s. I so appreciate that Avantone didn’t try to recreate a pound-for-pound, sought after, out-of-budget vintage clone, but instead was bold in manufacturing something new. I would have loved to have a pair of BV-1 mkIIs for drum overheads and other sources. I bet that a pair would sound fantastic on a grand piano.
Apart from what feels like a finicky and non-robust shock mount, major props should be given to Avantone for their BV-1 mkII. This is a unique sounding microphone that would be smart for any commercial studio to have on hand. At just under $1100, the BV-1 mkII is priced aggressively to be a microphone for anyone serious about capturing excellent sound.
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