VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Gp]

I told you I was working on a review of the new JZ Microphones BH3 Black Hole. Here it is.

I remember watching “The Glenn Miller Story” with Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson.
Glenn was always in search of “that sound”.
I find myself in a similar situation. I am always looking for my sound. I will find it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to try out the new JZ Microphones Black Hole model BH3 and the shock mount and pop filter kit. This is the cardioid only version of their now infamous BH1 and BH2. Could this be “That Sound”?

A little info about this microphones maker…..
Juris Zarins has been involved in the microphone manufacturing business for about 20 years. He started with repair work for big name brands like Neumann, AKG, Telefunken and after some time it was clear to him that it was time to start to produce his own line of microphones and create better sounding (and looking) products, because he noticed a lot of things in vintage mics which could be done differently and better. Juris is a professional jeweler and together with good knowledge of metal works and industrial design he was able to transform microphones into functional works of art. He’s been told by many that his designs have been a source of inspiration for many, many musicians, engineers and voice over artists.

The BH3 arrived in a fed ex box. I was expecting a big cardboard box and suitcase like my other recent microphone purchases. Inside the fed ex box were two more boxes. The shock mount kit, in a standard paper and styrofoam package and a beautiful wood case, that looks a lot like a small jewelry box, containing the microphone and it’s spring mount setup. (what I didn’t know at the time of writing this is that the maker was indeed at one time a jeweler.)

I was a little concerned at first when I took out the shock mount and accompanying pop filter. There were no instructions, nada, nothing in English, German, nor Latvian. I looked at the pile of parts and wondered what the heck I was going to do now. A closer look and I could see that it was actually going to be very easy to put together and in less than about three minutes I had it assembled.

The shock mount is a pressure mount system rather than a screw on like most other shock mounts. The bottom of the shock mount encases the back of the microphone in a tray lined with felt. A loop is formed over the top of the mic about 2/3’s down and a thumb screw tightens down a felt covered piece and adds pressure the BH3’s casing. It’s a nice solid feel.

A first glance at the BH3’s pop filter shape reminded me of the new mikey mic that goes on the iPhone, iPod, and iWonder what other products will take on this moniker before it’s all over; tangent over, saved for another time. The pop filters shape works and that’s what counts. It is like any other pop filter however, in that it can only do so much, proper microphone technique is still the best way. The pop filter connects right on the shock mount and it’s adjustable.

After assembling the shock mount it was time to get out the BH3 and play. I was excited. I’d heard a lot about this new Black Hole and was wondering how much was hype and how much was real. These guys left no detail undone. I opened the jewelry type box and it was instantly obvious to me that this company takes great pride in their work. The BH3 and its spring mount pieces are placed into precision cutouts that the parts fit into perfectly. “It’s in the details!” I’ve always been told and the details seem to start the moment you open the box.

If you haven’t seen the Black Hole mic yet, the moment you look at it you will understand how it got its name. It is a rectangular piece with the center cut out. In the center fits the spring mount piece, (which is very stable by the way for those of you who might want to mount this mic on a desk.) and it is also where you will find a 10 and 5db pad switch.

Inherent in its design the Black Hole is very light. It is the first time I have put a mic on a boom arm, let it go and the boom arm actually floated up rather than weighing down the springs like most mics I have. Can something this light sound good?

So what does it sound like? Hang on, I’m almost there.
Being light in weight does not make this microphone any less of a performer. The BH3’s capsule has the ability to handle up to 135db spl. Meaning you can scream at this thing and not break the capsule. If I remember right a jet engine is around 140db. The BH3’s capsule, they say, can handle a soprano operatic singer at close range. How about a nice condenser instead of a dynamic for some of those screaming car ads? It isn’t just built for loud sources though, I found it works equally well for soft passages. With all this ability the BH3 is not a mic that needs a lot of juice to run. In fact, you’ll find yourself turning down the gain; it’s very efficient.

I plugged the BH3 into my Summit 2BA-221 and began to test it out. Over the next few days I would give this microphone all I could think to give it. I am impressed.
The lower range is rich and full with a nice proximity effect when needed; it manages to do it well and not get muddy. The mid range, from low mids to high mids is nice and warm and never once did I feel that it got honkey on my voice. Just clean, clear and, present. The top end is smooth and open and adds a nice sense of detail without getting too sibilant or bright…just a nice open feel. No brittle crackle here. Listening back, it has a nice sense of presence/intimacy, without being too in your face.

I had a hard time making the BH3 sound bad. It seems to cover the full range of sound in the way some of the great old vintage mics do but at the same time it makes no pretense with cloning or copying the sound of any other mic out there. It has its own sound, it is unique and in a word, that sound is excellent.
It lives up to the hype it gets, in my opinion, and that is a rare thing these days. My first thought was it would make a great mic for audio books. After using it for a couple days I realized this piece is a good all rounder and would work well on any other of the many things that as a voice actor I am asked to do

I really like this mic. I am very pleased with the performance and with what it does for my performance. The Black Hole BH3, like all other JZ microphones, is hand made in Latvia and the quality of the build is just what you would expect from any boutique audio gear builder.
Is it “the sound” I long for? No but it is damn close. It is one I intend to include in my locker.
JZ, my hats off to you! You got it right.

Here is a sample for you to listen to. The signal chain is: E-mu 1212-mackie1402vlz3-Summit Audio 2ba-221. The only thing I did to this file was a very small noise gate and I normalized to 85%

Hear it here It's a wav file. It may take a minute to download. Want to know more? www.jzmic.com

[Lance Blair]

I've heard nothing but good things about this microphone. They also make the Violet Design range of microphones which I also like. However, it should be noted that the history of this company is very controversial:

http://recordinghacks.com/microphones/Violet

I bought a Violet Designs Dolly to try it out and it was really similar to the Blue Bluebird microphone in terms of its guts, shape, specs, and even weight. The capsule was really the only difference - a significant one - but they still sounded similar. Violet was forced to stop making the Dolly mic by Blue's court actions.
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[bobsouer]

Greg,

Thank you for the thorough review.
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Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
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