Workhorse redefined: The JZ Microphones BT202
by drezz
3rd April 2024
Sponsored by JZ Microphones
As technology advances and demands evolve, microphone manufacturers continue to push the boundaries of innovation to meet the needs of musicians, engineers, and producers worldwide.
Which brings us to JZ Microphones: JZ are an interesting company with a very modern take on microphone manufacture. Their range of microphones has grown to boast an impressive roster of respected mics that are in use in many studios. Their cutting-edge design has resulted in a range of microphones that exhibit vintage, as well as contemporary sound signatures but each mic evokes its own identity and particular characteristics with a very individual style.
Enter the JZ BT202 microphones - somehow classic in appearance, yet thoroughly modern, and with an extremely high definition sound surpassing expectations from a SDC and sounding more like a LDC in use and in flavor. Let’s explore the features, sound quality, and real-world applications of these exceptional small diaphragm condenser microphones.
The JZ Microphones model BT 202 is a small diaphragm condenser microphone, supplied in a matched pair. These particular mics offer a level of clarity and detail that sets them apart in the arena of small diaphragm condensers, making them potential favorite ‘workhorse’ microphones. With a focus on precision and versatility, the BT 202 microphones cater to a wide range of recording applications, from drums to voices, to acoustic and/or electric sources - they're at home on instruments of all kinds. They’re also useful for live situations - their sonic neutrality and clarity, combined with their aesthetically pleasing sleek design would favor their appearance on even the most discerning stages, as well as their cardioid capsule design offering good rejection capabilities in testing situations, as well as their compact size allowing for ease of positioning.
The BT 202 boasts a premium-quality small diaphragm (13mm/0.51 inch) condenser capsule ensuring precise sound reproduction across the frequency spectrum. They remain neutral across the frequency spectrum, dipping off very slightly below 30hz, and with a very slight bump past 7khz and settling down beyond 10khz, but essentially very flat and neutral across the range, as seen in the frequency graph diagram.
They exhibit a cardioid polar pattern, making use and placement easy and rejecting ambience adequately from the rear of the pickup pattern.
Something has to be said on the subject of aesthetic and design - it is excellent, and the pair of BT 202 microphones feature a very distinct look of a rugged matte black finish, and a tapered, elegant shape, which is at once highly attractive, but obviously designed to withstand the rigors of studio and live environments.The finish is impeccable, the powder coated black matte finish is textured and the mic grille and silver accents are smart, neat, and flawless. The gold embossed ‘JZ’ detail adds just a touch of ‘bling’.
The fluted and tapered curves, textured finish, offsetting of the chrome finishings and mic grille are reminiscent of something like a cross between the 1927 film ‘Metropolis’, and 50’s American hot rod style. They are tactile and inspire confidence in use, feeling solid, and are tough enough for mic wrangling, and hot-swapping in demanding environments. Their size and solid feel make them easy to manipulate and quickly position in place.
Each pair of BT 202 microphones is carefully matched to ensure consistency in stereo recordings. With Class A discrete electronics and quality components internally, the BT 202 maintains pristine signal integrity and transparency, capturing audio sources in a balanced way, with intricate detail.
For extra peace of mind the BT202 comes with a 5 year warranty, ensuring long term reliability and peace of mind.
In use, the BT 202s distinguish themselves with their incredible neutrality. They capture source material accurately - both in terms of the ‘body’ of the sound, and transient information. The articulation is extremely good, the clarity of the sound imaging has that slightly exaggerated quality of an LDC, in respect to its high definition and very detailed pick-up - certainly very much heard in the clarity and richness while listening to acoustic instruments recorded in stereo with these mics. The sheer “true-to-lifeness” upon playback was at once both clear and rich, but the capture had a warmth to it, an almost “grain” or “filmic” quality, which really works, musically. The details are there but in a way that is never harsh or clinical, despite the transient information articulating in a very natural way. The quality of transient response is excellent, but avoids harsh ‘spikiness’. The tonality of the mics was consistently good and pleasant with the many sources I tried them with, exhibiting a depth of field and clarity that sounded true to the source material. I’d love to hear a pair of these used in the Glyn Johns method. Their pick up of percussion and hand drums was exemplary, and on acoustic guitar and upright bass (and acoustic sources in general) they performed with consistency, exhibiting a neutral and transparent, but detailed sound. They also sounded extremely good on guitar cabs. I tried them off-center from the speaker cone and backed off a few inches and the sound was full spectrum - and revealing. I also gave them a go on an l acoustic guitar at a distance of about 8-10 inches, with one mic on the neck at about 12th fret, and another mic pointed towards the body, down towards the ‘heel’ of the guitar past the sound hole towards the strap button. This mic position combo and a little bit of tweaking captured a wonderful, natural sounding acoustic guitar in stereo and took very little post-processing to render a very engaging and listenable performance that revealed details and captured the essence of the performance to a very satisfactory degree - a musically satisfying outcome.
These mics also adapt effortlessly to a wide range of recording scenarios. The sheer neutrality and flat response, combined with their adaptability to capture pretty much anything… anything, that is, that you’d want to get in a transparent and neutral (but still musically pleasant) sounding way. They have a liveliness which is great as a complement to other mics on the same source.
The true test of any microphone lies in its ability to faithfully reproduce sound with fidelity and accuracy. In this regard, the JZ BT 202 microphones excel beyond expectations. Whether recording acoustic instruments, electric guitars, voices, or percussion, these mics consistently deliver pristine audio quality with exceptional detail and definition. The microphones really did impart an ‘in the room’ sound. The consistent results on the varied source material they were subjected to, plus the fact they are compact mics and impeccably designed, really put them forward as a “good on pretty much anything” choice - a superb choice of a workhorse or go-to mic.
In conclusion, the BT 202 delivers pristine sound and sonic brilliance with class and style.
Features:
Learn more about the JZ Microphones BT202 here!
As technology advances and demands evolve, microphone manufacturers continue to push the boundaries of innovation to meet the needs of musicians, engineers, and producers worldwide.
Which brings us to JZ Microphones: JZ are an interesting company with a very modern take on microphone manufacture. Their range of microphones has grown to boast an impressive roster of respected mics that are in use in many studios. Their cutting-edge design has resulted in a range of microphones that exhibit vintage, as well as contemporary sound signatures but each mic evokes its own identity and particular characteristics with a very individual style.
Enter the JZ BT202 microphones - somehow classic in appearance, yet thoroughly modern, and with an extremely high definition sound surpassing expectations from a SDC and sounding more like a LDC in use and in flavor. Let’s explore the features, sound quality, and real-world applications of these exceptional small diaphragm condenser microphones.
Something has to be said on the subject of aesthetic and design - it is excellent, and the pair of BT 202 microphones feature a very distinct look of a rugged matte black finish, and a tapered, elegant shape, which is at once highly attractive, but obviously designed to withstand the rigors of studio and live environments.The finish is impeccable, the powder coated black matte finish is textured and the mic grille and silver accents are smart, neat, and flawless. The gold embossed ‘JZ’ detail adds just a touch of ‘bling’.
Each pair of BT 202 microphones is carefully matched to ensure consistency in stereo recordings. With Class A discrete electronics and quality components internally, the BT 202 maintains pristine signal integrity and transparency, capturing audio sources in a balanced way, with intricate detail.
For extra peace of mind the BT202 comes with a 5 year warranty, ensuring long term reliability and peace of mind.
In use, the BT 202s distinguish themselves with their incredible neutrality. They capture source material accurately - both in terms of the ‘body’ of the sound, and transient information. The articulation is extremely good, the clarity of the sound imaging has that slightly exaggerated quality of an LDC, in respect to its high definition and very detailed pick-up - certainly very much heard in the clarity and richness while listening to acoustic instruments recorded in stereo with these mics. The sheer “true-to-lifeness” upon playback was at once both clear and rich, but the capture had a warmth to it, an almost “grain” or “filmic” quality, which really works, musically. The details are there but in a way that is never harsh or clinical, despite the transient information articulating in a very natural way. The quality of transient response is excellent, but avoids harsh ‘spikiness’. The tonality of the mics was consistently good and pleasant with the many sources I tried them with, exhibiting a depth of field and clarity that sounded true to the source material. I’d love to hear a pair of these used in the Glyn Johns method. Their pick up of percussion and hand drums was exemplary, and on acoustic guitar and upright bass (and acoustic sources in general) they performed with consistency, exhibiting a neutral and transparent, but detailed sound. They also sounded extremely good on guitar cabs. I tried them off-center from the speaker cone and backed off a few inches and the sound was full spectrum - and revealing. I also gave them a go on an l acoustic guitar at a distance of about 8-10 inches, with one mic on the neck at about 12th fret, and another mic pointed towards the body, down towards the ‘heel’ of the guitar past the sound hole towards the strap button. This mic position combo and a little bit of tweaking captured a wonderful, natural sounding acoustic guitar in stereo and took very little post-processing to render a very engaging and listenable performance that revealed details and captured the essence of the performance to a very satisfactory degree - a musically satisfying outcome.
The true test of any microphone lies in its ability to faithfully reproduce sound with fidelity and accuracy. In this regard, the JZ BT 202 microphones excel beyond expectations. Whether recording acoustic instruments, electric guitars, voices, or percussion, these mics consistently deliver pristine audio quality with exceptional detail and definition. The microphones really did impart an ‘in the room’ sound. The consistent results on the varied source material they were subjected to, plus the fact they are compact mics and impeccably designed, really put them forward as a “good on pretty much anything” choice - a superb choice of a workhorse or go-to mic.
In conclusion, the BT 202 delivers pristine sound and sonic brilliance with class and style.
Features:
- Small diaphragm (13mm / 0.51 inch) condenser capsule
- Matched pair
- Class A discrete electronics, quality components throughout
- Cardioid polar pattern
- 5-Year Warranty
- Holders included
Learn more about the JZ Microphones BT202 here!
