The long-awaited V1 gen2 and V1S gen2 Pencil Condenser Systems are back – in sleek new outfits! You can preorder them at our shop or with your favorite dealer. They’re shipping early February 2025 – we have a load of orders for our first production run.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES FROM THE FIRST GENERATION V1?

The V1S kit items in their new goth phase. Don’t tell us what to do, mom!

The V1 gen2 sits in the same sonic footprint and use case as the first-generation V1. The circuit topology remains a charge-amplifier circuit with a “straight-wire” 4 component signal path. Just like any product designer worth their salt, we chose to make iterative improvements based on user feedback and real use cases.

The single most obvious change is the color. We love our signature Pinot Noir finish, but we heard your request for all-black small-diaphragm microphones for video and stage use. We chose a stealthy matte black. (After much internal debate, we left the badge in the usual colors – a bit of gaffe tape is an easy fix for stage use!)

Continuing with mechanical improvements, we changed the mechanism that locks the microphone body to the XLR housing and PCB. It is more resistant to damage and more secure, and provides a better continuous chassis connection for the V1 gen2, resulting in lower noise and better RF shielding. Yes, we disliked those tiny set screws as much as everyone else and now they’re gone for good!

The high-grade, cryogenically treated dual-monolithic JFET sits in a discrete TO-71 metal can casing.

Internally, we made a few key changes. We moved to USA-made low-noise audiophile-grade resistors for the entire microphone, resulting in a lower noise floor and better sound staging. I was skeptical when we first tested these resistors, but our ears told the story – they do make a difference, which is why our entire gen2 line utilizes these resistors.

The other internal change is the use of a dual-monolithic JFET on the front end of the circuit. Arguably the most critical component in the circuit other than the transformer, we chose an extremely high-grade component in which two identical transistors are formed from the same silicon wafer section, resulting in a perfectly-matched JFET pair. This results in a 3dB self-noise reduction. Because of the extremely low gate capacitance of the chosen FET, the parallel structure does have any negative impact on audio quality, and we hand-bias each JFET at our workshop for maximum headroom and minimum distortion.*

These changes add up to an improved microphone that will be a mainstay of any  mic locker for years to come.

WILL THESE STILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE ORIGINAL COLORS?

Yes, we will be doing production runs in the future of both black and Pinot Noir with nickel trim.

WILL THE GENERATION-2 LOLLI BE AVAILABLE AS WELL?

Yes! We’re working on getting the mechanical design sorted for the second-generation V34C “LOLLI” attachment and hope to have it released shortly. Several of the parts we need have already arrived. Early buyers of the V1S or V1 gen2 will be able to get the LOLLI addon when it’s available for the same price that it would be if they bought the +LOLLI kits, and the foam in the carrying cases is already cut to accommodate it.

Once again, you can preorder them TODAY on our shop or contact your favorite dealer! Our first production run is quickly being reserved, so get in line now.

*Nerd stuff for my fellow EE geeks – the gate capacitance on the JFET we chose is already orders of magnitude lower than the standard “high-end” JFET that many mic manufacturers use. This means that even in parallel, we less than a quarter of the gate capacitance as the usual JFET chosen for this type of circuit. Between this careful component choice and the perfect matching from the manufacturing process, we get all of the benefits of parallel transistor operation with none of the usual drawbacks! -DEREK