You are here

Win! JZ Microphones Black Hole

Warning message

Submissions for this form are closed.

Your chance to win JZ Microphones premium Black Hole large‑diaphragm mics, worth £1769$2300.

Hand‑crafted in Riga, the Black Hole 1s (BH1s) is a premium large‑diaphragm, multi-pattern capacitor microphone, made by Latvian company JZ Microphones. It gets its name from the distinctive slot that runs down the centre of its body, and that hole isn’t just for show: it allows the mic to be attached to its unique shockmount, and also houses the polar-pattern and -10/-20 dB pad switches along its inside edge.

Even though JZ were only founded in 2007, the people behind the company are industry veterans with more than 30 years of experience and microphone-making know-how. All their mics are built according to a strict ‘no-compromise’ ethic by a team of highly qualified experts.

At the heart of the Black Hole is a capsule that uses JZ’s unique Golden Drop technology: a proprietary technique for applying gold to the diaphragm’s surface that makes it lighter and thus faster to respond to transients, as well as reducing coloration and distortions.

We were hugely impressed by the Black Hole when we reviewed it back in SOS December 2008, particularly on vocals and acoustic guitar, and it seems we’re not alone: multi‑Grammy-winning engineer Rafa Sardina has described it as “truly stunning on acoustic instruments”, while Marc Urselli (U2, Foo Fighters, Nick Cave, Sting) claims it as one of his favourite microphones, describing it as ”very accurate” and able to “take a lot in without breaking a sweat”. Sylvia Massy (Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers, System Of A Down) goes perhaps even further, saying of the Black Hole: “I love this mic, it is a work of art!”

High praise indeed, and you won’t be surprised to learn that the BH1s is JZ’s flagship microphone. For those who tend to stick with a cardioid pattern, however, and don’t need the switchable pads — perhaps engineers who mostly record vocals — the company also offer the BH2, which is identical in all other respects but much more affordable.

We were hugely impressed by the Black Hole when we reviewed it back in 2008, particularly on vocals and acoustic guitar...

For this month’s SOS competition, we’ve teamed up with JZ to give one of each model to our readers, absolutely free! To be in with a chance of winning either the BH1s or BH2, all you have to do to enter is answer the questions on the right, dream up a tie-breaker, and submit your entry by Friday 05 June 2020. Good luck!

Prizes kindly donated by JZ Microphones.
More info: www.jzmic.com

competition rules

  • Only one entry per person is permitted.
  • In entering this competition, you confirm that you are aged 18 years or older.
  • By submitting your entry, you agree to supply Sound On Sound and the Prize Donor with a photograph of you and the prize(s) plus some words about winning the prize. This may be used on each company's website, email newsletter announcements and/or social media channels. Your name will be abbreviated to first name last initial and your town/city/country, eg. Peter G of New Orleans, USA.
  • Please DO NOT ENTER if you do not agree to these terms.
  • Employees of SOS Publications Group, JZ Microphones, and their immediate families are ineligible for entry.
  • No cash alternative is available in lieu of the stated prize.
  • The competition organisers reserve the right to change the specification of the prize offered.
  • The judges' decision is final and legally binding, and no correspondence will be entered into.
  • No other correspondence is to be included with competition entries.
  • Please ensure that you give your DAYTIME telephone number on your entry form.
  • Prize winners must be prepared to make themselves available in the event that the competition organisers wish to make a personal presentation.
  • The winning entrants name and county/state will be made available upon request.