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Soyuz 011 FET

Small-diaphragm Capacitor Microphone By Neil Rogers
Published February 2025

Soyuz 011 FET

Soyuz’s latest pencil mic is as easy on the ear as it is on the eye!

Although they’re competitively priced for hand‑built microphones, Soyuz’s flagship valve and solid‑state models nevertheless occupy a price range that is out of reach for many of us. Some of their newer releases, however, suggest a decision to offer more accessible options. The subject of this review is one such: a miniature mic to sit alongside their well‑regarded 013 series of small‑diaphragm valve and FET capacitor microphones.

Audio examples for the Soyuz 011 FET can be found here.

Out Of The Wood

A pair of 011 FET mics were sent to me for review and, as a long‑time SOS reviewer, I struggle to recall a more aesthetically pleasing package arriving at my studio. These are small but classy‑looking mics, and they come in a beautifully understated wooden case that houses the mics, ‑10dB pad attachments, and functional mic mounts. A case doesn’t matter that much, of course, but when you have other mics that are well over 50 years old, it feels reassuring when a modern company puts out a product with the same kind of longevity in mind.

The 011 ships in a wooden box, along with a mic clip and screw‑on ‑10dB pad attachment.The 011 ships in a wooden box, along with a mic clip and screw‑on ‑10dB pad attachment.

As I hinted at earlier, the 011 FET is somewhat related to the more upmarket 013 FET, but there are some significant differences that are worth a little investigation. Aficionados of pencil mics often lament the discontinuation of Neumann’s transformer‑balanced KM84 in favour of the transformerless KM184. Although the ‘vintage is better’ mantra can be tiresome, there’s no doubt that the 184 — whilst still being a very good mic — has a different character and can produce subjectively brighter, less forgiving results in some recording situations.

I mention this as the KM84 is often seen as a reference point for small‑diaphragm capacitor mics, and in one key way the 013 and the 011 reviewed...

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