Throughout the years, I’ve owned a lot of microphones. I mean, A LOT of Mics. But nothing has ever come close to being a workhorse quite like the Amethyst.
Now, before I start, I write this as a JZ MIc’s user, not as an employee. I was well aware, and an avid fan of JZ well before joining the team and thus, I write this without bias and it’s my personal experience - but experience I implore you as a reader to take notice of!
Let’s dive in.
Same Capsule, Different Sound
The V67 and Amethyst are extremely closely related. In fact, the main difference to my ears is mainly the capsule and size which we’ll explore in a moment.
But there's a distinct difference on several sources to my ears, however, that’s not to say one is better than the other - Romesh Dodangoda, Adam Getgood, Thom Russo, and many more Grammy Nominees and winners love the V67; but for me the Amethyst takes the cake.
Due to the size, acoustic shadow is a vital player in the way this microphone works, specifically in terms of proximity effect on all sources. Acoustic shadow is the time that a sound source has to travel to the rear of the capsule, changing and shaping the polar patterns respectively and in turn the way the microphone reacts the closer and farther away from a source.
The Amethyst, to me, does this in a much more pleasing way despite their identical capsules. On vocals especially, I often find myself reaching for it without thinking unless there's a clear need for a mic shootout - in which case I’ll compare a separate series (say, the Signature Series BB29 or the Black Hole Series BH1S).
Again, this isn’t to highlight one better than the other, for example I will always use V67’s as a pair on Overheads, but a Pair of Amethysts as rooms is only going to accentuate and broaden the sonic horizons of your drum recordings while these timeless microphones are used in tandem with each other.
Because of the small capsule housing, I can utilise the Amethyst on floor tom where it excels in close proximity to the skin retaining all the low-end and top end content while still rejecting most of the kit around it.
Organic tone
Without being too cliche, I’ve never bought into the term ‘organic’ as much as many have in terms of food - but there has become a clear taste difference as I’ve experienced more foods from around the world. The same can be applied to our microphones, in particular, when you compare homegrown foods to store bought.
Mass produced, insane level quantities of any product lose the love, passion and skill required to make something truly beautiful in my personal opinion - which is why I think these mics stand out from the crowd as much as they do; they’re hand built. Hand crafted. Created with an obsession to detail from the choice of components, to the way they’re packaged, shipped, and post sale communication.
The quality is apparent in these microphones because of the love and passion from every designer, craftsman (and woman) and employee here at JZ.
Without naming names, I’ve become tired of a timeless mics being rehashed over and over only to deplete the memory of how good the original product was - from mics to compressors, guitars to pianos - it’s all over the industry as we know it.
It’s refreshing to see, let alone hear a microphone that has been inspired by classic mics we love, but with it’s own unique flavor, technology, and most importantly vibe.
You can currently take advantage of the flash sale we have on the Amethyst where you can save 50% OFF such a wonderful microphone.
I know it’s become a staple of my own production, quality and personal ‘sound’ - so I hope you experience the same as I!