Faust - This tube condenser microphone is 100% handcrafted. Every part (with the exception of the tubes and electronic components) is made by hand in our facility. The Faust is our own unique concept that has taken the best from the line of legendary microphones and improved upon those designs thanks to the innovative circuitry, ground-breaking materials,advanced technologies and precision tools inherited from the military industrial complex of the former USSR.

What do others do?                                                   Early in our research we tried pre-made mic bodies and rejected them gradually but inevitably. The body of a microphone is a part of a musical instrument just as a guitar body, for example, and the material properties are just as essential as the resonant characteristics of the wood in a guitar. We believe that a mic body stamped of some obscure aluminum powder produces the same "stamped" sound.                                                       The industry standard for mass-produced high-end microphones is a cast iron body. This is definitely a huge improvement over a stamped body, but still not quite perfection, since some manufacturers also cast iron their capsules, which negatively impacts the sound. On top of that, due to mass-production, often there are all kinds of lining installed between the capsule and the diaphragm, which also tarnishes the sound. It’s done to keep the cost down. Of course, we’re talking about subtle differences in sonic quality and some might even say we are splitting hairs. But we don’t believe in cutting corners when it comes to making high-end studio gear.

hear it...

See it!...

 Quicktime       MOVIE       ProTools      no EQ &   compression    22,6mB

Frequency range                            20 Hz - 20 kHz

Typ.SPL(tube characteristic) for THD 5,0% - 134 dB

Sensitivity at 1 kHz                       44 mV/Pa

Typ.SPL(tube characteristic) for THD 5,0% - 134 dB

Rated impendance                         200 Ohms

Matching                             RS 10 TW or special               mic connector                      microphone connector

Rated load impendance                  1000 Ohms

Equivalent SPL, CCIR                     25 dB

Equivalent SPL,A weighted            13 dB/A

Powering                             230-240 or 120V/15WA

S/N ratio, CCIR                              71 dB

PSU                                    PS1,PS2

S/N ratio, A weighted                    83 dB

Weight                               800 g

Dyn.range of the mic.amplifier       for THD 0,5% - 101dB  IEC weighted (cardioid)                  for THD 5,0% - 121dB

Diameter                             56 mm

Length                               210 mm

How does HCL do it?                                                      All parts of the mic are machined by a CNC machining center: naves with grooves in the base of the body, grill, and the shock mount parts as well.Due to the dual copper plating the Faust is shielded so well, the sonic quality of the signal is not affected by the outside interference such as noisy wiring/lighting in a studio. Which means the singer doesn’t have to be “on the mic” to get a good signal-to-noise ratio, which in turn means less compression and processing during tracking and mixing, and a more natural and dynamic recording in the end.

The diaphragm is coated either with purest gold. The assembly is performed with the application of precision measuring tools. The diaphragm is installed by hand without any lining or pad. This is a very labor-intensive process. The master performing this step prepares for it for several days, does it only in the morning - while fresh - and never attempts it without inspiration! (Yes, you have read correctly - inspiration). Everything - even the material that holds the capsule, even the shape of the capsule holder - is a result of a long selection process and is designed to eliminate background noise and harmful resonance.

Our mic capsule is fully machined,as mentioned before. Then using a thin drill we make a string of holes to give the acoustic chamber with the "right" resonance.

What’s the deal with HCL tubes?                                    The microphone has the cascading tube design, based on the 6S3P tube (Russian military designation).Their sound awesome and are ultra-reliable (these  tubes used by Soviet/Russian military during the Cold War, by MiG/ Sukhoi aircraft and radars in particular). These tubes have a very linear frequency response, which in some cases surpass traditionally used 12 tubes. Combined with well-designed circuitry these tubes provide  incredibly transparent sound with low noise and no artifacts whatsoever. Their performance is vastly superior to pretty much any tube we have tried in the course of our experiments and studio sessions. Service life of this tube exceeds 10.000 hours.

With the help of the specialists from a former military research center we have also developed our own output transformer based on the core made of rare precious materials with High-Mu. Our proprietary core material has an outstanding permeability, which allows for a smaller number of turns. That benefits the sound immensely.

The protective casing (grill) is a combination of a fine steel mesh on the inside and a thicker mesh on the outside. The grill and the body are copper plated both on the inside and the outside. This is something that is quite expensive to do and some manufacturers either don’t copper plate at all, or do just one side, which has virtually no effect. Following our “spare no expense” philosophy we not only provide the dual copper plating but also the outside mesh is soldered to the grill by copper solder (not glued or rolled!). The outcome is a signal completely free from interference and  with the lowest noise floor.                                                          The Faust weighs about 2 lb. The body is a steel tube with a 3mm thick wall. It is tuned to have the resonant properties ideal for the most musical recording of an audio source.

The microphone feed takes place via the PSU adapter. (110-120 or 230-240v).

The Faust comes with a shock mount (HCL proprietary design), dedicated power supply and a carrying case.

What if I want more?                                                       For those who require more flexibility it is possible to order the Faust F2 with the optional 11 pickup patterns. From omni to cardioid to hypercardioid and everything in between. The pattern switch is located on the power supply (the F2 vesrion only).