Sound On Sound - Review LCT 940

Hugh Robjohns of Sound On Sound, one of the world's premier music recording technology magazines, wrote a comprehensive review of the LCT 940. The LCT 940 combines the specific characteristics of a premium large-diaphragm FET condenser microphone and a top-notch tube microphone in one housing.

Conclusion: "The idea of combining both valve and solid-state electronics in the same microphone is a very interesting one, and I actually found the ability to blend the outputs of both signal paths to create a hybrid sound character surprisingly useful.

[...] Working first with the FET signal path, I found the LCT 940 sounded very detailed, but in a refined and polished way, with a naturally neutral sense of body and scale. The high-end lift gives clarity and air but without sounding harsh or exaggerating sibilance, while the low-end bloom adds a slightly larger-than life character without becoming muddy.

[...] Moving the Blend control around to the valve side shifted the mic's tonality smoothly from the very open and detailed, but not exaggerated, clarity of the FET signal path, to a noticeably richer, more rounded valve character. It doesn't lose any clarity in this mode, but it does gain some nice harmonic complexity, particularly when driven by a close, loud source. Setting the control part-way allows the degree of richness to be balanced to suit the nature of the source and the desired tonal character in a way that I really liked. Sure, you can achieve something similar with processing in a mix, but the way the mic responds naturally to the dynamics of the source is very attractive, and the ability to dial in the required effect instantly affects the performance and the whole feel of the recording session in a positive and creative way.​

With the ability to blend between valve and solid-state circuitry, LEWITT's LCT 940 is a genuinely innovative and versatile microphone. While the Lewitt LCT 940 is an expensive mic by the standards of many, this really is two mics in one — and two good and very usable mics at that. [...] Well worth checking out if you are looking for the kind of flexibility and quality on offer here."