SAMAR Audio is a refreshing voice of innovation. Dr. Mark Fouxman founded the company on his passion for electronics engineering, classical piano virtuosity, and pro audio expertise, and has consistently delivered intriguing contributions to the microphone market – particularly in the ribbon microphone category. The MG20 is the company’s first foray into small-diaphragm condensers, and this mic straddles a line between something new and something old. The capsule is an original design, and electronics are based on the simple and classic single JFET circuit driving a unique transformer that Fouxman designed for this mic. I soon dubbed these the “Star Trek mics," as the MG20 is evocative of the Altec 21B or the JZ BT 202 mics [Tape Op #158] in that its body tapers in behind the capsule, allowing for reduced reflective surfaces closer to the source. The MG20 has very low self-noise and handles high SPLs (up to 140 dB). They are full-sounding, with excellent transient response and extended low end.
I brought the review pair of MG20s to a session at a beautiful new unnamed studio in Sonoma County, California, to put the MG20 through its paces on acoustic guitar, piano, backing vocals, and a Leslie cabinet. The studio has a 48-channel API Legacy console, huge live room with a stellar vibe, and we had super talented players – including Jerry Marotta [Tape Op #33] on drums. Because these mics feature a relatively neutral EQ, I found them to work well on a diverse array of sources, and they had a very natural and smooth response on the studio's immaculately maintained Yamaha C7 grand piano. I loved how the studio’s Neumann M 269s were capturing the drum kit, but ultimately I had to force myself to take them down and try the MG20s as drum overheads. It went well; with a nice kit and a fantastic drummer in a good-sounding room this job can be surprisingly easy. And, unlike the big tube Neumanns – which I had on one of those giant Atlas booms – the MG20s are lightweight and easy to position given their thin stems and unobtrusive capsule housing. On another drum session I tried the MG20 on snare, but it proved too sensitive, adding more ambience than was desired to the overall sound of the kit. When I used the mic in my personal studio I found the transient response a bit too forward on a 12-string guitar, but I placed the mic further back and that did the trick. Honestly, this may have more to do with how the guy was playing the guitar than the mic. On bamboo flute it performed excellent as well.
In short, this MG20 pair absolutely ate up almost everything we threw at it. The reason to buy this microphone is that it sounds fantastic on all kinds of sources but is never boring. Honestly, that’s a pretty rare quality in a microphone. I'll happily put the MG20s up again on pretty much everything in the studio.
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