My first experience with Soyuz products in 2021 was brief but memorable. I still recall the smooth, rich sound of the 017 FET condenser and its distinctive aesthetic heirloom-quality construction. When I heard about The Launcher Deluxe, I wondered if it could offer the classy vintage vibe and meticulous craftsmanship I associate with other Soyuz products. I opened the retail box to find The Launcher Deluxe in a custom soft case, which is stylish and undeniably practical for storage and transport. I also found a small envelope of product documentation, including the names and photos of the technicians who built and tested my review unit. That is another nice touch and reminder that Soyuz products are manually machined and assembled (with apparent pride) at their factory in Tula, Russia.
Outside the soft case, the compact Launcher Deluxe curiously appears both impressive and understated. The chassis is adorned with beautiful, ivory-colored enamel. Apart from some identifying graphics, only a pair of XLR-combo inputs and a corresponding pair of XLR outputs are visible. A pair of sliding switches on the underside of the chassis select either Launcher or Saturate mode for each channel.
Launcher mode works well for passive dynamic or tube condenser mics. The signal path is a 1:6 Soyuz input transformer and op-amp-based buffer circuit that converts phantom power into about 26 dB of harmonically-rich gain. Saturate mode works with low-impedance, line level sources as well as passive or tube mics that require no extra gain. The signal path is passive and features a 1:1 Soyuz output transformer. Saturate mode will also pass phantom power to accommodate FET condensers and active dynamic mics.
My first impression of Saturate mode involved patching The Launcher Deluxe into my Prism Sound Titan interface to process an analog synth track. I heard nicely softened transients, rich midrange harmonics, and a touch of sparkle on top. A null test was set up to verify my initial assessment. A source track was printed from the analog loop, with and without The Launcher Deluxe inserted. The transformer’s harmonic signature aligned with my first impression, and the sound inspired new ideas on how to use Saturate mode in mixes. For further testing, I fired up my Caveman Audio BP1 bass preamp from Steen Skrydstrup in Denmark and ran an unbalanced (TS to TS) cable from the buffered (low-impedance) amp output of the BP1 into the 1/4-inch part of the XLR combo input jack on The Launcher Deluxe. I wanted to verify that the extra saturation would not turn the BP1's 1073-esque tone into harmonic mush, but there were no issues. It still sounded like the BP1 but with a bit of chocolate glaze.
To be clear, The Launcher Deluxe will not function as a standalone direct box because the input impedance is far too low. High-impedance instruments with preamps or buffers will work in Saturate mode, as in the example above. To use it without a preamp or buffer, a passive direct box or cheap impedance converter between the instrument and The Launcher Deluxe will get you there. Saturate mode will serve up a vintage tone and a balanced output. Launcher mode will supercharge that vintage tone with gain as an active direct box.
The third round of testing The Launcher Deluxe involved mics and a variety of associated gear. Rather than explain every combination and experiment, I will simply list the other toys on the playground for context: a Cloud 44 [Tape Op #151] passive ribbon, a Stager SR-3 passive ribbon, a Stager Stereo SR-2N passive ribbon, a Stam SA-87i condenser, a Soyuz 1973 [#154] condenser, a Cloudlifter CL-X2 in-line preamp, an Avedis Audio MD7 [#116] and MA5 [#145] preamp, and some Prism Sound Titan interface preamps.
The Launcher Deluxe added a little weight and color to every mic signal. On some sources, I preferred hearing a specific mic going directly into a specific preamp and, in a couple of cases, the Cloudlifter CL-X2 over The Launcher Deluxe in the chain. The CL-X2 is clean, with an upper midrange presence boost, while The Launcher Deluxe has a smooth and even midrange response with some sparkle on top. The Launcher Deluxe in Saturate mode also performed valuable noise-reduction duties for electronically-balanced mics by improving the common mode rejection as transformers do so well. Ultimately, The Launcher Deluxe proved to be a very capable in-line preamp while truly distinguishing itself from the crowd with its ability to also function as a color box for condenser mics and line level sources. The Launcher Deluxe is backed by a three-year warranty, but it appears fit enough to serve the music for far longer and look great doing it.