Sound Pure's Take
The Mojave MA-1000 is one of those microphones that immediately feels like it belongs in a serious locker.
Designed by David Royer, it pulls heavily from classic tube mic lineage—but without feeling like a clone. There’s a familiarity to the sound—open top end, rich midrange, and a solid, authoritative low end—but it comes across as refined and modern rather than nostalgic.
What really stands out is how balanced it is. The top end has that airy, expensive quality you want from a high-end tube mic, but it never gets brittle. The midrange feels present and “right,” especially on vocals, and the low end has real weight without getting muddy. It’s one of those mics where sources just sit in a mix with very little effort.
In practice, it’s incredibly versatile. Vocals are an obvious strength, but it’s just as comfortable on acoustic instruments, piano, overheads, or even louder sources thanks to the pad and roll-off options. The continuously variable polar patterns also make it easy to dial in the right amount of room or focus, which adds to its usefulness across different sessions.
There’s also a sense of confidence to it. You can put the MA-1000 up on a source and trust that it’s going to deliver something polished and usable right away—often more than that. It has that “record-ready” quality that’s hard to quantify but easy to recognize.
For anyone looking for a high-end tube microphone with real depth, flexibility, and a modern take on classic tone, the MA-1000 is a standout—and finding one used makes it that much more compelling.
From Mojave Audio
Drawing inspiration from some of yesterday’s most revered microphones, Technical Grammy® award winning microphone designer David Royer has created a thoroughly modern tube microphone that features an original new-old-stock 5840 tube, 251-style capsule, and custom designed transformer built by Coast Magnetics. The result? A sweet, airy top end, ‘you-are-there’ realism in the mids and an accurate yet authoritative bottom end.
The Signature Series has been exhaustively field tested against microphones often costing $20K or more – universally evoking the same ‘Wow’ response usually reserved for only the most prized vintage mics. Push up the fader and say ‘Ahhh!’ With performance, reliability, and quality like this, we are sure you’ll agree that Mojave’s new Signature Series microphone is a New American Classic.
Features:
- Original new-old-stock 5840 tube
- 251-style capsule
- Custom designed transformer by Coast Magnetics
- Remotely controlled, continuously variable polar
pattern selector, located on the power supply - Switchable 15dB pad
- Switchable Bass Roll-off
- Internal switchable power supply voltage
- American Classic Design
- Comes with Sling-Shock® licenced from Royer Labs
- Premium Cable made with Mogami Cable
and Neutrik connectors
Recommended Applications:
- Vocals and Voice-overs
- Broadcast
- Acoustic Instruments
- Piano
- Drum Overheads, Drum Rooms
- Orchestral Recording
- Choral Recording
- TRANSDUCER TYPE: Externally polarized, pressure gradient capacitor - double diaphragm.
- DIAPHRAGM: 1-inch diameter, gold sputtered
- DIAPHRAGM THICKNESS: 3-microns
- POLAR PATTERN: Continuously variable from omnidirectional to figure-eight.
- FREQUENCY RESPONSE: Bass cut switch provides 6 dB per octave attenuation below
100 Hertz in "cut" setting - SENSITIVITY: Omni -37.5 dB, Cardioid -36.0 dB, Figure-8 -34.0 dB re. 1V/pa
- MAXIMUM SPL: 120 dB with pad off, 135 dB with pad on.
- DISTORTION: < 1% @ 117 dB SPL , < 3% @ 125 dB SPL with pad off
< 1% @ 132 dB SPL, < 3% @ 140 dB SPL with pad on - SELF NOISE: 14dB nominal, not to exceed 16dB (A weighted)
- PAD: 15 dB
- BASS CUT: 6 dB per octave below 100 hertz.
- IMPEDANCE: 200 Ω
- POWER REQUIREMENT: 6 VDC @ 150 mA. 125 VDC @ .7 mA
(from dedicated power supply) - DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT:
Carrying case with microphone, power supply, shock mount, and cables: 13 lbs. (5.9Kg)
Microphone: 7 5/8” X 2” (194mm x 51mm), 1 lb. (0.45Kg)
Warranty
This item is sold without the Sound Pure 3-year warranty (used / B-stock / dealer-exempt). Coverage terms for items in this category live in Terms & Conditions, Section 27.
Returns
Try Before You Buy: 48-hour audition. Program details →
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