Lewitt LCT 140 Air stereo pair

L
ewitt LCT 140 Air is a
new pencil-style
cardioid condenser
mic available as either
individual or matched
stereo pairs and it’s
the latter I have for
review. The stereo bundle includes
the two mics, a pair of bespoke clips
and two small foam windshields.
There’s also a nicely conceived
double compartment-lined carry case
that’s big enough to incorporate the
mics with clips attached. Ideally a
matched pair should help deliver
reliable stereo recordings, so to
create closely matched pairs, Lewitt
uses full frequency analysis.
Assuming you have a couple of
identical mic preamps, you should
be good to go.
On the side of the mic are three
switches. Two of these are pretty
standard fare, and you get a -12dB
level pad and an 80Hz low cut fi lter.
The third option is responsible for
the AIR aspect of the mic name and
engages a bell-shaped high
frequency boost. This is an
interesting addition and though it’s
not the fi rst time I’ve encountered a
mic with some form of modifi able
curve, I’m not sure I’ve seen it on a
small capsule condenser before.
Still, I’m all for getting things correct
‘at source’ and there may well be
situations where this could come in
handy. The mic fi nish is great and
the black colour scheme coupled
with Lewitt’s green and white
labelling matches other mics in their
range. At 66g each, the mics are
upwards. Either way, it’s smooth and
it doesn’t sound artifi cial and as I
said, if it’s needed and you’re able to
make that judgement then why not
add this at source.
So, any gripes? It would have
been great if they’d included a stereo
bar, as for me this is a vital tool for a
number of common stereo
confi gurations. What’s more, stereo
confi gurations are somewhat limited
by the cardioid-only pickup pattern.
Nevertheless, overall the LCT 140
AIR is a solid performer and the
stereo bundle both well conceived
and executed.
pretty light and even when you factor
in the mic clips, they won’t tax your
mic stand. The included foam
windshields are pretty skinny, which
doesn’t impede crossed
confi gurations. That said, they don’t
cope very well with extremely windy
atmospheric conditions.
LCT 140 AIR has good sensitivity
(14.6 mV/Pa) and although the self
noise of 20dB-A isn’t class-leading,
it’s not atypical for a small capsule
design. The cardioid pattern is also
pretty standard and the shift from on
to off-axis is reasonably smooth with
decent rear rejection. Get in close
and there’s an obvious proximity,
although this can be reduced a bit
with the low-cut fi lter. For close
speech or vocals you’ll defi nitely
want a decent pop shield.
In its ‘fl at’ setting the mic sounds
pretty natural and a quick look at the
frequency plot reveals just a slight
lift in the upper mids. This works
very well for all manner of acoustic
instruments. Switching in the AIR
boost adds a really pleasant lift, and
although I would typically consider
‘air’ to be primarily higher
frequencies, it’s clear this is adding
a presence lift from the high mids
THE PROS & CONS
+
Handy on-body fi lter
and pad options
Optional high
frequency EQ boost
Very light
Bundle includes
windshields, clips
and dual mic pouch
-
Cardioid only
No stereo mounting
bar included
FM VERDICT
9.2
Want an affordable cardioid-
only stereo pair? This is
a great choice, and the
on-body features make it a
fl exible one as well
The natural sound works
well for all manner of
acoustic instruments
Lewitt LCT 140 Air | Reviews
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