The Lenkinap KMD/19a9 is the most well-known and iconic Soviet tube mic. Mics manufactured pre-1966 are called KMD, which stands for “(K)Condenser Microphone by Dubrov”, the engineer that designed the mic. KMD's predate the LOMO factory and are branded Lenkinap, the Soviet department that first developed them. A few rare examples are branded LOOMP, the original name of the LOMO factory, used only in the first year of its existence.
There are three primary differences between the KMD and 19a9. The first two are strictly cosmetic. KMD’s have the three bars across the center of the grill, and 19a9’s have five. Some early KMD’s had other grill designs. The second difference is color, with most KMD’s painted metallic blue, and some that are black or hammertone grey while most LOMO 19a9’s are cream or hammertone blue. The third difference lies in the PSU. Early KINAP 20B35 PSUs are unregulated, while LOMO 20B35 PSUs are tube regulated. During the transitionary period from Lenkinap to LOMO, (1965 -1966) the PSUs were tube regulated while the mic was still called the KMD with the three-bar grill. By 1967 they were all called LOMO 19a9s and used the tube regulated 20B35 PSUs.
The KMD/19a9 is a simple design that uses a proprietary single-sided center-terminated M7 style capsule with a tuned backplate feeding a 6J1P tube followed by a giant toroidal output transformer located in the 20B35 PSU. This output transformer is unique and has a high inductance that is critical to the sound of this microphone, and since there are no suitable modern substitutes, having an original 20B35 PSU is very important.
The 19a9 has a classic vintage tube sound with nice natural compression, a big warm low end, rich midrange articulation, and smooth but enhanced top end. Steve Albini famously used a pair as drum overheads and some vocals on Nirvana’s “In Utero”. This mic has been my favorite outside kick drum mic for years, and is regularly used for vocals and overheads.
