The elegant Valvet provides a choice of omni and cardioid polar patterns, as well as delivering the kind of transparent valve sound for which German mic technology is renowned.All of the Brauner microphones can be considered 'premium products' in terms of both their mechanical/sonic quality and UK price. However, more efficient production techniques have allowed the cost of the Valvet (and the Phantom, for that matter) to be reduced significantly in comparison with the original VM1. Although still hand assembled, the Valvet and Phantom mics use an internal circuit board rather than point-to-point wiring, and a Lundahl transformer instead of the bespoke twin-core design employed in the VM1.Unlike many of the lower-priced valve mics, this one doesn't scream 'tube!' at you. Its thermionic character is subtle to the point of transparency, much like the classic high-end Neumanns. However, the Valvet shares the larger-than-life Brauner sound character — it may be physically smaller than the VM1, but it gives little away in sound quality. There is a full, rich sound at the bottom end, coupled to a clear, detailed top end — but there is no hint of peakiness or presence boosts. The sound is crisp and detailed, in the same way as a well-focused black and white photograph can be — the information is all there, and presented in a very natural way.This is a lovely general-purpose microphone and, with specially matched stereo pairs being available, I can imagine it being used in spaced pairs and in Decca Tree configurations for classical recordings. Equally, the mic works very well for close-miking, and I found it especially revealing on percussive sources such as pianos, acoustic guitars, and both tuned and untuned conventional percussion.The Valvet also performs admirably when tracking vocals. The mic captures every subtle nuance of the singer's voice — whether male or female — without the unnatural emphasis on the sibilance region that tends to afflict so many mics these days. Interestingly, though, during the extended period I have enjoyed with this mic its inherently detailed nature sometimes led to it being rejected in favour of an obviously less accurate mic. For example, there have been occasions where some vocalists (and one instrumentalist too) clearly benefited from a more flattering mic — one where a coloured and, dare I say, slightly 'veiled' sound delivered a more palatable rendition. This is not a criticism of the Valvet in any way — if the performer can deliver the musical goods this mic will capture them in perfect detail. But a less-than-perfect source will be revealed in all honesty, and that may not be what you really want!The Valvet provides much of the exemplary performance of the high-end VM1 flagship valve mic at a far more accessible UK price, while retaining the top-notch hand-built engineering associated with the Brauner marque. If considering the purchase of a serious valve mic, it would be foolish not to audition the Valvet, which, in my opinion, compares very favourably with all of the obvious competition, regardless of price.