Customer Reviews Rated 4.5 / 5 Based on 5 reviews Write your review

Rated 5 / 5 Buenísimo un clásico Este micrófono es una belleza totalmente un clásico Rated 5 / 5 A classic reborn I was always looking for a great vintage U47. Buying vintage mics is always a gamble for me, as you can never truly know what you're getting. My Sales Engineer Josh Estock has become a trusted resource for my studio, so I was happy to get his opinion on if there were any exceptional versions of the classic U47 sound out there. It seems I wasn't the only one asking, as he was quick to tell me that after extensive listening at Sweetwater, comparing new U47 clones to a beautifully maintained original U47, the Telefunken was clearly the closest match. It took months to wait for one, but it really was worth it. Beautiful, classic sound, with none of that super bright sheen that most reissue mics have these days. Many of my clients have sung into classic 47's for decades, and its very telling when they don't say a word about the sound of this new mic. To them, its a U47, and that's all they ask for. Sold! Rated 5 / 5 Too Good vs.The Real Thing I've was at this for over 50 years, in the PA and studio business since long before Woodstock.



I have had the good fortune to work in a live sound environment with many iconic performers and virtually every piece of equipment made. From my early days with Peter, Paul and Mary and the young Ray Charles and his orchestra through Michael, Stevie, Dollie and hundreds more over the decades, I've witnessed the latest and best Next New Thing over and over in venues and studios all over the world. My final gig was 7 years of live sound and studio work at Disney, where if something supposedly better came along, we bought several to try in different applications.



I've finally come to a conclusion. It began to form as digital was perfected. Absurd as you may find me, I believe there is now Too Good.



Retired for a decade, I recently was treated to the best seat in a wonderfully restored opera house with what is universally recognized as one of the best acoustical groups and female vocalists in the business today; Alison Krauss and Union Station with Jerry Douglas. Regardless of your musical tastes, there is no ignoring her incredible talent and vast number of awards, so let's just agree this was a wonderful test subject. Needless to say, their extensive array of stringed instruments were among the best to be found anywhere. Likewise, the sound system included the best speakers JBL had to offer and no expense had been spared on mics or any digital aspect of her sound system, which had been fine tuned over several years of touring world wide by her very experienced and gifted technical director and audio engineer, Cliff Miller, himself an accomplished musician.



With eyes closed, I could hear fingers on frets and breathing. With eyes closed, I could not only place exactly where each instrument and voice was on the stage but tell any time a performer moved from one position to another, even if it was just to turn and look at another player. The absolute accuracy of the sound system was unbelievable. In many cases, it felt not like I was sitting in a studio directly in front of the ensemble, but that I was actually inside the acoustical instrument playing the lead at the moment!



It was, in summation, the most incredible audio experience I have ever had.



After the concert ended, I turned to my wife who, although having never been in the business, is an accomplished artist with a very discerning ear. When I asked what she thought, her immediate reply was, "It sounded too good"!



After recovering from my initial shock, I came to agree with her. The one thing it didn't sound like was a concert! It didn't sound like a lossless recording on the best headphones, either. It was, simply, unlike anything we had ever heard before. To me, it was a lesson in the current state of the art and beyond anything I ever imagined possible. To her, it sounded too good to be true. Same thing.



So, when was it good enough? We both agreed on that. It was when Allison sang acapella into an old U47 and when the group stood in the traditional semicircle, picking and singing into a single RCA 77DX set to omni. That's when everything sounded the way it should; the Real Thing.



Because everything else had now become a digital flat wire into my ears, the only variable were the analog mics.



As my friend Cliff put it, the way to make a small fortune in audio is to start with a large one. You can spend every dime you get trying to improve on things but there will always be something supposedly better next week. Or you can rely on things that set the standard and have stood the test of time, There's a reason these mics sell for what they do, and it isn't just about specs. Never forget that music is art, and its reproduction is not just science. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder. There's a reason Patsy Cline's engineer and the thousands that followed used the U47, and the Grand Old Opry used a single 77DX most of the time.



You should be so lucky as to own a pristine version of both. Run either through an old Ampex MX10 tube mixer with no eq, a McIntosh 240 amp into a pair of JBL 4433 three-way studio monitors. You will hear music exactly the way all those classic recordings were heard in the studios where they were made. It is, and will always be, a sacred experience. Rated 4.5 / 5 the beatles great mic, I heard it ,and purchased 4 more, wonderfull on string quartets, vocal and acoustic guitars. Rated 4 / 5 very very close the original 47 has a little more meat in the mid-range, a little bit flatter sound more natural where the new Telefunken has a touch of treble hype boost. although very close, a great representation of the original, especially at the price comparisons for a vintage 47 compared to a new 47.. a wonderful recreation and a great job at creating a classic..