$7000 Neumann U87 vs. $990 Stam SA-87 - Microphone Shootout!!

Comparing a $7000+ Vintage Neumann.com U87 to a modern "clone" made by StamAudio.com
Original lullabye, "Dream Girl" written by me for my daughter Crúz DiMuzio.

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

I also recorded a female vocalist on both the Neumann U87 and the Stam SA-87 at the same time (as you'll see in this video), and both of us preferred the sound of the Stam on her voice so we used that for the final mix. You can watch/hear that here for a female vocal demo - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWaoZWiVmdBqmcU

[@andyanderson6455]

That U87 in particular is amazing, untouchable IMO...wow.

[@DMBCJ21]

Both mics are great. But you can definitely hear the body in the u87. Also when he says “Dream”. Listen real good.

[@JotaSotodiaz]

came for the mic review and I love the song lol thanks for that!

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Thanks 😁

[@johnconnery5738]

Stam SA 87 has a grunt and grain that is the character of those old U 87s its amazing

[@vonephonxana2783]

Beautiful song. Very nice voice. Great review! Thanks !!! I’m sold on SA 87.

[@gonzalozech]

Similar melodies or lyrics: A (Not so similar parts) 1:42 STAM 2:02 NEUMANN B 2:23 STAM 2:34 NEUMANN A2 2:44 NEUMANN 2:55 STAM (Not so similar parts) 3:04 NEUMANN 3:15 STAM B 3:26 NEUMANN 3:47 STAM Outro 4:02 NEUMANN 4:13 STAM

[@lydiarabie6001]

Mr.DiMuzio in this video that was really nice, I'm just listening your presentation on your show and the sound's of your voice was kindly cute.And the photos that you showed also especially with your precious pretty baby was cute too.👍👍🇺🇸

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Aww, thanks Lydia 💜

[@ILoveTelecasters]

Damn that neumann… Silky smooth High end

[@marklholloway]

Nice track and demo 🖤 I’ve got a Stam SA-87 with the Tim Campbell capsule and it’s my favorite mic.

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Very nice! I had one with the Tim Campbell as well. Killer mic! I like the new models of the SA-87 just as much as the Tim Campbell model though, just fyi. Especially excited to try the latest SA-87i that's coming out! 🤩

[@travelthebest2676]

Did you try the 87i

[@stanleyassor3172]

i prefer the Neumann if i have to choose, but the SA87 is wonderful. It has a lot of air on it naturally. But that song, oh my God!!!

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Thank you ✨

[@darksidessj25]

I dreamed of having that mic back when I first started a studio. I took up singing since then and learned it was just humming then shaping the resonance.

[@DavidDiMuzio]

Totally, humming is super helpful in learning how to sing 🎵😁 …You should get a Stam SA87. So cheap compared to a Neumann U87 and I literally like it better 💜

[@kenturnbull5450]

the Neumann sounds great, the stam sounds very good

[@ernieg]

U87 has a nice air high too it

[@pablogato7]

Very impressive mic! I own one of them and it is absolutely amazing on everything. In a blind test it´s very difficult to distinguish from the vintage one. Congrats for the video and the recording

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Thanks for sharing your own experience with it. Yes, I actually preferred the Stam in my own blind test and it's the mic I'll be using on the final mix of this song which I'm posting to my main original music channel and Spotify etc. 😁

[@rivinduwanniachchi1126]

I own a SA-87. It’s pretty darn good.

[@melodychest9020]

Nice shootout and really appreciate the clean high quality sound with nice vocals on this really nice song .. awesome! Idk, you sound more musical on the U87. The SA-87 is up there but not quite. My 2 cents.

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Thanks for listening. Appreciate the feedback :)

[@BrewerShettles]

Neumann U87 = better mic - dry and tight and amazing sound - Start Saving!!!

[@jarsrecording2485]

I fully agree. The Neumann renders that nice voice superbly, in a very natural, relaxed way and with great clarity. Mids are rounded, present and beautiful, and also the higher register is just perfect, without aggressiveness and with very little sibilance only. The Stam, while certainly not being a bad microphone, brings back memories of the Neumann TLM49 which I once owned but resold after a short while. I felt the sound was not warm at all (as the advertisement claims) but rather slightly thin sounding, kind of 'engineered' and on the aggressive side, almost distorted. I should perhaps mention that I have recorded more classical music than other genres. To me a good vocal microphone is one that works well for classical singers. If it does, it can easily be tweaked to fit any other style.

[@BrewerShettles]

@@jarsrecording2485 - Great Singer!!! + Guitar playing!!!!

[@TheRealTMajor]

I honestly don’t think people really listen. They have a Neumann Bias. I get it though. I believe the Neumann to my ears is more flay where as the Stam has a little more dynamic range. It has its own character and I really like that. Once I heard the stam against the 47 I was convinced that I needed to shake my Neumann Bias.

[@kenturnbull5450]

I listen to comparisons with eyes closed

[@simonj.1812]

Give the Stam 87 about 20 to 30 years to break in and it'll end up sounding near the vintage neumann, but it is such a great mic

[@cosmicknocks594]

Stam is much brighter, less body. The u87 is much smoother here. I could hear the sa87 being great on a breathy modern c12ish vibe female vox

[@danielnacrur1155]

O neumann u67 valvulado custa 7000 dolares, não o u87. Mas legal a comparação. O custo beneficio do stam é incrível

[@alexmagor7538]

Stam sounds brighter airier more sibilant. I believe the grill has a lot to do with it and Neumann has a patent on theirs.

[@DaveSS-xi4pn]

Thanks! Great review!

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MyManDan]

Man the U87 just does something with the sibilants, it really smooths everything out. But it sounds like the Stam does it pretty well too, just not in the same way. I wonder what the U87 sounded like brand new, and how some age would affect the Stam. Like if you smoke around a mic a bunch and a little of that builds up a layer on the diaphragm wouldn’t it darken the sound a bit? Who knows, thanks for the video though!

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

You're welcome :)

[@lostdream3333]

wow great song.. i almost forgot why i look this video..

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Aww, thanks :)

[@bobbyashrimp]

Why can I not find A SINGLE video of someone PUSHING the mics with hard rock vocals in even a single u87 clone VS U87 shootout video? 🙂‍↕️

[@tgbitw17]

I actually like the Stam better. They are almost identical but the Neumann has a low mid bump that the Stam doesnt. That equals more clarity for the Stam. Nice demo.

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Thank you ☺️ I agree ☝️

[@andreasgilgenberg5588]

wow...the neuman is awesome, warm and precise! Very nice Voice...also wow

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Thanks 😁🙏🏼

[@josiway]

The Stam lacks the high end (10khz+) of the Neumann.

[@tomasspacey6828]

The original is much darker. I am very curious how would it sound if the SA-87 is EQed ( just gently low passed) to the same character. Then we could really compare them. Looks to me there is a chance its even better. That high end can be usefull sometimes ... In the midrange they seem to be considerably different though and yes SA-87 suits your voice much better. But I say again to truly judge I need the treble to be the same level. Thanx and greets

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

I feel like if you EQ them that would sort of defeat the point of comparing them 😅

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Compare both with legendary U 87 vintage.

[@mirkomarkovic3438]

Just watch the video 😂

[@ApolloParanormalTV]

I can always hear the strength the U87 gives. When I hear it compared to other mics I just can't un-hear it. It's built like a tank and sounds perfect to the T.

[@DMBCJ21]

Definitely hear that strength!

[@shermanshi1467]

Such a wonderful review! Would you please tell us what is your chain, include interface, pre and comp? Thank you very much!

[@DavidDiMuzio]

Interface is the Cranborne Audio 500R8, pre-amp is the Stam 312+, compressor is an 1176 style plugin. Probably the PA Purple MC77 is what I used.

[@carlosh8113]

Love Stam but the u87 had more reverb tail on it.

[@astralaudio101]

The 3U Audio MK1D has the nice grainy quality the 87’s have and it was only $600 Au.. Their so inexpensive..

[@lionheartroar3104]

The STAM is smoother...great deal for about 1k

[@maestrobox5859]

Tengo el sa 87 y el neuman u87 ai , los uso para grabar voces de rap en un Rupert Neve Shelford channel , y siempre el Neumann u87 es el mejor , pero por el precio el Stam es increíble .

[@SantoMachismo]

Came for the comparison, stayed for the song! Just lovely!! - But is the Neumann a little louder in this mix? Or does it actually sound more 3D like?

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Thanks Mike! I tried to volume match the mics.

[@nyacoustics8373]

the neumann sounds better

[@who_is_dis]

By a fairly noticeable amount too

[@darksaint.]

no shit💀 neumann is way more expensive. the sa 87 is a affordable version off the u87

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

GTZ U 87 is best budget clone of legendary U87 1979.

[@walterwilliams1323]

Beautiful song. Great shootout. Hard to hear the difference, but in a world of diminishing returns $990 wins all day over $7k unless your studio really needs the Neumann label. I doubt whether clients could hear the difference in a blind test either. Better still buy an Aussie BeesNeez BU87i for even less money and more like the original.

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

I did a shootout with the Stam and BeesNeez 87i, and I thought the Beesneez sounded awful. I bought one brand new myself from Australia just to try it.

[@walterwilliams1323]

@@DavidDiMuzioLessons Sorry to hear that. I'm sure Ben at BeesNeez would have swapped it out if it was faulty.

[@JerryCalvert-x9u]

Neumann U87 sounds way better! I'm so glad I checked this review. These modern day recreations with all this digital tech garbage is just that, utter and total and complete garbage they're all trying to pass off as something great. The only exception I've found perhaps are some of the Squire guitars or the Poly D Synth that is seriously close to the Mini-Moog it clones. That was impressive. But these new mics all suck so bad. And over priced of course. Seems to be the trend now; sell garbage at inflated prices and use the power of association to connect it to something of true value and quality. I'm just not that dumb. If I have to I'll just get a cheap tape recorder and record that way. My voice doesn't need a mic to sound good. I just want to be able to share my classic and powerful sound with others. I hail from the 1970s. Our music is some of the best ever made. Our equipment is still unmatched. It's analog or nothing for me!

[@cristian-marius-albu]

Neumann sounds slightly better but dont justify its price. Perhaps 50% you pay is the brand. Stam is a great mic considering its price and performance. If you want something in same league with Neumann would be a Gefell M930ts which is same transformer based FET but just in cardioid. Obviously you would pay 50- 60% of the price of a Neumann u87ai.

[@doraysmith]

Really close....too close to me...STAM is killer...has to be one of the very best clone devolpers on the market. He should probably take the the best of what he's learned from all of these mics and incorprate that into his own mic.

[@joshuavanderstam1345]

I have brother!.. 87T is our "own" twist on the original and a few more mics coming out this year !

[@doraysmith]

@@joshuavanderstam1345 I hope yall can someday bring back the 251s as well.....I will be getting a 87T in the meanitme ....

[@joshuavanderstam1345]

we will this year!!@@doraysmith

[@alstontyler4788]

The original U87 blows the Stam out of the water hands down Although the original could be a bit louder or either it just has that much more body and dimension Insane

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Guess it’s time for you to start saving 😉 …Thanks for listening 😁

[@joshuastam7704]

mmmmm interesting!

[@alstontyler4788]

After listening again today they both sound really nice, and the Stam seems to have more sheen! After watching so many shoot outs I decided to buy the LA Eden 386, I have had it for 6mos now and really love it

[@TheRealTMajor]

Gonna have to say, I need a STAM

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

They make great gear for sure!

[@Leo_Vulkan]

Beatiful song! Stam sounds good, but far IMO from the OG 87.

[@MinisterTravis]

Which Stam 87 is this? Mk2 or MK3?

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

I honestly can’t remember 😅

[@kalebyrd126]

What earbuds are you using?

[@cubasianidistaceppa6369]

I don't agree, that the stam has more character than the neumann. I in my studio with focal monitors, apollo, I feel that the neumann has more body, warmth, softness, compression, cleanliness, the high frequencies are very precise, clean and detailed to the point right and then it has a magic on the whole of the sounds that seems all music. the audio stam has an annoying sound in the medium highs the very high ones are dirty annoying sibilants, higher background noise and a confused and not clean sound I'm sorry but the battle is there l u87 wins, and it's worth all the money spent on a neumann compared to spending half and having a sound now having spent 1000 euros anyway, i.e. i like you as a person and as a singer and congratulations for the dedication to your beautiful little girl, i'm writing from italy milan hello

[@ProGoTones]

wait 🤔 you do music AND hair stuff? Well alright man, alright 🤙🏼

[@Petershilak]

U87 all the way

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Your vocals sound harsh.

[@blender1952]

Stam doesn't have a lot in common with that vintage Neumann U87. It sounds cleaner and brighter and it doesn't have that famous grainy Neumann mids. In my opinion it should not be advertised as vintage 87 clone. It may look the same, but soundwise it's not close to original.

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

I agree that the two mics definitely don't sound identical. That said the other black vintage Neumann I rented for this test from Blackbird Studios sounded even more different to the other Neumann than the Stam did. I'll be picking the take I did on the Stam for release of this song on Spotify and my main music channel because I honestly prefer the way it sounds on my voice, and for a female singer I shot it out on as well (and ended up also picking the Stam for the final take). You can see that video and both mics set up so we could pick our favorite for the recording here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWaoZWiVmdBqmcU

[@joshuastam7704]

How should I advertise it Vlado ? I am open to suggestions. Since it's the 87 circuit and identical capsule it's a bit hard to advertised it as something else. We have 9 Vintage 87's and all sound different. Brighter, darker, muddier, cleaner, etc.. it's hard to make one 87 replica sound like every single old 87 out there.

[@blender1952]

@@joshuastam7704 I don't know how to advertise it, maybe like your own Stam model, not related to vintage 87, as it have it's own sound, which maybe many would prefer according to the comments below. As I wrote previously... it may look the same, even have the same circuit and cloned capsule, but unfortunately sound (which is the most important) is very different from vintage Neumann U87. If it sounded close, I would buy it.

[@joshuastam7704]

@@blender1952 We disagree. Like I said previously, my SA87 sounds identical to my Vintage 1979 87. I can email you the charts and frequency response. It's not very different, it's identical. On this video my SA87 is a little brighter than the vintage, I agree, that is why I can tweak each 87 to match each client's 87 with circuit and capsule adjustments. There are other videos on youtube were my SA87 has more low end and is darker than the U87 and so on..

[@blender1952]

@@joshuastam7704 I don't need technical frequency charts and responses... what matters is the sound one can hear. I can not judge sound of your personal vintage U87, but on this particular video, those mics don't sound close, I'm sorry. Everyone with trained ear will hear that. In comparison to real vintage U87, here this SA-87 has looser low mids, different sound structure of mids, it sounds cleaner and brighter.

[@armandoterron3637]

No wonder it is 7 grand. No comparisson..

[@FamousTVvoice]

In this case, I prefer the Stam.

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Me 2 😁

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

It is impossible to beat U87AI.

[@MrPeter924]

Very good so sound song. 👍

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

Thanks Peter!

[@shokthemonkey]

The difference is soooo sooooo ….😂😂😂….so much not to hear at all. 😂😂😂

[@DavidDiMuzioLessons]

haha, yes, very similar, but I slightly prefer the Stam.