Audio Demo Neumann U89i serial # 7759 & Neumann V476b Mic Preamp

(c) mission control

[@rtdrec]

How do you think it stacks up against a U87 Vintage/Ai? especially on rap & singing vocals? I heard the 89 has a low mid bump while the 87 has a mid bump. In general, is the 89 supposed to sound more modern?

[@3str]

Yes indeed, the U89i sounds more modern than a U87ai, even more so compared to a vintage U87i. It has an extended frequency response. A Neumann engineer I'm acquainted actually considers the U89i technically superior. In use I'd say the U89i is bit more versatile because it's less colored. On the other hand when the inherent tone of a U87 works it can also be just the ticket. YMMV

[@rtdrec]

@@3str Thank you! I think it sounds so much better on Vocals then any U87 ever. Here in Switzerland we don't speak German, but rather Swiss German, which has many more "s, z, ck, sh, p, t and k" sounds. Practically in almost every word. Additionally, we emphasize these letters quite heavily when speaking. This means that most microphones don't work well with our speech unless you de-ess heavily. But the u89i has a much gentler way of recording these letters in precisely these areas of the human voice. I think that the u89i sounds much more "real" than a u87ai, Tlm 103, 102, M147, U47 Fet (these are the new ones I've had so far). It just sounds more like a real voice, the way you perceive it in real life . All the other Neumanns always had something very dull as their basic sound. I'll have to listen to the u89i VIntage version from the 80s. Do you think the vintage ones sound better than the new ones? Unfortunately, I can't find anything on the internet about whether the u89 has been changed one day since the 80s.