Neumann U87Ai vs. TLM 103: similar or different?

This is a direct comparison between the Neumann U87Ai and the TLM 103, both microphones I've owned for several years now, and have been using extensively.
0:00 Introduction U87Ai compared to TLM 103
1:25 Similarities of the U87 and TLM 103
2:30 Differences between the U87 and TLM 103
7:36 Deciding between the U87 and TLM 103
10:19 NEUMANN U87Ai SAMPLE - FULLY PROCESSED
10:50 NEUMANN TLM 103 SAMPLE - FULLY PROCESSED
11:16 NEUMANN TLM 103 SAMPLE - NO PROCESSING
11:45 NEUMANN U87Ai SAMPLE - NO PROCESSING
12:17 Conclusions
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#neumann #u87 #tlm103

[@musar03580]

I've owned two TLM 103's for almost a quarter of a century and prefer them. Low self-noise was the deciding factor, but they also boast great clarity and a (relatively) low price. I've never regretted choosing the TLM 103 as my forever microphones.

[@qjsound]

As someone who was brought up on U87 (had commercial studio for many many years), it's simply the best vocal mic - unsurpassed. The TLM is, as you say, very close, but I would totally recommend everyone in the recording audio / music biz, owns a U87. Save up if you need to. You'll be glad you did.

[@realtalkroscoeg]

I will agree!! U67 will put you ahead of everyone

[@melodychest9020]

@@realtalkroscoeg U67 or U87?

[@angusbrown2712]

Tom 103 is good but thin !!

[@mpbootcamp7009]

@@angusbrown2712 My ears didnt hear that at all in this test.

[@tdoto]

@@mpbootcamp7009 i finally got to try a u87 n its wayyy heavier in the mids than a tlm, sounds super crunchy if i could describe it

[@GoodxJ]

I just love the sound of 103, it sounds so modern and pristine! I want to like the U87 but I think my mind just tells me it would be better because its so expensive. I think I'll just save my money and keep using the 103 for now!!!!! lol ✌🏼👍🏼🙏🏻🎤🎙

[@songshineoriginalmusic]

Thanks Brodie. I have owned both mics together and ended up landing on the tlm-103 for my voice. It is said to have a brighter response and you are correct about the 5Khz and above presence peak. I saw another video that graphed the responses of each mic and it showed that the tlm also has less mid-low response than the 87. But we are after all talking about the 2 very best mics on the market for a variety of applications. I use it in my studio for musical recordings. Keep up the good work!

[@WIIMTheMusician]

I have the TLM 103 and it’s an amazing mic. But knowing how to use it can make or break you. I make HipHop and RNB music, and I often find that it works much better on softer, smoother vocals because it has a sparkly top end. But when I (or other clients) hit louder/more aggressive volumes, it can get very sibilant, harsh, and tingy. You absolutely MUST have knowledge of subtractive EQ and De-Essing or else it will ring the listeners ears off. But clarity is NEVER an issue. I recorded on my friends’ U87 and I noticed a heavier sound out the gate, with only slightly less perceived clarity than the TLM103. The U87 is WAY more balanced and controllable. Added EQ, compression, and a little saturation and it was such a “smooth sparkle”. In my opinion, it’s easier to ADD something than it is to TAME something… such as sibilance. In conclusion, I’m happy with my TLM103 for now because I have the knowledge to control it. But it does have its limitations. I will definitely be getting the U87 soon to achieve a warmer sound, maybe even a Telefunken tube mic. Time will tell… Thanks for the video!!

[@BillBene67]

Really excellent and well done video. Extremely informative. Thanks Brodie!

[@pentapandamusic]

Thanks for the amazing video! This deserves much more views

[@paulk.dicostanzo2279]

I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to do these production related videos. For my specific use cases as a creator, they’ve proven invaluable informing various decisions I’ve needed to make along the way.

[@brodiebrazil]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

[@Light-zu1ys]

Great review! Very thorough and considerate, thank you!

[@Weonlyknewoneway]

Ty for this. Really helped me make a difficult situation

[@racheloshaksmusic]

At first I thought the U87 ai was better for your voice as it sounds brighter and more energetic and the TLM made your voice sound deeper. I was going to consider purchasing the U87. But when I heard them both unprocessed around the 12:00 mark, I was surprised how pristine, bright and beautiful the TLM sounded on its own compared to how the unprocessed U87 sounds with the heavy mid frequencies which is almost muddy sounding. I don’t know if it’s worth the upgrade for my kind of bright voice. I’m still trying to make a decision. I will continue to do more research but this video helped a lot, thank you.

[@Onekei_Diamantes]

merece la pena

[@AngelGranados]

Hi!! Im VO and i have 2 tlm 103 in my home studio, we are 5 VO (we are a VO family) using them everyday, all day. Great sound on and Antelope D4 SC, great price & great quality. I send the audio without any processing and it sounds great.

[@juanprojas1759]

Very well done. Thank you so much!

[@kankantandikaigorotan1496]

awesome comparison

[@t0nyxgq]

I think in your review, I'm finally able to hear a difference between the two mics. You do sound very different in the two but at the same time, I can feel that it's in the same family of mics.

[@b-music9329]

I once tested both side-by-side myself. They were very different to my ears. For me the TLM has an own distinct sound but is a bit hard and flat, while the U-87 is very neutral and very high resolution. The great thing about the maybe not that spectacular base sound of the U-87 is that it reacts really excellently to EQ and compression as almost no other mic - it's all there and you have all options to shape your sound. The signal is extremely good and complete. I finally bought the new U-67 since it's in fact the same as an U-87 (same capsule) but a different preamp (tube-based) which makes the sound already nearly mix-ready out of the mic with more fullness and character.

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

All mics have their own distinct sound. But sound of U87AI has become taste of every studio.

[@KevinGenus]

9:57 - Just a thought.... budget does not mean low finances, it means there's a limit beyond which one will not go. Some budgets allow for multiple units of either mic.

[@jamlocuciones]

Hi Brodie, Nice to meet you!. I am an EU Spanish voice actor and international audio producer located in Spain and I fully agree with you in what you say. Both are very balanced, bring great warmth and vocal presence and are the soul of the German brand Neumann!. I have worked (as voice actor) with both MICs but, currently, I prefer to work with my TLM 103 because of its better price-quality ratio, but yes, indeed, its older brother, UA87 Ai, is the world standard to work on voicover and dubbing. But attention!!, every day, the TLM 103 is establishing itself as one of the key pieces/tools in any PRO Recording Studio together with the PreAMP UA 610 Solo (made in USA) and the RME UC Fireface sound card (made in Germany). In Europe each one of these tools is currently around 1,000 Euros. Greetings from sunny Spain!

[@Fastvoice]

Funny - as I use the 87 via UA Arrow with the Unison UA 610 Plugin with very minor EQ for TV narration with good results.

[@ZachMeissner]

Thanks for another awesome behind-the-scenes video! What model is the VU meter in the rack behind you?

[@boardathome1232]

I would love to know the details of your signal chain on the TLM 103. It’s sounds SO good!

[@neol07707]

3:14 my experience with the u87 ai in the past was that the mid presence was too much to the point where it sounded honky. And adding eq started introducing weird phase artifacts. I can also hear the honkiness as you speak into it though overall you sound amazing as you have a great voice and the soft highs and lower end help to balance it out. There's no doubt that the mic shines in the right circumstances but the forward mid presence was too much for me.

[@roman2374]

I will say - the u87 is absolutely fantastic For the price I can get a stereo pair of 103s that still fit in the same size case for transport which is a huge factor for me that often works on site rather in a studio. But also thinking to get a stereo pair of akg 414s and having a 87 for vocals only. When you work professionally mics pay for themselves 😅 for any hobbyist - I don’t think there’s a real justification for going beyond the 103 - except if you just really want to that’s all the reason you need. It’s about what you enjoy and if you have a hobby and want to splurge nobody is stopping you. A 87 still appears cheap compared to downhill mountain bikes 😅

[@seandouglas414]

preferred the 87. was hoping to prefer the 103. Cheers for the vid

[@tyremanguitars]

I'm happy with my tlm103 for now, but can't deny that the 87 is just that bit smoother, however they are surprisingly close!

[@angusbrown2712]

the 103 is thin and lacks Smoothness compared to u87 smoothness and doesn't come close to the u87!!

[@Dylanklinemusic]

To my ears the tlm103 is a bit more sibilant. It gets a bit grating if you don’t de-ess it. The u87ai is more balanced out of the box. I have both and tend to use the u87ai 90% of the time. You’re right though the mid-range on the u87ai can get a touch heavy. Personally I’d rather have the “problem” of dealing with too much mids rather than too much sibilance. Both are great mics but if budget isn’t an issue I would recommend folks jump straight to the u87ai. 👍

[@WIIMTheMusician]

Right? U can always scoop out some mids with EQ or multiband compression and it will still sound natural. Something about De-Essing the TLM103 makes it super obvious…. Very difficult to find the middle ground SMH still a great mic tho

[@TotalSmashTV]

I feel the same about the TLM's. They kinda have this uncomfortable high pitch sound that makes me want to turn the vol down every time someone has one that doesn't have a low pitch or I guess lower-mid pitch voice. U87ai just seems to sound good with everyone to me I've seen

[@K177a]

Thank you holy!

[@StudioPiosenkiMartinello]

I work with TLM103 since 2021. All records are in my YT channel. In my opinion is - TLM103 a little crispy in highs.

[@tomperkins6389]

A studio I used to work at had a pair of 87s that had an internal 6dB pad removed. We used them for singers and nothing else. Their sound was described quite accurately by one of our engineers as "as if you removed a mask from it". They had a spectacularly open, airy quality. Now I've mostly found that stock 87s had a bit of a strident quality that didn't always suit my taste. But for compatibility among our and other studios we used them since sessions could end up anywhere. I preferred tube U-67s but, unfortunately, they were hard to come by at affordable prices. All that being said the 87 is an excellent mic.

[@annekedebruyn7797]

I liked the U87 more. The TLM103 has its place for but I prefer the tamer low end of the U87. Especially for vocal performances. But yeah, you can't go wrong with either.

[@MrBayeasy]

The main thing I notice is slightly more sparkle on the u87 that helps emphasize the low tones, but considering they are so close wouldn't you be able to just add a bit more sparkle onto the TLM 103 than you would on the u87 and match them up to sound identical? The frequency response curves for these mics are incredibly similar, as well as the capsules and tuning. I feel like more boost somewhere between 10-15k would align these to sound the same, especially since you already mentioned that EQ'ing the u87 is essential to getting the most out of it, isn't it possible that during that EQ process more sparkle was intentionally added into the u87 rather than the TLM 103 to get the desired sound? I ask this because if you are intending to EQ the u87 I feel like you would do what you needed to make it sound good/how you want, but if the TLM 103 sounds better out of the box maybe it doesn't get the same amount of time/attention to detail squeezing all the quality out of it that's possible? I'm just curious, because I also noticed more sibilance (not in a bad way) on the u87 during these tests which tells me that there is EQ being thrown at the higher frequencies, so couldn't the same just be done with the TLM 103? Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and put together such a great test between these 2, hopefully you can give some insight on this if you have the time.

[@dspoet1]

With a Pulteq style hardware eq, you get the TLM 103 to sound warm like the U87.

[@toddcamnyc]

Thanks for creating a very thorough comparison of these mics. Most channels give us less than a few seconds sample of audio. More audio is better. I love the U-87’s “slightly honky” sound. Couldn’t I just EQ a flat mic to get this sound? Does the Neuman add something else to achieve this profile?

[@brodiebrazil]

I think the u87 stands out because it’s so flat to begin with. Would be hard to take a more curved profile to make it that flat.

[@angusbrown2712]

I have a U87 now but the 103 is good to . The U87 is worth every dollar and sounds Amazing!! Not sure how people can say there close . No way

[@ChrisIsaac1]

Can you do a deep dive on your Apollo signal chain?

[@ronnyskaar3737]

The studio I grew up in allways used the U87 for vocals. So I am stuck to it.

[@d-rock737]

U87ai is great. Had 1 of them. Sold it a few years ago. Man, I definitely regret it.

[@brodiebrazil]

hope you'll check out my new channel! brodie.bz/Production

[@dannyho6786]

Feeling both, but the TLM 103 does it for me, smoother and slightly more bass response.

[@Leele0]

Hey Brodi, how are you? ate, love your videos. i specifically remembered watching this a while back and came straight up here to listen to the demos again. i own a TLM107 and a U87AI....i hadnt used the U87ai for a long long time (we do a lot of VO recording at our studios) and today i went to get it and for the first time noticed that this mic is lacking in low end....its not as bass heaavy as the tlm107 at all....or fuller in the low end is what i mean to say. there are a lot of silky mids and highs but.a very reduced low end....is this normal? i read onlne other users say the same. this mic is literally 1 year old and i take absolute good care of it. a little help would be much appreciated

[@hyunjoonkim]

Both mics sound excellent to me. TLM103 has a slightly stronger presence and comes off punchier to my ears. At the end of the day though, I've come to realize that my room treatment and sound source (i.e. my own voice) matter a whole lot more than the mic when it comes to getting great sound. Brodie, do you have any tips on improving speaking skills or exercises to warm up the muscles to sound more natural and produce better sound in a broadcast setting? Also, I'm curious to know if your vocalization technique changes when recording these videos versus when having a natural conversation with another person. As always, thanks for the great audio content!

[@brodiebrazil]

excellent points harrison. room & performance will usually count 2x more than the mic and how it's processed. i dont necessarily warm up for vocals... would say there's just a subconscious "on" switch in my head from years/decades of broadcasting, etc. but i definitely DO speak different into a microphone than casually with a friend. funny you mention that though, have been trying to get my on-camera presentation more natural - and more like speaking with a friend rather than a stiff newscaster.

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Just learn SARGAM, 10 THOUGHTS, 38 ALANKARS, 22 SHRUTIS, 10 SINGING TIPS (taan, ghamak, touch notes). Your voice will fit into any texture.

[@TonyTana9905]

I have the TLM 103 and its an amazing mic. Although, I would love to have the U87, i wouldn’t be able to justify the purchase given my situation. Anyway, great vid.

[@angusbrown2712]

Y Not ? You should get the U87 and enjoy it for Years & Years !! trade in the 103 .

[@TonyTana9905]

@@angusbrown2712 I’m recording in my walk in my walk in closet right now lol

[@Sagerydian]

Looks as if in the "unprocessed" part you had the lowcut of the Apollo enabled. Also you shouldn't have the SSL plugin in the Unison slot, because it changes the input impedance even when turned off.

[@drmajedmalak]

Hi... 103 vs 107 .... are they the same? I am convinced that 103 is excellent but I wonder if 107 would be more versatile without compromise in the quality

[@zenyfilmsrambo]

teacher i do rap and i am looking for a good mic ,, do you really recommend me that neumann 103 ..that my budge please or tell me what other mic can help

[@ChavisFlagg]

I’ve been wrestling with this “v.s” for days. I’ve own both mics and sold both mics. I now currently own a u87 I got discounted. And now I’m leaning more towards the 103. Being a male vocalist, it really gives my vocals a high frequency shimmer that I can describe. The u87 I currently have is just sooo flat. If your not a professional engineer to really make the u87 sing, go with the 103. T-Pain and Billie Eilish uses the 103 too. I’m sold. Also I’m just not using any other polar patterns for drum overhead, due vocalist, or choirs.

[@Tav_cr]

This comparison is a perfect example of diminishing returns on investment. I have the U87 Ai and the M149, which I consider a real upgrade, but the returns are still diminishing. There is nothing you can do with one that you can't do using the other. I've even heard comparisons between the U87 Ai and the new U67, and the differences are very subtle. In real-world use, no one is going to tell which microphone is better in terms of quality, but some may notice a difference and subjectively prefer the cheaper option. The real difference will be the quality of the room, in my humble opinion (IMHO).

[@brodiebrazil]

Room matters much as the mic, for sure!

[@MarshallsMusic]

The U87 sounded smoother to me. The answer is to own both! Whichever works best on the day :). The U87 (or 103) will work beautifully with my Apogee Symphony

[@opheosmedia7809]

103 sounds more open while 87 is a bit tighter mid-range sound. For some reason I like 103 better

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

U87AI is king of all cms

[@mmxoxo]

Can you do the same video tlm 49 vs u87ai ?? pls

[@Rgdonaire_07]

I'm curious about your name Brodie Brazil. What's the story about it?.The TLM103 lacks a little body to my ears, sounds a bit more nasal. Can't go wrong with either.

[@newman2374]

can we use _10 db pad on vocal?

[@MarshallsMusic]

Even the TLM 102 has its place . It sounds fantastic still.

[@zeitakulobusta9708]

You said you were going to talk about your signal chain no? All I heard was processed and unprocessed 😢

[@henlolneh]

Brodie out here scoffing at the "professional studios" all rocking SM7Bs haha! Neumann >>>>>

[@brodiebrazil]

nah, that's a great mic too... especially for louder sources. but not for whispering, or bad mic technique

[@1990rome]

What about the Tlm 107

[@brodiebrazil]

My NEW all-Production channnel: Brodie.bz/Production Come check it out!

[@onurbektas7074]

To me, with your voice, tlm 103 is like a sports event presenter sound while u 87 is like a late night radio sound. With tlm 103 I hear more of your teeth and lip sound. I prefer u87. Thanks.

This review would be an outstanding mic comparison if it weren’t for the cranking of the mic pre’s as well as for the heavy compression. With today’s standards of high bit rate audio (24 bit or more) you do not need to go that hot into the DAW or you end up with a very fatigue, boring and non musical sound.

[@willyharrington2090]

a little touch of low and softly cotton in your ear, the u87, but 3k more than tlm

[@larrycrocetti8430]

Can you sing for them

[@yungskitzo661]

Your voice sounds better on the TLM 103 if you ask me

[@pamirsarez5062]

The dealbreaker is the use of EQ … I hate EQ) because I’m not professional and you can mess up your recording easily especially if you are new in this. Is there any way how I could operate Neumann with my smartphone iPhone ? What equipment im gonna need to make iPhone and Neumann work together?

[@JaeBTundra1]

Just get a interface and use a laptop or desktop

[@purpleheart69420]

dude imaging getting a U87 and not knowing basic eq skills???

[@neol07707]

The best mics in my opinion are ones that sound great out of the box without even EQ. Adding EQ should complement something that is already great, not compensate for something that doesn't have a good baseline. But that's the beauty of different mics, they all have different character and fit each person uniquely.

[@m-erenozbek]

i think tlm 103 sounds WAY MORE detailed than u87. and i think u87 sound a bit boxy and muddy in my opinion so i would go for tlm 103

[@andycrystal]

Having a high-pitched voice doesn't have *anything* to do with sibilance.

[@genesisnkaidence8519]

the ess sounds on the u87 are harsh compared to the tlm 103... 103 is a lot cleaner but not as full warm or detailed.. but I gotta say.. after millions of KZbin vides there's no way around it.. tlm 103 hands down

[@TotalSmashTV]

It's very weird how diff ppl's ears are. all the TLm's are crazy harsh too me. u87 not at all.

[@ShoebMortoza]

U87ai sound, to me, is a - sperical ball that remains same in its path when thrown - all other mic - that same ball I throw becomes an egg shape thing when I catch it again after thowing - 87 is the only mic that is capable of delivering true Indian classical singing notes - none other - it you care about sruti level accuracy, get it. Take it to your grave

[@luigicirciello1801]

U-87 ha molto più calore e meno fatica all'ascolto, si sente la bontà del trasformatore che non fa rimpiangere una circuitazione valvolare, si lascia equalizzare bene se hai bisogno ma ha un solo problema, siccome è molto radiografante anche dell'ambiente intorno, hai bisogno di una stanza trattata perfettamente