U47 vs Warm Audio WA47jr: Can a $200 mic sound as good as a $5000 mic?

[@eattofuholmes]

Thank you for learning how to sing before doing demo videos, it has been so difficult to find videos where I can stand to sit there and compare.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Haha - thank you! I’m by no means a great singer but I enjoy it a lot! I’m usually singing harmonies and Backing Vocals rather than lead 🤣

[@AndrewCCM]

Doing my part to get you to 1000... Nice vid. I own that 47Jr....I find that running it through a tube pre (in my case, the WA 2MPX) helps smooth out those upper mids...

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Thanks Andrew, I appreciate ya! Yes I imagine that does help! The classic advice is solid state mic into tube pre or tube mic into solid state pre!

[@raf5.13]

Really great vocals, dude.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@raf5.13 thank you 🙏🏼

[@deryckroche]

It would make more sense to put a Tube mic up against another Tube mic to hear the difference. The WA-47 Large-Diaphragm Tube Condenser is the mic I think you should of used $949 MSRP.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

I think both are valid comparisons. There are a ton of comparisons on YT of the WA47 vs a real 47, so figured I’d go a different angle and compare mega cheap vs mega expensive.

[@prod.hallow]

The wa47jr is meant to be a clone of the fet u47​@@adamfiascoVEVO

[@ignadrs]

the WA47jr has it's mids and high mids a bit more forward, a bit thin on the low end, but nothing that a bit of eq (pre-comp) and saturation can't fix to be honest.

[@ignadrs]

lol i wrote these as soon as the vocal examples finished, then you said exactly what i said about the WA-47jr

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@ignadrs haha yeah… that stood out to me too on the raw takes. The 47jr definitely needing a bit more attention with EQ in those upper mids. Another thing that stood out to me though was how much better the real 47 took EQ and compression. It just got better and better and was so easy to deal with in the mix. The 47jr not so straight forward.

[@ignadrs]

yeah the Warm 47 is really little in size, not so the U47, so i imagine the Warm's capsule may even be slightly smaller, this can really make the difference! @@adamfiascoVEVO

[@dkokalanov]

BTW man I hear such a difference in the dry takes that I actually hear no similarity. And a U47 is famous for needing a very good EQ to really shine. What I appreciate though is how you nail the surgical EQ knowing exactly at which frequency the notes were. Lot to learn from you there!

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Hey man. Thanks a lot for listening and for your comment. Appreciate ya 🙏🏼

[@henrikpetersson3463]

The U47 sounds sooo much better. But I think something that is often forgotten when comparing low end to high end mics is that you don't have to spend $5000 to get a better sounding mic. There are so many good mics in the mid price segment these days that actually can give the U47 a run for its money. That said, I fully respect if you can't afford a more expensive mic. But then it's better to compare it to other mics in that range. ☺

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Absolutely! One of my favourite mics I own is the 251 from Warm Audio. On the right vocal that thing sounds stellar and it’s very affordable!

[@weakattheknees_]

I think the real 47 sounds way better, even listening through phone speakers. But the Warm Audio mic still sounds good.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Yeah. I think this is a classic case of you get what you pay for. The 47jr is fine. But the real 47 is just in a different league

[@jeremythornton433]

Glad I found your channel. So much so that I subbed! I also have WA47jr. I'm still getting used to it even though I've had one for almost 3 years now. I received a Lewitt LCT 240 Pro for christmas and I fell in love with it right away. It just works. I see you use Cubase. I do too. Are you using a mixer with it? I'd love to know how to integrate my Presonus Studiolive Series 3 with my DAW.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Hey Jeremy thanks for the sub! I’ve heard nothing but good things about Lewitt mics - still need to get my hands on one though. I do use Cubase - I’m using it with a Slate Raven MTi2

[@supersonicsroots]

It's a big difference, on the raw takes. I did find you were a bit heavy on the de-esser though, I could hear it go into lisp.... depends on the singer I guess. I was on the fence for WA-47JR but now I actually don't really know... what's a better mic in the price range? Wonder if the WA47 tube version is more like a real U47.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@supersonicsroots yeah I could hear that too on the 47jr and I actually knocked it down a bit during the video. It needed a lot more de essing and in a mix I’d probably have stacked a couple of de essers and spent some time dialling them in to be super natural. None of that was needed on the real 47 though that thing is silky smooth.

[@astrolad11]

I appreciate the buttery smooth U47 but the jr brings out a nice urgency in your performance that falls into the background otherwise.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@astrolad11 I hear ya. The 47jr has a bit of a presence bump in the high mids. Makes it sound a bit more modern / hi fi to the classic 47.

[@bunnyishappy3779]

The video is good, but dude... your voice is amazing!

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@bunnyishappy3779 thank you so much. Mega appreciate this 🙏🏼

[@Bek-bl2ed]

How much collateral did you have to put up to rent that 47 ?

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@Bek-bl2ed nothing… its mine

[@sheeshtv5649]

The U47 raw take was immaculate

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@sheeshtv5649 they’re a classic for a reason 🙏🏼😍

[@sheeshtv5649]

@ Absolutely need to start saving for it!!

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@ I would love to get my hands on the warm audio 47… very reasonably priced and sounds great from the sound examples I’ve heard.

[@richard-mabroukousaid1156]

i've added this mic to our list for possible remplacement for our nt1a's ( we record asmr ). We initially wanted the AKG XL2 C414 but way to expensive for our budget at the moment and i thought the WA47jr would be a great cheaper alternative ( being able to switch between cardio and omni will be great for stereo coupling ). Listening to the raw takes, the U47 is clearly amazing it gets me everytime, so clean and even. The WA47jr is clean aswell but i can hear a clear boost in the mediums compared to the u47 but clearly way better then our NT1a's :)

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@richard-mabroukousaid1156 cool. As well as these take a look at Lewis mics and maybe even Aston Origin and Spirit. All good options.

[@richard-mabroukousaid1156]

@@adamfiascoVEVO i have considered the aston but the stand being sold separately at 100 euros kinda put me off :/

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@richard-mabroukousaid1156 what’s that about the stand? I’ve owned both an Aston Origin and Spirit in the past and never needed to purchase a specific stand…?

[@richard-mabroukousaid1156]

@@adamfiascoVEVO I think thats me overlooking the details on thomann, they do come with microphone MOUNT not stand sorry :/

[@AndroBaudelaire]

I need this mic.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@AndroBaudelaire which one? ;)

[@KyawKyaw-vp8ms]

what preamp do you use? btw the song is really good! Thanks for delivering beautiful song to. the world and mixing!

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Hey - the preamp here is a Neve 1073. Glad you like the song - thank you :)

[@KyawKyaw-vp8ms]

pretty good btw whats the song name?

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Hey… thanks for commenting. The song is called ‘One I Need’ by The Fiasco Here’s the official release… open.spotify.com/track/6wTG58wkb3CJAFsgxBqCqL?si=qRu9AZe8TWuaidh8FmVe7g&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A2INFNGzCtxdjtKUL8zCiOK

[@compucorder64]

I reckon a U47 or more traditonal style would be a better choice for female singers, sibilant singers. But on deeper, louder voices the Jr. is suprisingly nice. It's different to the U47, doesn't have the low low-mid depth, but oth there's a nice articulation. Gives quite a nice 'finished' sheen with air, but not harshness. It's maybe even slightly U87-ish. They are good for deep strummed dreadnought guitars, overheads where you might shelve or tame the recording anyway. The Jr. holds up suprisingly well as a kick drum mic too. Because, it's got the subs, and a decent beater presence, but again that low low mid focus helps get you where you might go with EQ anyway. If using it as kickout mic for the kickout sub 'boom', with a Beta52A for the kick-in beater thump/thwack.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Yeah the U47 is an amazing mic especially on singers who have a bright sibilant voice. This is why I love it for pop and rock music particularly on male voices. I do tend to go for a 251 most of the time for female voices though.

[@compucorder64]

@@adamfiascoVEVO Yip. That's how I hear it. There's some other great options for female voice too. The Mojave M-200 has that 251-like sheen. The Lauten Clarion and Atlantis are fantastic all-rounders too. The Chandler TG Type L is very with it's two voices, on mid-forward, the other smooth and natural. And the Soyuz Bomblet / 1973 , and the higher-end 017, are really nice too. You can hear those Soyuz on Madison Cunningham's live version of Pin it Down. Has that classic Joni Mitchell airy breathy tone.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@compucorder64 yess I used to own a Mojave MA200. Really stunning mic. It sounded amazing on acoustic guitars and really good on female vocals. A bit too bright and sibilant on males for me though. Ended up selling it and grabbing a WA 251

[@compucorder64]

@@adamfiascoVEVO Yes, I think it's great mic to have in your arsenal, for exactly that, acoustic guitars, and female vocals. I have a smooth sounding JZ Vintage 67 I like on male vocals (as well as good old SM7b). Would like to buy a Soyuz Bomblet, which sits somewhere in the middle ground, and even less sibilant that U47. Also great on electric guitar, and for warm acoustic guitar tones, judging from Mill Sounds excellent demo.

[@DarthPreamp]

You have a nice voice!!

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@DarthPreamp appreciate that man. Thank you

[@bebebe-s1w]

With good popfilter Wa - 47jr sounds pretty.

[@Wilmer778]

Yeah, the real U-47 sounds much better! BUT... I've heard that the WA-47 (not the Jr. version) really comes damn close to the original U-47. :)

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Yeah I’d love to get my hands on the WA47 to compare to my U47. Unfortunately I only had the 47jr available however I still thought this made an interesting comparison putting up their cheapest mic against one of the most revered mics in the world.

[@ukura]

Woah bro you can sing. Niiice

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Haha thanks man! I’ve never been a lead singer, more harmonies and backing vocals so I appreciate this comment.

[@globalgospelmusicvevo421]

47jr sounds good but man the U47 is massive! Big difference between them.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

I agree. Very noticeable in the upper midrange!

U47 by far.

[@sojournerfornow]

Great demo. The Jr sounds like a cheap hyped china mic to me... nothing like a 47

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Thanks man glad you found it useful. And I agree - in isolation the 47jr might sound decent but when you put it side by side with a real 47 the differences are pretty apparent.

[@sojournerfornow]

Your demos are excellent... all meat and no fat. Exactly what users need to know/hear in concise packages. Thanks to you... great resource.@@adamfiascoVEVO

[@BengtSkogvall]

I think the different is really stark. The real 47 is way better than the warm audio 47. Not only sonically, but the voice sounds big with the real 47 and rather small with the warm audio 47

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Totally agree. I think it’s important to remember the price difference though - the WA isn’t a bad mic and is decently built. But a real 47 just sounds stellar and has a way of making a vocal sound big, warm and so well balanced.

[@jsmacks11]

Real 47 seems to cut through the mix better. it seemed to highlight the musical parts of the vocal and the vocal seemed very intelligible. The Warm Audio seemed to have more extreme high presence, but at the same time not cutting through like the 47. Both sounds good though.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Hey, thanks for commenting. Yeah the 47jr is definitely brighter and more present. For my voice it came out a bit harsher and thinner so the real 47 sounded better imo. Especially once it was sat in the mix! However on another singer that extra brightness could really help and sound great.

[@MDHeleniak]

Great voice! IMHO, I think you compressed too much on both mics. -15dB makes the vocal sound too small. Let the vocal breath and be warm w/ -5dB max and use just the LA-2. The 1176 is not right for your voice. The 1176 tends to go harsh and your voice cuts through naturally. Save the 1176 for mellow voice that need that edge to cut through. Thanks for the demo.

[@tommj4365]

The warm audio one sounded like there was something stuck in the singers mouth

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Haha. I found it sounded a bit ‘spitty’… for lack of a better word lol.

[@dkokalanov]

If you sell an original and well-preserved Neumann U47 for 5000 USD please send me a PM.

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

Haha me too - it’s a weird one with the U47 and I wasn’t sure what price tag to put on it. In the end there are many excellent clones that are crazy close sound wise that can be had for this general ballpark figure! Which seemed like a fair price point to go with!

[@anatol1204]

Nowadays the problem are not the mics its somewhere else

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

How do you mean?

[@anatol1204]

@@adamfiascoVEVO Masterpieces where made with sm 58 or sm7b so the mic is not the problem we don t need all that gear we need something else that was but now it's missing it's that "simple".

[@adamfiascoVEVO]

@@anatol1204 sure they have! But if a 58 doesn’t suit a singer then it’s not gonna sound great. Just like a 47 might not be a good match for certain singers too. The best gear or signal chain is the one that sounds best for a particular source.

[@anatol1204]

@@adamfiascoVEVO I know these things very well that's why I insist in what I'm saying.The problem is not the gear but ALSO ITS "the gear" ..too much of it too little in everything else and THAT IS the problem.Our generation mostly imitates it does not inspires or is inspired it just " makes things" and that s all