Vintage Neumann U47 vs. New Telefunken U47 Mic Comparison

[@nickpiscopo5]

woah these are funken expensive

[@alaric7844]

Telefunken expensive

[@nickpiscopo5]

Yeah they are. I actually recommend an AMI Tab Funkenwerk U47 kit if you're really serious. You dont even have to build it someone will build it for you for 2-300 bucks. Food for thought

[@InfamousAWJ]

😭😭😭😭

[@kedavis]

These mics sound similar, but not the same to my ears. The sonic differences to me are the newer one sounds brighter and a little thinner than the original. It's still a good sounding mic though.

[@mike42441]

I totally agree!

[@maryjane6155]

So similar in every way EXCEPT the Telefunken sounds a touch brighter. Could be due to 50 years of wear and tear on the Neumann. I've used a U47 once on a vocal, I was so impressed.

[@JustinBruno-x2d]

The old one sounds so much thicker, richer and just straight up spongeworthy. I will work the rest of my life trying to get one.

[@AaronOwenSmith]

to be fair to the new mic, its placement is more central and the vintage is just above him, which will also soften his voice a bit

[@FlorinBarbu5]

In my experience with placement, the placement just above the mouth sounds brighter, with more sibilance.

[@AaronOwenSmith]

@@FlorinBarbu5 That's not how it works, the brighter sound comes from the roof of the mouth and the darker sound comes from the nose, test it.

[@skolappacaguy]

Both singers were amazing and it was really difficult to tell these mics apart.

[@crislopezshow7887]

Telefunken did a good job matching it. Sounds great.

[@NikoSitaras]

The vintage is darker for better or worse. Both sound incredible

[@chesneytube1]

That may or may not be because of age

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

That is because of its characteristic.

[@Daveinet]

Interestingly I felt just the opposite. I thought the Nuemann had a tiny bit more openness and brightness in the upper mid. Now I got to go back and listen again, just to make sure which one I was hearing which time, especially since I would have expected the opposite.

[@Jjf109nine]

Both sound identical. The vintage sounds vintage. Let the new u47 rest for 50 years and it will sound the same.

[@wilhelmsen54210]

Wow - The Telly does the job very well. It´s a little bit thinner sounding than the original U47 snd the sibilances are a bit more present. It´s a little bit sterile in direct comparison - I love the bottom and the warmth of the original one. But after a usage of compression and filters you won´t hear any difference in the mix. Nice microphone!!!

[@Daveinet]

What is more amazing than anything is the quality of this microphone could not be recorded or reproduced with anything available at the time of its design.

[@diegoambrosio]

With this test, it gets easy to identify the difference between both microphones! It seems as the vintage is less brittle, i.e., brings less high frequencies while maintaining balanced mid-range and low mid-range. The new one seems to bring more definition and clarity with more response on the high frequencies. Perhaps, the vintage one would provide good balance for a gritty-voiced singer. Does anyone know of a MOSFET microphone? I read about the Wunder CM50, but I am not sure and could not find a video of that microphone yet.

[@thepoorpeopleofparis]

Same as the C12, a bit forward accentuating the E vowel in the vocalist. The vintage is slightly woolier which I prefer.

[@TheVintage1935]

Telefunken U47 reissue is an awesome mic!!

[@josephrhodes2896]

Vintage mic has a natural compression. I’ve noticed this in a few great vintage mics. It smooths things out a tiny bit like adding a touch of La-2a. The new one doesn’t have that and the transients are more “spikey”, however this would go away and match pretty well with a touch of a nice compressor. They are very close in tone though. Also as others said… More highs in the new vs vintage. I’d say I could match it perfectly by just small EQ and compression that I’d already be adding anyway. Good job Telefunken!

[@EandVEntertainment]

The difference between these two microphones is only slight. The vintage mic has a saturation thing, maybe a low end thing, going on that gives it a bigger size. The difference may be negligible depending on who you ask, but at 10k should it be? There are companies like Flea who make really accurate clones for less than half the price whose sound is just as negligible. If you're willing for a slightly larger difference between the two mics, but want to stay in the ball park there are microphones by Advanced Audio or Peluso that are in the 1-2k range and will give you much of the flavor for much less money.

[@reekrodriqguez6552]

Elegant & Vintage Entertainment that’s still expensive lol

[@EandVEntertainment]

Reek Rodriqguez, my experience is you get what you pay for. I have videos featuring the FleA 47, SAE48, AA CM48T, and more at my channel. Listen for yourself and make your own judgements.

[@EandVEntertainment]

Reek, at the same time, depending on the music you’re making you may not need something this high end.

[@doraysmith]

But this one has Telefunkens name on it...that has to mean something since they made the real one...

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Naumann U 47 is father and Telfunken is son

[@griploc1981]

Purchased one a few months back. Really digging this Telefunken U47

[@monkeyxx]

I thought this was the closest one. The C12 and 251 deviated too much from the originals, but I thought the clone U47 fared pretty well against an original here.

[@weareallbeingwatched4602]

New one sounds a bit less soggy, crisper and less "veiled".

[@liamhebden8857]

Although that is the character of the vintage... it settles in better

[@SPLMixing]

Mic placement dictates that the new U47 will be picking up more of the highs from the voice than the placement of the original U47, so not really a fair comparison. I'd preferred to see them both as close together as they can be side-to-side.

[@lamachineamixer]

The vintage one has a bit more dynamic around 1k and has a bit less 10k and up, but they are fairly similar...

[@yannisd2816]

Hey mais c'est Etienne Trembley de la Machine à Mixer :D

[@davallclarke1872]

For everyone who also hears the difference. Cover your eyes and see if you can guess which one is playing correctly more than 1 time.

[@FlorinBarbu5]

I did that, opened my eyes when there was something missing. It was the vintage one all the time. Good job, TFunk!

[@rogerio.naressi]

Dear God. Nick D' Virgillio is so talented! Sweetwater, you're so lucky to have him!

[@griploc1981]

Sonically identical to my ears, gonna have to listen in my PMCs later to really tell!

[@alexmagor]

Vintage has this soft pillowy feel that just makes the vocal sit right. The Telefunken sounds sharp and thin by comparison. I wonder if they made any changes to the mic since this video.

[@dwilson4500]

The Neumann sounds just a wee thicker and wider to me with the male vocal. With the female vocal it seemed liked the gains didn't match up, the Telefunken was lower in volume. Could have just been the Mic placement.

[@macschomo]

Kat Bowser has a great voice!!!

[@Jlhendry1]

Nick! Cool lyrics&melody, it has a little bit of Kevin flavor to it. Beautiful song man!

[@Xx_Eric_was_Here_xX]

i can hear it.. the new one has that slight accentuated midtone.. the vintage one smooths it out nicely

[@poldolino]

Both are very good singers !

[@beyondthegong]

Great re-issue! I wonder if a new one of these, coupled with one of the Thiersch transducers would mellow it out to be a little closer to the vintage U47? Has anyone tried this?

[@finetoneaudio6197]

great idea!

[@liamhebden8857]

When it comes to the sound straight from them the vintage one is a little more settled in and has a little more feeling... that being said, there's not much difference, and the outboard gear and them mixing process with other gear will see the same result and then also a little bit more control with the newer one

[@NoOffensePies]

my opinion... they're close enough that you can cut between them mid sentence and you can't tell unless I tell you.

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Neaumann u47 vintage sounds great.

[@peterpulpitpounder]

I've been watching a lot of mic review videos on KZbin lately, and, um, can someone explain or elaborate on what you actually get out of an 8,000 dollar microphone, that you can't get out of a 1,000 dollar model, or even something in the $500 dollar range? At what point are you not actually getting better sound? At what price point is there no longer sound quality differences?

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Microphone should sound balanced at low, mid and high end. It should sound fuller with no crunch at any end. It should sound naturally.

[@poppygloria7697]

You'll love it

[@skraegorn7317]

It’s a way of life

[@mehdysantana]

with leather?

[@gravityfreaksmusic]

We have them both in the studio and I work with them a lot. Both are fantastic and will give you world class results. More important than the mic itself, is wether it matches with the singer's voice. If it doesn't, use another mic.

[@EM-km8em]

Whats the closest thing to it as a cheaper alternative that still have that Neumann thick quality? U87 ?

[@gravityfreaksmusic]

@@EM-km8em Check out the Vox-o-rama Typ 47. It just won a shootout against the real thing in a session where I would've put my money on the OG 47. It's just really good.

[@mARCpUIGmUSIC]

very difficult to notice differences changing so fast from one to another

[@FidelinVlogs]

It's the same sound for both, just that the Telefunken is more expensive. I would buy the Neumann.

[@ondemandgang]

Ok so im i going to be the only one to say that first song was some real shit!!! I listen to the lyrics and its pretty damn good... pretty cold 🥶

[@monkeyxx]

Why didn't they put the mics side by side, parallel to the ground? To minimize mouth/nose distance issues? Might make some difference in the comparisons. I guess there is no good way to do it.

[@erpu5645]

New is a little bit different on high notes but that can be because of different mic placement. Old is also more sophisticated and dull

[@jameswest6410]

I have a hard time believing anyone can actually hear ANY difference between these two mics.

[@Doug_Diego_Cazadores_Cassidy]

What? You cant hear the diff in 'air' 'body' and 'vibe'?

[@gregoireartiste8080]

There's a slight difference. Just read the comments they are accurate.

[@jvonnjvonn4688]

James West same thing I was thinking🤔

[@berobujanovi4331]

They are snake oil salesmans

[@Madrrrrrrrrrrr]

The vintage one softens the sound much more. The new one is more sharp sounding. But you better first hear a vintage one in an almost perfect setting. Like a piano from a distance in an acoustic treaded recording room. Nothing beats a vintage u47!

[@theatifband]

I think Neumann is more natural with low end presence. I have recorded on Tele but honestly in the age of hard drive recordings- I prefer Neumann. And the best sounding to me is TLM 103- as natural as it can get. U87 is amazing too but has more on the hi-end presence.

[@theatifband]

Sorry they are near identical. They were singing high and low parts at random times.

[@EM-km8em]

Bro i been recording on the TlM103 but it sounds kinda thin and harsh is it just me ? I even get thicker warmer tones with my sm7b just not as present as the TlM103

[@lucapolizzi7091]

@@EM-km8em agreed,

[@nedlawless]

Both great pizzas, but I like the first pizza more. The cheese was more three dimensional and the sauce had a slightly sunnier taste to the tomatoes. The salt in the second pizza was obviously mined salt, whereas I prefer the cleaner taste of sal de mar in the first pizza.

[@TheTherapert]

Great comparison, fantastic singers....🤌 Tele is a little bit brighter, minimal sharper. Not 100 percent original. But also excellent. More modern my opinion. Original 47 has a little bit the "ready" vibe

[@RobertMatlock]

Probably the recording or another factor at play (honestly don't hear that on my end). The vintage U47 is actually the brighter one when comparing frequency response tests, most likely due to the original M7 which is brighter than the new K47 in itself.

[@daijones101]

They are eyewateringly expensive

[@modelcitizen1977]

The 50 mic shootout they did proved that a $100 microphone can sound just as good as a $5000 Manley Gold. Literally any decent condenser microphone gets it done. U47's are just for show because people expect to see them in a reputable studio. I've used them, they aren't special. Just expensive.

[@EandVEntertainment]

Andrew Elias it really just depends on the voice.

[@modelcitizen1977]

Take a $200 AKG Perception 200 mic and a $3000 U87 and put them both in a full mix, and I'll give you $20 if you can consistently tell the difference. You can split hairs all you want and say "Well, you really have to have XXX to hear the difference" or "With the right vocalist, it makes all the difference in the world.", but the proof is in the pudding. The mix doesn't lie, and I have yet to meet a vocalist sound that radically different between two microphones that a 3db bump in EQ somewhere along the curve couldn't fix it.

[@samuelfleisher]

Andrew Elias use a 2 p200s as stereo drum overheads. Then switch them with top of the line DPA, Neumann, blue etc mics. They will sound completely different.

[@EandVEntertainment]

As I said before it's really vocal dependent. I record a lot of old school crooner style vocals and operatic vocals. Big warm voices they get thinned out with cheaper/bright mics, EQ or not. That's not to say that you can't get good results with the cheaper mics, but many can be harsh up top and you have to EQ the hell out of it. The more expensive mics are more even more particular. I personally don't sound best on a U47. I sound better on an M49 or a U67. I have a kind of voice that sounds good on most mics, but you can still hear a difference. When you match a mic with a voice properly you won't need the EQ. I'm very big on that method of working. It's very Al Schmitt.

[@dominiquefillon_yt]

actualité i do hear the differences. On the vintage the low mid are a bit louder and nicer, warmer, so the telefunkun seems to have more high but a bit too shiny.

[@skunkproductionsMLA]

NICK DI VIRGILIO SINGS? I always thought he was just an awesome drummer!

[@miniatureface]

The only difference I hear is a very subtle boosted harshness in the Telefunken’s higher frequencies

[@JoePetoti]

When Kat was singing the microphones looked to me exactly the opposite to when Nick was singing, like they were labeled incorrectly on the second part.

[@user-ys5ti3bd5v]

same here...?!

[@eranswisa]

Vintage sound warmer with full budy and more bottom and bsse respond. New one similar in the overall charecture but was sound shalow with new sound and no base and way less warmer. Funny but Vintage win all new technology of today

[@johnnymassacre]

Didn’t say what tube was in the vintage 😑

[@mike42441]

If it was the original tube it was likely a VF14 M

[@TheBIGKill123]

heya, i recently got a uher m534 microhpone from the 70s for 2,50 at a thrift store. as far as i know the capsule of it is made by AKG. can you tell me something more about that mic? :)

[@MariJu1ce]

wierd low sub sound every 5 seconds or so under the track =/

[@SufyMusic]

why is one closer to nose and one closer to the chest?

[@lovedotmusicproduction4727]

Nice review. I have a u47 mic and i experience a problem with how to connect to my computer like other mics, please kindly assist▪︎thank you

[@mdelonghi406]

Which u47? You mean Neumann u47 tube? The cable goes from the mic to the powersuply and from the powersuply din mini Tuchel to xlr that goes into a preamp. Preamp out to your computer.

[@ccmdav]

When it comes to any vintage microphone vs a reissue, there can't really be a fair comparison... even two vintage U47s against each other will sound slightly different. That being said, the differences between the reissue and the original are effectively insignificant... no average listener could tell the difference to save their lives - or would even care for that matter. It is so important to keep that in mind when we're talking about the thousands of dollars that separate these two microphones from each other, let alone from many other great microphones that cost a third (or less) of what these do.

[@poolwizard3856]

NICE COMPARISON new mic is more balanced in the mid but wow the original is still adictive

[@riktascale4]

The air (top end)on the N U 47 is nicer. T 47 darker more low mids.

[@esotericaudiophile3884]

This really helps! I have a new mic invention and needed to see the differences between these two mics. Seems that with my invention, I can transform a "less expensive mic" to sound like these wonderful mics. I can change the freq response naturally and other values, even with no preamp. Thanks for these comparisons, appreciate it!

[@mageprostudios4334]

Slate and Townsend Labs did that years ago.

[@woksrandomchannel]

Holy jumping Zeus, I will need to mortgage my house to get one of these babies.

[@phellylandveld9548]

Is it me or does the Telefunken seem to pick up more high end but also boosts some of the nasally, boxy frequencies?

[@okouiyes]

Can we hear without the instrumental to listen carefully with all the frequency ?

[@bita_smietana1517]

The vintage u47 is the smoothest microphone ever made.

[@gg00777]

I have a very old Georg Neumann & Co Berlin SO 16 microphone. Im just wondering if its valuable. It also has the Telefunken logo on it. Feedback would be nice. I just posted a vid to my page.

[@abc-ni9uw]

No

[@Nana-dn9dm]

Uhh hard to decipher but the vintage sounds slightly better

[@ericdreizen1463]

I called up my favorite singer, Horatio DeHoopalahhh, to come down & test it! So he came over, took a look at it, heh heh heh, AND SAID "YAAAA, EES EINE GOOOOOOOD MIC!" LOL! HA HA HA HA!!!!!

[@jostonsmith]

Can I please be the singer on these next time?!

[@PoblanoTexano]

Advertising his friend's singing ability more than the mic.

[@andreabrantes]

spocks beard!

[@xaviersimmons6698]

Guys, PLEASE get a skilled vocalist to demo these gorgeous mics. You are doing a disservice.

[@roberthunt1540]

KZbin is not where one should turn to honestly compare microphones. The very best way is to have them in your own studio, which prob. is not gonna happen. Next best is to visit a studio or sales floor that has these mics.

[@48mastadon]

Neumann are still making mics so why do they allow Telefunken to make a copy of their most famous mic? Furthermore, why doesn't Neumann make it's own copy of the classic? Are these two companies related to each other? Their brand logos look similar and I believe that they are both German.

[@phuzbrain]

the vintage 47 is warmer but less high end.

[@metalvideos1961]

haha i think the new one is more warmer. the vintage one is more clearer though. you can hear the compression of the new one in the mic. if that makes any sense at all.

[@eIektrinis]

why not do response curves? Would that be not enough?

[@joelthurner3682]

coz u lisn wif ur eerz not ya eyez

[@lemonderangello]

why aren't any of these singers in these vintage mic shootouts belting out vocals? like the 50s-60s rockers/rnb? i wanna hear the overdriven quality of the tubes with a wailing/rocking voice. not clean.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

I can't tell a difference, but...it's a limited sample size. It's unclear to me, as well, that the vocal performances are exactly as they came through the microphone output and haven't been compressed or subjected to any other studio sweetening. Also, I would have preferred not to have accompaniment. Just give me the raw unprocessed vocals.

[@agastyasharma2635]

umm is there a difference?

[@rushmuzik]

Too close for the naked ear to call. You could have this type of variation within the same model. Close enough

[@wentakura]

The Vintage U47 sounds more balanced and doesn't have these hard transients the new Telefunken U47 produces.

[@Jjf109nine]

It’s more articulate

[@TheSteveBoyd]

Man, the new one really can't compare! It certainly doesn't come close enough to justify the price tag, especially on the male vocal.

[@westelaudio943]

The price tag won't ever be justified, no matter what. Nonetheless, they did a really good job recreating it, the differences are really subtle and might come down to age and placement differences.

[@TheSteveBoyd]

@@westelaudio943 The new version sounds nice, don't get me wrong. But it just doesn't sit in the mix the way a real Neumann U47 does. There was some accidental magic involved with the VF14M tubes that apparently can't be duplicated. The difference is like putting a Corvette up against a Lamborghini - both are great, but they're still not really in the same class. The modern U47 sounds closer to my Telefunken AK-47, at least to my ears. I don't think I'd pay 4.5x as much for it, unless it was as a shiny object to get people in the front door of a recording studio.

[@cobbomusic]

in Swedish, telephone is called telefon. So my parents call it telefunk

[@abc-ni9uw]

Vintage sounds better

[@metalvideos1961]

yeah sounds is more clearer. although the new one got a more warmer sound. personally i like the new one more.

[@lindseyhansen656]

Hey I never understand these videos how can we hear what the microphone sound like if y'all have a camera in the booth picking up the sound straight from her mouth shouldn't we be listen thru the speakers on the other side of the sound proof booth to hear the sound quality just saying

[@ghawk78]

The sound from the camera is muted. The sound that you hear is from a mix off the DAW.

[@marcospeedo5412]

The worst thing is that, there has been no more Frank Sinatra class singer in the vocal booth.

[@StephenTallon]

The mids are more pronounced in the vintage

[@riggityraff]

not gonna lie they sound EXACTLY the same

[@DavidLineman]

So is this the correct vocal styling to properly compare this mic - which was best used by Sinatra and Morrison?

[@Liftedtrucks909]

Vintage is the best mic

[@edmund114]

American Standard would ideal for comparison

[@wed2w]

Thats just fking hype😅

[@jameswallace5967]

I heard a shootout between a vintage Neumann U 47 and a Rode NT-1 ...I was not able to tell one from the other. The same is true with these two...I'm using AKG K240 (made in Austria) headphones.

[@richardharmon9596]

Wow I cannot hear the difference . Awesome mics

[@cajonaconaquetebotou]

Close your eyes and try to guess the difference.

[@unclejj13er75]

One sounds expensive. The other sounds even more expensive!!

[@AdamJBrass]

closer, but still not getting it,

[@urbanhellhole]

Getting those Kevin Gilbert vibes.

[@Agm1995gamer]

It's like the original has a built in compressor in it.

[@awedee.0]

neumann👍🏽