Vintage Sound with Modern Muscle
With digital recording and ultra-clean processing, many engineers find themselves looking for tube microphones to reinstate a more “analogue” sound character. The Neumann M 147 is a tube microphone specially designed for 21st century recording chains. Its acoustic design is inspired by the legendary U 47, which revolutionized studio recording in the 1950s with its superior sound quality and is still used daily in top studios around the world. The head amplifier of the M 147 combines classic tube circuitry with an advanced solid state output stage for vintage sound with a modern punch.
The headgrille of the M 147 is more than a visual statement: It is a slightly more compact version of the iconic U 47 capsule head, partly responsible for its legendary sound. Even more importantly, it shares the same sound transducer, the classic K 47 large diaphragm condenser capsule, known for its exceptional combination of warmth and presence. The capsule signal is amplified by a classic tube circuit using a specially selected subminiature triode. While vintage microphones relied on large and expensive audio transformers for the final impedance conversion, the M 147 uses a state-of-the-art transformerless solid state output stage, which allows for long cable runs up to 300 m without transmission losses and ensures a very direct sound with unrestricted bass response.
Applications
The M 147’s unique sound character with unsurpassed presence and a distinctive midrange focus is ideally suited for vocals, both male and female, as well as speech applications such as voice-over and film dubbing. The M 147 is also an excellent spot mic for any solo instruments. Unlike many other tube microphones, the M 147 can be used for quiet sources, due to its exceptionally low self-noise of only 12 dB-A. Although its max SPL figure of 114 dB appears low, the M 147 works well with louder sources, too, as distortion rises very slowly to 5% THD for 134 dB SPL. This behavior is intentional: The M 147 creates a sense of elevated loudness by means soft saturation – just like in the days of analog recording.
- Same K47 capsule design as the legendary Neumann U 47
- Cardioid pattern
- Classic sound with unmatched presence
- Tube circuit with extremely low self-noise
- Transformerless output stage
- Comes with power supply
| Acoustical operating principle | Pressure gradient transducer |
| Directional Pattern | Cardioid |
| Frequency Range | 20 Hz ... 20 kHz |
| Sensitivity at 1 kHz into 1 kohm | 20 mV/Pa |
| Rated Impedance | 50 ohms |
| Rated load impedance | 1 kohms |
| Equivalent noise level, CCIR 1 | 24 dB |
| Equivalent noise level, A-weighted 2 | 12 dB-A |
| Typical SPL (tube characteristic) for K<0.5% 3 | 114 dB |
| Typical SPL (tube characteristic) for K<5% 4 | 134 dB |
| Signal-to-noise ratio, CCIR (re. 94 dB SPL) 5 | 70 dB |
| Signal-to-noise ratio, A-weighted (re. 94 dB SPL) 6 | 82 dB |
| Maximum output voltage | 8 dBu |
| Dynamic range of the amplifier, DIN/IEC 651, for THD < 0.5% 7 | 102 dB |
| Dynamic range of the amplifier, DIN/IEC 651, for THD < 5% 8 | 122 dB |
| Power supply | N 149 A |
| Matching connector | Microphone: DIN 8 F, Power Supply: XLR 3 F |
| Weight | 460 g |
| Diameter | 57 mm |
| Length | 142 mm |
Diagrams
Cardioid M 147 Tube
