Is there any new mic you can buy or a kit to build that sounds as good as a vintage U87i?

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Answering to this post.

Mellow Audio has recreated our flavour of the u87i 1979 r16.
Our unit is called the ME-87i and it is available for purchase on our website
www.mellowaudio.com
Sound clips are available at the bottom of the product page.

I was thinking of offering this microphone as a partial kit.
I would include the boards and most all of the electronic components.

The assembler would have the freedom to use their choice of transformer and capsule.
Other components not included...
JFET
Styrene Caps

Bodies can be purchased on Studio 797 and Mic and Mod.
If I do a formal post and get at least 50 interested people, I can order and sell the microphone bodies direct.

Thanks guys.
MA
 
My consecutive-numbered “matched-pair” of 103s bought brand-new when first available, absolutely / without-a-doubt changed sound and relaxed and smoother-out after 10-years of heavy studio use.
 
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Just go ahead n buy 4 Flea mics.Ivan n the lads make the real article n they deserve the money.I was lucky buying mine in 2015.Not one over 3400$.U47,C-12,M49 n their FET47 is brilliant Cheers
 
LincolnBL said:
Just go ahead n buy 4 Flea mics.Ivan n the lads make the real article n they deserve the money.I was lucky buying mine in 2015.Not one over 3400$.U47,C-12,M49 n their FET47 is brilliant Cheers
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Hello- long time lurker here... I'd have to agree with Lincoln here about the top-of-the-line Fleas. There are lots of great-sounding mics to be had, but after using a large variety of vintage LDC mics over the past 35+ years (variety in both types and individual microphones) - the Flea reproductions are the ones that, to my ear/brain at least, sound most like what I would have imagine a "fresh" now-vintage Neumann, AKG or Telefunken to sound. Hopefully they will age as well as the originals.

mp
 
soliloqueen said:
I do wonder how much of the difference, if it is there, is literally due to age. Not due to design differences but just age. I always figured that these vintage models sounded way more like current ones on the day they came out. I've been working on capsule replicas recently and I've been thinking about what could cause the perceived difference in sound between a new and old capsule. Thermal degradation of the diaphragm? Who knows. If it's even there.
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My U87ai modded by Andreas Grosser sounds a lot better than the stock one. My own tests with U87 circuits, lowering the transistor input current, changing and biasing the transistor differently and changing the LPF filter frequency yielded similar results.

Also, Karen Carpenter's recordings from the 70s exhibit the same warmth of the now old U87's and modded modern ones.

I don't think aging is the deciding factor.
 
The transformer is a bottle neck, and the newer circuit exposes that a bit more.

The capsule moving to machined spacers inside seems to have changed the spot the peak is in a little.

I don’t think people should discount the accumulation of these differences and others, including the fact the mics aren’t made at the same facility or using the same machinery.
 
martthie_08 said:
Andreas is no longer with us, time will tell whether his co-workers have the expertise and ears to continue the legacy.. A U87ai is hardly vintage!
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Believe me, they are beyond capable.Just thrilled he was w/us to help make my new favourite mic,Flea Ela M 251 quiet n sexier than any previous attempt.Spot on like the original Telefunken/AKG 251 I did my first album vocals on.Yet quieter.Work of art.Every Flea mic we have is still perfecto.The studio just looks like 1964, all analogue stone/wood/n some soundproofing n the killer vocal booth.All thanks to Craig Calistro, Ivan, Wade Goeke,Pete Modessi, Lundahl, Tube Tech n more kind n generous creme of the vintage gear recreation.My Son n I both left handed players so shout out to Vic at Lefty Guitars Only🙌🎤🎬🎹🥁🎸🎺🎷🎻🤹need a Les Paul emoji Cheers all p.s.my Son Stewart's new album coming to Apple Music n others SOON.real music
 
martthie_08 said:
Andreas is no longer with us, time will tell whether his co-workers have the expertise and ears to continue the legacy.. A U87ai is hardly vintage!
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A true 87 is vintage to me.Neumann certainly doesn't have vintage 87.A cat named Stam had a lovely 87 but changed capsules n the capsule in 88%of the sound.His best used a Heiserman capsule but for some reason they
parted.Think they tried a Tim Campbell 12 in an 87.Top flight 12 but not the right capsule for original 87 sound.We use nearly all Flea mics n the FET47 is dynamite as are 12's,U47's,M49's(I have an old Neumann M249 that we don't need)U48's,n now the unprecedented Ela M 251.We don't use our older 87 really either.Flea in studio n DPA d: facto 4018 n Neumann KMS 105's n 104's w old Shure 57's n 58's Live.All I need is the air that I breathe n Flea
 
that's all quite interesting but staying on topic do you any personal experience whether Andreas' crew can modify current off the shelf u87ai to sound like u87i ? I'm not just making conversation here, genuinely interested to get this done by them as I have a beautiful old 87 and want more but not willing to pay the insane current market price for vintage.
 
In 1973 i have recorded a large church choir with 2x Neumann U87 and a Revox B77 tape machine. The equipment was lent from a german music high school (Folkwangschule Essen). The sound was amazing, very clear mids and decent treble. BUT nowadays: Whenever i play this historic piece of music (now from digital media, copied at the end of last century) i ask myself whether my recognition fails...
That brings me to the conclusion: Nobody can give you the answer regarding historic U87 performance because the recording equipment played a significant role. And i dont believe that the 1973 used U87s have preserved their sound signature for 50 years...
 
Ulli, if I understand correctly you are nowadays not overwhelmed by the sound you thought to be great back in the day?
you have to acknowledge that Neumann made significant changes to the U87 over the years and it is not only a matter of an ageing process.

it is insane to see the asking price for a Klaus Heyne modified U87 on ebay Kleinanzeigen, there are some circuit pictures in there: Klaus Heyne Neumann U87 Ai
 
martthie_08 said:
Ulli, if I understand correctly you are nowadays not overwhelmed by the sound you thought to be great back in the day?
you have to acknowledge that Neumann made significant changes to the U87 over the years and it is not only a matter of an ageing process.

it is insane to see the asking price for a Klaus Heyne modified U87 on ebay Kleinanzeigen, there are some circuit pictures in there: Klaus Heyne Neumann U87 Ai
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Yes, i fully agree. I wanted to point out that it is very difficult to define some stuff "sounding great". And of course all companies try to improve their products over the years...
 
martthie_08 said:
that's all quite interesting but staying on topic do you any personal experience whether Andreas' crew can modify current off the shelf u87ai to sound like u87i ? I'm not just making conversation here, genuinely interested to get this done by them as I have a beautiful old 87 and want more but not willing to pay the insane current market price for vintage.
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Yes, the crew has all the plans and work instructions and continues to produce. Everything is geared towards that. As I've heard, when Andreas retires, there will be a change of ownership anyway, so that he can push ahead with further new developments such as tube amplifiers in peace.
 
Peter Riese Audio Berlin said:
Yes, the crew has all the plans and work instructions and continues to produce. Everything is geared towards that. As I've heard, when Andreas retires, there will be a change of ownership anyway, so that he can push ahead with further new developments such as tube amplifiers in peace.
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Retires? What are you talking about? He passed away last year.
 
My second mic diy build was one of the Dachman 87 kits with Dany's boards. It had 3U capsule and traffo. I compared it against a vintage Neumann 87i that a good friend owns and it was very close, with the dachman having a little edgier high end as others mention, but not far off. I then upgraded it with a real neumann K87 capsule and ami traffo, and compared back again. They were almost indistinguishable, with the only difference that mine had a very nice, extended low end, that I credited it to the AMI traffo. Call me crazy, but I was very happy that I liked my build better than the vintage one because of this.
 
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