I believe it’s mostly the capsule but of course there are other factors too. The slightly microphonic nature of vf14, transformer, headbasket/body resonance etc. A mic is a synergy of parts and sometimes you get…a perfect storm.
I sometimes joke, u47 is just a capsule attached to a helmholz resonator. These effects are very real and prominent.
Haha…maybe. But then again sound is so subjective. I happen to love the 47 sound…first time I heard one, before I even knew what it was, I was starring at the speakers like an idiot. I never ever had this reaction with any other mic. There is something about this “family” of sound that ticks something in me..Or it's just a Storm but after many years of people getting used to it then it becomes a reference
This affirms what I've been thinking for years: In my opinion the VF14 tube in the U47 matters much more than many (engineer/mic-cloning-companies) think or want us to believe.
exactly the same experience here. I remember hearing a recorded vocal track (U47) - I didn't know which mic was used. I sat back in my chair and was like in total awe for half a minute. I can't help it, I just really really like the sound...
No body nails it because u47 is all over the place. Not a rocket science to clone a particular u47, but then you compare it to another one and it sounds way different. The same goes for a lot of other mics. The other issue might be cloning a microphone with failure of some sorts, and replicating that quirk. The originals have been beaten to death and most are out of spec, so should one try to clone a broken mic?
It is a nice, flat circuit, so it seems a (good sounding) CK12 should work great.
I agree, of course all the components and the proper dimensions and quality of them are important but a an original U47 with an inferior capsule (clone or a Neumann K47 with too much high mid) does not sound pleasing. To my ears a great sounding M7 is the most important part. I would love to hear/have one with a vintage CK12.
I'm convinced the U47s of the same revisions had pretty much the same sound when they left the factory.
Early ones with glued M7 and 100% manual machining, pvc production and side matching by measuring capacitance?
Haha, perhaps not them, who knows? I came across an M7 from 1932 serial 29. It had less bass and still had after reskinning so it must have been the backplates. To my eyes it looked the same. Either it was a bad sample or they had improved 20 years later when the U47 was released.
The big national TV and radio broadcasters in Europe together with the major record labels were very important customers back then. They had a lot of influence and they all had their own very skillful engineers. If they received anything picking up RFI, being noisy or out of spec they would send it back immediately. I've heard several stories about Neumann and other companies having to revise a product in very specific ways to satisfy the National radio broadcasters.
Yes true. Even today Neumann capsules aren’t 100% matched..some far from it. Tubes?…rarely 100% either. Still thought, besides the variations, u47s sound like u47s…even the straight conversion with the nuvistor without changing bias. For me the “47” sound is not the fuzzy, warm, whatever low end. It’s about that smooth 3D forward midrange and that’s the area most clones fail to caption accurately. Technically you are right though, I have heard at least five originals and the all sounded a little different
