[alohachris]

Aloha jim1960,

Howzit?

I couldn't stand the U87ai when I first tried it. Hard edge in the upper mid's that made it difficult to mix without ear fatigue setting in - even on great monitors.

It took awhile, but I managed to track down an almost mint pair of 1972 U87's. I just loved those, for vocals or instruments, anything really. They sounded so natural & so balanced w/o ear fatigue. It almost broke my heart to part with them when I did the big purge about four years ago - had 'em about 15 years. There is a huge difference between the original U87 & the ai series. Just as I'm sure that this new SA87 is not even close to either of the original 87's.

If the marketing strategy doesn't work, then why do manufacturers who model their clones after classics still use the original product numbers in their descriptions? Answer: To sell more product, even though it's borderline copy infringement. So it's a good reminder to NEVER take any new clone manufacturer's claims as fact. And to always audition mic's at home.

A Hui Hou!

alohachris