Quote:
Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars
I also feel that way about transformers...
I call it ...Meat - weight - heft. Transformered equipment actually sound more natural to me than most transformerless equipment. I am sure most would argue to the contrary, saying just the opposite. But for myself...I think transformer adds an evenness that translates into a natural reality. Maybe that is because I grew up listening to records made with transformer gear. Or maybe because it really does give you that something that equates into naturalness. Be it in Microphones or Preamps on every shootout, I seem to like Transformered equipment.
Yes, I have heard countless people claim that the TLM67 is a great mic. A desert Island mic. I have actually come close to buying one in the past as price wise it is certainly most reasonable when compared to others in the Neumann line. While I have always loved so many Neumann Classics (u87, u47, 49, KM84), Oddly, I have never been a fan of the Tube 67 for voice. For acoustic guitar...I love it...but for voice I hear a distortion that just is not pleasing to my ear most of the time.
The other microphone that breaks the mold in transformerless microphones is Schoeps. If I did not already know, I would swear Schoeps used a transformer. Love my Schoeps.
I have never tested a TLM67. So please tell me how is it different from the U67? While claims are made that it is similar, I know it must be different. Maybe it does not have the same type of distortion that I dislike?
* Please tell me your opinion of how the TLM67 is different from its Tube father.
Here is what Neumann has to say.
"Inspired by the U 67, which defined the sound of the 1960s, the TLM 67 perfectly captures the retro sound of the original. Through innovative FET circuitry, the TLM 67 is able to create authentic analog tube sounds with stunning realism. Equipped with the the classic K 67 capsule (also used in the U 67 and U 87 A microphones), the TLM 67 delivers the same nearly-linear frequency response of the U 67".
AUTHENTIC ANALOG SOUNDS
"Instead of using clunky electron tubes like the original U 67, the TLM 67’s head amplifier uses reliable transformerless solid state technology with a special sound design that closely reproduces the sonics of tube circuits. At high SPLS, the TLM 67 will intentionally produce soft saturation to simulate the THD of vintage tube mics."
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To my ears, the TLM67 reminds me more of a U87i (original version with the smoother response) than a U67. Honestly, having tested one next to the current generation U87Ai, it’s like a smoother, less hyped version.
I don’t really hear that tube wooliness.
I, like many, wrote off all the TLM mics as too bright, too thin. Had it not been for a session with John Patitucci, who brought his TLM67, handed it to me & said “I only use this mic on my bass” (it was his upright), I would have never experienced it & realized that it may very well be Neumann’s best current model.
Funny enough, I did FOH for him a a couple weeks ago at a local show & he was experimenting with a DPA (and we used the TLM67 on his wife’s ‘cello).