Neumann K47 vs. MJE-K47 Capsule Audio

[Michael_Joly]

A client recently sent me his Lawson mic equipped with an early 1960's Neumann K47 capsule. I was eager to run some tests and compare it to my own MJE-K47 capsule. The audio results confirm the anechoic chamber plots of the MJE-K47 - its a drop in replacement for an original K47 capsule.

SOUND FILE: Neumann K47 Acoustic Guitar
SOUND FILE: Neumann K47 Spoken word: "She Sells..."
SOUND FILE: MJE-K47 Acoustic Guitar
SOUND FILE: MJE-K47 Spoken word: "She Sells..."

Each capsule was installed in a modified Nady SCM-800 mic that uses a Schoeps-type, flat-response, transformerless circuit with my usual premium electronics upgrades. Mics positioned horizontally, headbaskets touching. Simultaneous, single take, 32 bit floating point 96K .wav recordings (use the free "Audacity" program to listen or professional DAW).

[Brad McGowan]

Wow--these two capsules sound completely different. The MJE version seems to really lack the coloration that the Neumann has. It seems to have a cleaner, and more detailed top for sure...more extension in both directions. The Neumann has more coloration especially in the lower mids which seems to flatter the "woodiness" of the acoustic guitar better. The MJE, on the other hand, seems to enhance some of the boominess in the bottom end of the guitar, but presents the pick attack better.

On vocals the Neumann sounds very deep and warm in that classic kind of way with a very strong lower mid presence. The MJE seems to have more air up top but sounds a little congested in the mids...like the singer has a cold. It's like the lower mid presence has shifted up an octave.

In some regards one could conclude that the MJE capsule has some sonic enhancements over the vintage K47. By the same token it's the things the MJE lacks that makes the Neumann special in its own right. I guess I have a better appreciation for the Neumann K47 now.

Thanks for sharing Michael.

Brad

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

Wow--these two capsules sound completely different. The MJE version seems to really lack the coloration that the Neumann has. It seems to have a cleaner, and more detailed top for sure...more extension in both directions. The Neumann has more coloration especially in the lower mids which seems to flatter the "woodiness" of the acoustic guitar better. The MJE, on the other hand, seems to enhance some of the boominess in the bottom end of the guitar, but presents the pick attack better.

On vocals the Neumann sounds very deep and warm in that classic kind of way with a very strong lower mid presence. The MJE seems to have more air up top but sounds a little congested in the mids...like the singer has a cold. It's like the lower mid presence has shifted up an octave.

In some regards one could conclude that the MJE capsule has some sonic enhancements over the vintage K47. By the same token it's the things the MJE lacks that makes the Neumann special in its own right. I guess I have a better appreciation for the Neumann K47 now.

Thanks for sharing Michael.

Brad

Hey Brad, thanks for listening and for the detailed notes - I appreciate your time and ears! Perhaps you're hearing the difference between a contemporary, CNC manufactured K47 copy and an aged, hand-machined original K47.

Its often said that U 47 mics have individual personalities - in part owing to the minor variances that occur in capsule manufacturing and ageing. I've got a production run of MJE-K47 capsules on hand and individual anechoic chamber frequency response plots for all of them - they are all practically identical. In fact, the front / back response variation of the dual active diaphragm capsule is typically less than +/- 0.5 dB. So any two MJE-K47 capsules are going to sound pretty much the same.

But comparing any random MJE-K47 against a Neumann K47 is bound to reveal some differences.

I've got an MXL V69 with MJE-K47 down in NYC at Clinton Recording where they have a monster mic locker chock full of M7 and K47 equipped mics. Michael Veccio, an engineer who works there and writes for The Deli Magazine is putting my modified V69 through some tests against some classic mics and will be writing a series of articles for The Deli. So there will be some more audio coming.

[Piedpiper]

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

Wow--these two capsules sound completely different. The MJE version seems to really lack the coloration that the Neumann has. It seems to have a cleaner, and more detailed top for sure...more extension in both directions. The Neumann has more coloration especially in the lower mids which seems to flatter the "woodiness" of the acoustic guitar better. The MJE, on the other hand, seems to enhance some of the boominess in the bottom end of the guitar, but presents the pick attack better.

On vocals the Neumann sounds very deep and warm in that classic kind of way with a very strong lower mid presence. The MJE seems to have more air up top but sounds a little congested in the mids...like the singer has a cold. It's like the lower mid presence has shifted up an octave.

In some regards one could conclude that the MJE capsule has some sonic enhancements over the vintage K47. By the same token it's the things the MJE lacks that makes the Neumann special in its own right. I guess I have a better appreciation for the Neumann K47 now.

Thanks for sharing Michael.

Brad

I find the Neumann to be brighter as well as having more air. I also hear it as being more transparent and less colored. In comparison, the MJE is more opaque, closed in and boomy. Not bad at all for the price though.

Any idea, Michael, what causes these differences? How accurate a copy of the Neumann is yours, would you say?

[Brad McGowan]

Are you sure you didn't mix up the two clips when you listened? The MJE is definitely brighter and clearer.

Michael - I look forward to reading those articles in the The Deli. Have you found any particular mic yet that seems to really pair well with the MJE capsule? Is the MXL V69 a transformer coupled mic? I'd be curious to hear what the capsule sounds like in a circuit with a transformer.

Brad

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by Piedpiper

I find the Neumann to be brighter as well as having more air. I also hear it as being more transparent and less colored. In comparison, the MJE is more opaque, closed in and boomy. Not bad at all for the price though.

Any idea, Michael, what causes these differences? How accurate a copy of the Neumann is yours, would you say?

I think Brad's right and you may have reversed your listening notes. On the noise spectrum tests I ran there's about 3dB more energy in the MJE-K47 in the octave around 5kHz compared to that particular Neumann K47. The owner of the Neumann K47 capsule is not entirely happy with it and will be evaluting my capsule in his mic. But I believe the MJE-K47 is within +/- 1.5 dB of the typical curve of a Neumann K47 across the spectrum.

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

...Have you found any particular mic yet that seems to really pair well with the MJE capsule? Is the MXL V69 a transformer coupled mic? I'd be curious to hear what the capsule sounds like in a circuit with a transformer.

Brad

I've been putting the MJE-K47 into a good number of CAD GXL3000 - a three pattern, FET / transformer-coupled mic available for $120. This mic is really quite decent once the gain staging problems are cleared up. I've also done a few MXL V69ME mics but not the XM, transformer-coupled version.

[Piedpiper]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

I think Brad's right and you may have reversed your listening notes. On the noise spectrum tests I ran there's about 3dB more energy in the MJE-K47 in the octave around 5kHz compared to that particular Neumann K47. The owner of the Neumann K47 capsule is not entirely happy with it and will be evaluting my capsule in his mic. But I believe the MJE-K47 is within +/- 1.5 dB of the typical curve of a Neumann K47 across the spectrum.

I didn't reverse them but what I'm hearing is more like above 12k. That's what I call air, and the Neumann has much more of it especially evident on the guitar track. I agree about the 5k area, but that's offset for me by the lack of air I'm hearing, and the opaque midrange and boominess that Brad and I seem to agree on.

[Brad McGowan]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

I've been putting the MJE-K47 into a good number of CAD GXL3000 - a three pattern, FET / transformer-coupled mic available for $120. This mic is really quite decent once the gain staging problems are cleared up. I've also done a few MXL V69ME mics but not the XM, transformer-coupled version.

Sounds interesting. I think if you could find a tube mic that has a headgrill and body with the classic U47 shape and then work in The Cinemag CM-2461NiCo transformer...that would be a mic I'd want to hear. Any ideas?

Brad

[Michael_Joly]

At this moment in time I not too interested in being in the U 47 tribute mic business. I find the U 47's three-layer headbasket to be quite colored sounding due to the internal reflections. In the Neumann line, I'm more of a U 49 kinda guy.

I actually like an MJE-K47 capsule installed in a commonly found U 67 / 87 headbasket which has been converted to a single layer. The mics I used for these tests are Nady SCM-800s which, in their stock form, have a three-layer U 67 / 87 shaped headbasket. I converted these to a single layer and reshaped the wire mesh to emulate the Oktava MK-219 form - the dimensions and shape of this headbasket produce what I find to be a very nice upper bass / nice lower midrange presence while still keeping the upper midrange and top end uncolored.

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by Piedpiper

I didn't reverse them but what I'm hearing is more like above 12k. That's what I call air, and the Neumann has much more of it especially evident on the guitar track. I agree about the 5k area, but that's offset for me by the lack of air I'm hearing, and the opaque midrange and boominess that Brad and I seem to agree on.

Good ears Piedpiper! I just analyzed the two guitar tracks you based your comment on - their spectral responses are shown below. I believe the difference in 12kHz air is attributable to position differences between the guitar and mic 1 / mic 2 in the short wavelength range.

I say this because the owner of this early '60's brass ring Neumann K47 capsule under test finds it to have less air than the Lawson 47-type capsule he also owns. Both the Lawson and my own MJE-K47 are 3 micron diaphragm capsules in contrast to the Neumann K47 which is a 7 micron capsule. All things being equal, 3 micron diaphragm capsules will have more extended HF response*. In a different test, using pink noise at my bench I verified 6dB greater output at 18kHz in the MJE-K47 compared to the Neumann K47. So the fact the Neumann K47 presents more air in the acoustic guitar tracks here suggests source / mic positioning differences between the tracks and not more extended HF in the Neumann K47.

I'd love to get a hold of 100 Neumann K47 frequency response plots to compare to the 100 MJE-K47 plots I've got. But since that is not going to happen I've got to content myself with the knowledge that my MJE-K47 capsule is dimensionally right on target and the CNC manufacturing provides exceptionally consistent audio response that is well within the range of variation expected to be found in any vintage K47 capsule.

* Stephen Paul said the following about his 3 micron K47 modification: "...the U47 shown has been modified with a 3-micron diaphragm. As a result, the extreme high frequencies above 15 kHz are supported, unlike the 7-micron stock model where response falls rapidly above this point."

[Piedpiper]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

Good ears Piedpiper! I just analyzed the two guitar tracks you based your comment on - their spectral responses are shown below. I think the difference in the 12kHz air is attributable to source / mic position differences in the short wavelength / high frequencies.

I say this because the owner of this early '60's brass ring Neumann K47 capsule under test finds it to have less air than the Lawson 47-type capsule he also owns. Both the Lawson and my own MJE-K47 are 3 micron diaphragm capsules in contrast to the Neumann K47 which is a 6 micron capsule.

All things being equal, 3 micron diaphragm capsules will have a more extended HF response. In a different test, using pink noise at my bench I verified 6dB greater output at 18kHz in the MJE-K47 compared to the Neumann K47.

I'd love to get a hold off 100 Neumann K47 frequency response plots to compare to the 100 MJE-K47 plots I've got. But since that is not going to happen I've got to content myself with the knowledge that my MJE-K47 capsule is right on target - it is well within the range of variation that can be expected be found in any vintage K47 capsule.

Thanks for the compliment but, if I'm reading the plot correctly, it doesn't look like it corroborates my description very well. It looks like the Neumann is hotter from 3.5k to 9k where the MJE takes over above 10k, with the MJE being a bit hotter from 800 down to 150. Perhaps that describes the boominess but it looks like the MJE should have more "air" though the Neumann is brighter in the body of the highs. This doesn't speak to the opaqueness I'm hearing and I still prefer the 47.

I do love the M49 and prefer it in general to the 47, so I'm with you there. I've heard some who have issues with using 3 micron diaphragms, sighting lack of clarity in the bass, I believe. Do you think that's what we're hearing here? I like the idea of the top end responsiveness though. Do you mind divulging what you find when you compare your capsules to Peluso's?

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by Piedpiper

Thanks for the compliment but, if I'm reading the plot correctly, it doesn't look like it corroborates my description very well. It looks like the Neumann is hotter from 3.5k to 9k where the MJE takes over above 10k, with the MJE being a bit hotter from 800 down to 150. Perhaps that describes the boominess but it looks like the MJE should have more "air" though the Neumann is brighter in the body of the highs. This doesn't speak to the opaqueness I'm hearing and I still prefer the 47.

I do love the M49 and prefer it in general to the 47, so I'm with you there. I've heard some who have issues with using 3 micron diaphragms, sighting lack of clarity in the bass, I believe. Do you think that's what we're hearing here? I like the idea of the top end responsiveness though. Do you mind divulging what you find when you compare your capsules to Peluso's?

Doh! Good thing you're look'n over my shoulder. I had mislabeled the plot! I have now corrected the .jpg image above and the blue line is now the MJE-47 and the purple line is the Neumann K47 (with more 12kHz air shown and thus correlating with your subjective impression).

re: 3 micron capsules and bass - I don't have an answer at this time. The ear can hear this sort of thing, but a long term spectral response doesn't really show it accurately. I'd have to set up a different test using bass band-limited noise pulses and tone bursts to evaluate the time domain performance of 3 micron and 7 micron K47-type capsules in the bass region. But again its worth noting we're comparing one particular 45 year old Neumann K47 (with some age-induced variation from its original response) to a new MJE-K47 which varies by no more than 1.5dB across the audio band from any other MJE-K47.

re: MJE-K47 vs. Peluso P-K47 - While the Peluso P-K47 is a very good capsule I believe its diaphragm resonant frequency is somewhat higher than my MJE-K47. This gives the P-K47 a lighter feel while the MJE-K47 is a bit more robust in the lower midrange.

As I noted in response to Brads question, I don't see myself being in the U 47 tribute business - so my primary concern is not cloning the K47 capsule. But the single backplate K47 dimensions, along with its through and blind hold specs creates a wonderfully low phase shift large diaphragm sound. An icon of sound worth emulating. So I'm on a quest to replace every excessively bright K67-type capsule driving a flat response circuit found in low cost mics. The MJE-K47 capsule is much more appropriate and better sounding for the circuit found in these mics.

[Brad McGowan]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

At this moment in time I not too interested in being in the U 47 tribute mic business. I find the U 47's three-layer headbasket to be quite colored sounding due to the internal reflections. In the Neumann line, I'm more of a U 49 kinda guy.

I actually like an MJE-K47 capsule installed in a commonly found U 67 / 87 headbasket which has been converted to a single layer. The mics I used for these tests are Nady SCM-800s which, in their stock form, have a three-layer U 67 / 87 shaped headbasket. I converted these to a single layer and reshaped the wire mesh to emulate the Oktava MK-219 form - the dimensions and shape of this headbasket produce what I find to be a very nice upper bass / nice lower midrange presence while still keeping the upper midrange and top end uncolored.

I can definitely appreciate the desire to want to do something different from everyone else. Even if you aren't out to clone the U47 per se, it still would be cool to hear that capsule paired with a decent tube circuit. In general I find myself drawn to the tube amplifiers on most sources for the music I record. Are you equipped to mod any tube mics with the MJE capsules? Do you have any clips of the CAD GXL3000? If you need some feel free to send me a mic to review.

Brad

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

I can definitely appreciate the desire to want to do something different from everyone else. Even if you aren't out to clone the U47 per se, it still would be cool to hear that capsule paired with a decent tube circuit. In general I find myself drawn to the tube amplifiers on most sources for the music I record. Are you equipped to mod any tube mics with the MJE capsules? Do you have any clips of the CAD GXL3000? If you need some feel free to send me a mic to review.

Brad

I expect some CAD Trion 8000, Nady TCM1100 and Apex 460s before too long. The MJE-K47 would sound nice in any of those tube / transformer mics.

re: GXL3000 - do you have a good U 87 in house? I'd put the MJE-K47 GXL3000 up against a U 87 in heartbeat. Or a transformer-coupled 414 or U 47 FET for that matter - a FET / transformer mic for an apples-to-apples comparision in other words.

[Piedpiper]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

Doh! Good thing you're look'n over my shoulder. I had mislabeled the plot! I have now corrected the .jpg image above and the blue line is now the MJE-47 and the purple line is the Neumann K47 (with more 12kHz air shown and thus correlating with your subjective impression).

re: 3 micron capsules and bass - I don't have an answer at this time. The ear can hear this sort of thing, but a long term spectral response doesn't really show it accurately. I'd have to set up a different test using bass band-limited noise pulses and tone bursts to evaluate the time domain performance of 3 micron and 7 micron K47-type capsules in the bass region. But again its worth noting we're comparing one particular 45 year old Neumann K47 (with some age-induced variation from its original response) to a new MJE-K47 which varies by no more than 1.5dB across the audio band from any other MJE-K47.

re: MJE-K47 vs. Peluso P-K47 - While the Peluso P-K47 is a very good capsule I believe its diaphragm resonant frequency is somewhat higher than my MJE-K47. This gives the P-K47 a lighter feel while the MJE-K47 is a bit more robust in the lower midrange.

As I noted in response to Brads question, I don't see myself being in the U 47 tribute business - so my primary concern is not cloning the K47 capsule. But the single backplate K47 dimensions, along with its through and blind hold specs creates a wonderfully low phase shift large diaphragm sound. An icon of sound worth emulating. So I'm on a quest to replace every excessively bright K67-type capsule driving a flat response circuit found in low cost mics. The MJE-K47 capsule is much more appropriate and better sounding for the circuit found in these mics.

LOL! Now we're on track! I feel much better now! I was thinking, "I guess I really don't no sh*t!" At 48, I'm a bit younger than the average old timer and have been primarily involved with acoustic music as opposed to electric so I imagine I've maintained a bit more acuity on the top end than some folks. In any case it's nice to be able to offer some useful (and accurate) feedback.

I'd be very interested to see what those time domain tests you mentioned show. In the meantime we have our ears. Have you tested the same backplate with different diaphragms? and what about tensioning? I must admit I'm not an expert here at all, just very curious, primarily about what contributes to the sound that I like. I get the impression that you and I share very similar goals in that regard.

As an aside, my 14 year old daughter, who is looking over my shoulder, is begging me to "use the peeing monkey!" so here goes. We can imagine it peeing on all those misguided cheap bright murky microphones that you're going to improve.

dfegaddfegaddfegad

BTW, I've been turning on a number of folks to your website, likely to translate into a few sales. Cheers!

[Brad McGowan]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

I expect some CAD Trion 8000, Nady TCM1100 and Apex 460s before too long. The MJE-K47 would sound nice in any of those tube / transformer mics.

re: GXL3000 - do you have a good U 87 in house? I'd put the MJE-K47 GXL3000 up against a U 87 in heartbeat. Or a transformer-coupled 414 or U 47 FET for that matter - a FET / transformer mic for an apples-to-apples comparision in other words.

I actually have a pair of those Apex 460's...the TNC ACM1200 rather. But those are slated to become C12 style mics using some upgrade kits that Lucas Engineering will soon make available.

Anyway...I do have a Soundelux U195. I think that sits somewhere in the U47FET/U87 territory and would make for an interesting comparison. The transformer in that thing is so huge. My friend's studio across the street has a U87 and a Peluso 2247LE I believe. Bring it on! Email me if you interested.

Brad

[drBill]

Man, I got to the party late......... Who forgot to call me?!?!?



Michael - thanks for the clips. If I understand you right, you removed the capsule from the Lawson and placed both it and your capsule in matching modded SCM-800's right??

Interesting stuff. I always aSSumed that much of that lower mid Neumann "mojo" was in the transformer. So this is a very interesting shootout for me. Capsule against capsule as it were. Looks like my assumptions were quite possibly wrong.

The MJEcapsule sounds good. I have to say that the Neumann K47 sounds pretty much exactly like I would expect a Neumann to sound like. And I unreservedly LOVE the classic old school Neumann sound. The warm creamy low mids packed with what I call "mojo". I guess now that I've gravitated to recording and mixing ITB, I love it even more.

The MJE K47 sounds good though. Real good, but definately not Neuman-esque in my opinion. It's got what I would call a more "modern" sound. I look forward to trying it out myself though as it seems to have solved some of the essshhhyy "chinese" type sound so common in mics today. A nice addition for me would have been a stock capsule in addition to the two caps presented.

Anyway, clips are no substitute for real hands on though and I'm looking forward to trying out one of the mics. I'm sure you will be modding a lot of mics with your caps. Congrats.

bp

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by drBill

Man, I got to the party late......... Who forgot to call me?!?!?

Hey Bill, glad you make it! This little chill room is still in full swing.

... If I understand you right, you removed the capsule from the Lawson and placed both it and your capsule in matching modded SCM-800's right??

Interesting stuff. I always aSSumed that much of that lower mid Neumann "mojo" was in the transformer. So this is a very interesting shootout for me. Capsule against capsule as it were. Looks like my assumptions were quite possibly wrong.

Right. The Neumann K47 came out of a Lawson L47 head. These two SCM-800s are my test bodies - real quick to open them up and swap capsules in and out. The've got upgraded transformerless electronics. The recordings were simultaneous from about 2' out on the guitar and 6" on my voice.

The MJEcapsule sounds good. I have to say that the Neumann K47 sounds pretty much exactly like I would expect a Neumann to sound like. And I unreservedly LOVE the classic old school Neumann sound. The warm creamy low mids packed with what I call "mojo". I guess now that I've gravitated to recording and mixing ITB, I love it even more.

The MJE K47 sounds good though. Real good, but definately not Neuman-esque in my opinion. It's got what I would call a more "modern" sound. I look forward to trying it out myself though as it seems to have solved some of the essshhhyy "chinese" type sound so common in mics today. A nice addition for me would have been a stock capsule in addition to the two caps presented.

Anyway, clips are no substitute for real hands on though and I'm looking forward to trying out one of the mics. I'm sure you will be modding a lot of mics with your caps. Congrats.

Many thanks for listening and for the comments. re: "modern" sound in the MJE-K47. That's the sound of the thinner 3 micron diaphragm. Everything in engineering is a compromise and choices have to be made. If I had set out to do a U 47 tribute mic I would have gone with a 6 micron diaphragm. But as I see the larger market being K67 replacement I went with 3 micron which has a bit snappier K47 sound - one that folks will hopefully find to be a well-positioned improvement over the 3 micron K67 / flat response circuit sound.

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by Piedpiper

...At 48, I'm a bit younger than the average old timer and have been primarily involved with acoustic music as opposed to electric so I imagine I've maintained a bit more acuity on the top end than some folks.

Yeah, I'm 53 and glad my career as a San Francisco punk rocker was short lived.

I started working for Dave Blackmer (dbx / Earthworks founder) when I was 23 and he was 53. Just before I moved on (after fourteen years) he and I would compare subjective listening notes (early Earthworks mics and some loudspeaker designs) and I was always amazed at his hearing acuity above 10kHz. He explained it by saying his measured hearing didn't look too good at the very top end - but he was making extrapolations from the two octaves below the very top. So from that experience I got tuned into the importance of getting the midrange right and letting the top follow naturally.

Have you tested the same backplate with different diaphragms? and what about tensioning?

Some, but not as extensively as I intend to in the future. The design engineer in me wants to do endless iterations and listening tests. The salesman in me thinks ship it and do revisions later.

Thanks again for the referrals!

[drBill]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

Hey Bill, glad you make it! This little chill room is still in full swing.

thumbsup

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

Right. The Neumann K47 came out of a Lawson L47 head. These two SCM-800s are my test bodies - real quick to open them up and swap capsules in and out. The've got upgraded transformerless electronics. The recordings were simultaneous from about 2' out on the guitar and 6" on my voice.

Cool. That's what I thought - thanks for the clarification.

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

Many thanks for listening and for the comments. re: "modern" sound in the MJE-K47. That's the sound of the thinner 3 micron diaphragm. Everything in engineering is a compromise and choices have to be made. If I had set out to do a U 47 tribute mic I would have gone with a 6 micron diaphragm. But as I see the larger market being K67 replacement I went with 3 micron which has a bit snappier K47 sound - one that folks will hopefully find to be a well-positioned improvement over the 3 micron K67 / flat response circuit sound.

Thanks Michael. Like I said, somehow, I always attributed a large part of that sound to the old transformers, but you've articulately shown, it all starts at the capsule. What comes later is of course important, but the "signature" is instigated at the capsule. Again, nice test, and I'm looking forward to hearing them in person....

bp

[Michael_Joly]

Here's a coda to the story - the cat who lent me his Neumann K47 is quite happy with the MJE-K47 I installed in his mic. He's put the NOS K47 up for sale.

[Chris Lago]

I can't wait to do the comparison. from what I can hear, the K47 sounds very colored and the MJE-K47 sounds more neutral, a bit more boomy and a bit brighter on top, not as mid rangy. It's a capsule that would work better on me because I sometimes hit the mid range too hard when I push my voice. I don't like Neumanns on my vocals.

[Piedpiper]

Originally Posted by chrislago

I can't wait to do the comparison. from what I can hear, the K47 sounds very colored and the MJE-K47 sounds more neutral, a bit more boomy and a bit brighter on top, not as mid rangy. It's a capsule that would work better on me because I sometimes hit the mid range too hard when I push my voice. I don't like Neumanns on my vocals.

I prefer the MJE on the vocal and the Neumann on the guitar. My comments above were focused on the guitar.

[mprewett]

I'm nowhere near you guys in terms of technical knowledge, but my first thought on hearing these was, "Woah! Drop-in replacement that is not!" If I'd heard the guitar clips blind, I'd have assumed the Neumann was a ribbon and the MJE was a cheap LDC or a really boomy SDC. You can really hear what sounds like guitar movement with the MJE. Like a tiny doppler effect. You said that was recorded around 2 inches away, if I recall right, so that's probably why. I'd love to hear what they both sound like from a foot or two away.

The MJE sounds so great on your voice though (it sounds more realistic to me), while the Neumann sounds like a typical heavy-bass radio broadcast in comparison.

I'm thoroughly with Piedpiper. MJE on the voice, Neumann on the guitar, hands decidedly down.

You should make up a little ditty and post what they sound like in voice/guitar combinations.

[Piedpiper]

What would it take to get rid of the boominess, Michael? Is that a tensioning issue? What effect would that have on the midrange and top end?

[MikeyMike]

Are their any modern microphones that sound like the Neumann K47 capsule. That sound is magic. I need to know now.

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by mprewett

...If I'd heard the guitar clips blind, I'd have assumed the Neumann was a ribbon and the MJE was a cheap LDC or a really boomy SDC. You can really hear what sounds like guitar movement with the MJE. Like a tiny doppler effect. You said that was recorded around 2 inches away, if I recall right, so that's probably why. I'd love to hear what they both sound like from a foot or two away.

The MJE sounds so great on your voice though (it sounds more realistic to me), while the Neumann sounds like a typical heavy-bass radio broadcast in comparison.

I'm thoroughly with Piedpiper. MJE on the voice, Neumann on the guitar, hands decidedly down...

The guitar was recorded from 2 feet back to minimize source-to-mic differences between the two mics. The spoken word was recorded about 8" away.

Michael Vecchio at Clinton Studios in NYC has been doing extensive tests on several MJE-K47 equipped mics - comparing them to classic mics from the studio's locker. His early reports are very very positive. He writes gear reviews for The Deli magazine and also produces a video blog accompaniment. Look for his report in the next issue.

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by Piedpiper

What would it take to get rid of the boominess, Michael? Is that a tensioning issue? What effect would that have on the midrange and top end?

Would it be a foolish idea to try slightly higher voltage to the capsule for this? How much voltage does your capsule like/withstand?

[Michael_Joly]

First, let me make sure I understand what folks are saying - because there seems to be two different interpretations of which capsule was "boomy".