Peluso 2247SE Mix Review - May 2008

[kittonian]

Just wanted to share the article that just came out in the May 2008 issue of Mix magazine where Barry Rudolph took a very close look at the Peluso 2247SE. He even went as far as to find a museum quality original U47 and compare the two.

Please bear in mind that this article is available directly from Barry Rudolph's website located at Barry Rudolph:::Recording Engineering/Production Services and is reprinted on his site with permission from Mix Magazine and Penton Media. Since you can download a copy in PDF format, I figured I'd post it here for everyone to enjoy.

[The Beatsmith]

very cool

[Johnkenn]

That's some tall words old Barry is using...I would LOVE to get my hands on another 2247 LE and shoot it out with my CM7...I honestly wouldn't care if the Peluso sounded better - hey - I would LOVE for it to...FWIW, I thought the 2247 LE was a great mic...

[NathanEldred]

Originally Posted by Johnkenn

That's some tall words old Barry is using...I would LOVE to get my hands on another 2247 LE and shoot it out with my CM7...I honestly wouldn't care if the Peluso sounded better - hey - I would LOVE for it to...FWIW, I thought the 2247 LE was a great mic...

Did you ever try the LE in figure 8? If so, what did you think about the differences between it and cardioid? (I already have an opinion developed, just wondering what your observations were).

[TonyBelmont]

Interesting that he mentions the head grille, which is an often overlooked aspect of microphones...

And the 47 LE/ API combo really is a great match. I use that mic/pre combo on a regular basis.

[Jonathan Starr]

Originally Posted by NathanEldred

Did you ever try the LE in figure 8? If so, what did you think about the differences between it and cardioid? (I already have an opinion developed, just wondering what your observations were).

I use my 2247 SE in Fig 8 from time to time; last week with face to face talent, one doing VO narration while the other one was chanting in Hawaiian. For the next tracks with just the chanter, I left it in figure 8 because it was sounding great. No surprises. As expected it's a bit less warm than in cardioid. My go-to setting with that mic is one click on the omni side of card.

[Johnkenn]

Originally Posted by NathanEldred

Did you ever try the LE in figure 8? If so, what did you think about the differences between it and cardioid? (I already have an opinion developed, just wondering what your observations were).

You know, Nathan - I never did...I know some guys that swear by recording vocals in figure of eight...
I've definitely come a long way in recording technique, understanding gain staging, and generally realizing what I ultimately want in a mic...I really would like to try one of the 2247's out again...

[elambo]

Originally Posted by Johnkenn

That's some tall words old Barry is using...I would LOVE to get my hands on another 2247 LE and shoot it out with my CM7...I honestly wouldn't care if the Peluso sounded better - hey - I would LOVE for it to...FWIW, I thought the 2247 LE was a great mic...

I have both the 2247LE and CM7 and while the Peluso is a GREAT mic, I don't think I'd call it as good as a CM7, or an original U47 for that matter. There's a rich and expensive quality to the top end of a CM7 that the Peluso doesn't quite achieve. Close though. There's also a girth to low end of a CM7 that is very prominent, has a bit of hair and nice detail, but the Peluso's bottom, while just as prevalent, isn't as rich. All of these observations are subtle.

[NathanEldred]

If you ever do hear another one, try it in fig 8. To my ears the proximity is much more pronounced (read: THICKER) even at 8-10 inches out, so if anyone wants more of that, it's a good way to get it at a couple flips of the switch on the PSU.

[kittonian]

Btw, everyone seems to be mentioning the LE in this thread. Bear in mind that Barry was given an SE for this review, which is exactly what I recommend to all of my clients.

[elambo]

The LE is the better of the two and the more obvious talking point for comparisons.

[xj32]

I have an LE which I love (Thanks Tony!!!), but now I am wondering if I should have gotten an SE instead...

XJ

[boyinthebox]

Originally Posted by elambo

The LE is the better of the two and the more obvious talking point for comparisons.

The LE is not necessarily 'better.' The SE has a lower noise floor than the LE from what I recall. In addition, if the tube in the LE dies, it is much more difficult *and* expensive to find a replacement tube than the SE. So better? Depends on how you look at it...

Cheers.

[TonyBelmont]

The LE sounds better IMO.

[Tube World]

Personally I thought his review was way too short, and he did not give an in depth review. If you want to read a good review on the Peluso you have to go over to England and read a former BBC engineer give a review of the mic. I have seen Barry give good reviews before, but it looks like either he was too busy to give an in depth review or the magazine edit the review.
Peluso 2247SE

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by Tube World

Personally I thought his review was way too short, and he did not give an in depth review. If you want to read a good review on the Peluso you have to go over to England and read a former BBC engineer give a review of the mic. I have seen Barry give good reviews before, but it looks like either he was too busy to give an in depth review or the magazine edit the review.
Peluso 2247SE

That's a very good review.

[warhead]

I figured I'm the only Peluso dealer left who hasn't jumped into this thread so, my turn!



OK, kidding!

But not really, I did want to ask you Tony: have you taken the same 2247 and swapped out the tubes to hear between the LE and SE tubes? The issue of course is that they aren't swappable and are socketed differently.

Even small differences in capsule tension between 2 mics could easily change perceptions between two mics and one being "better" (I know you know that, but I'm curious to know how you went about A/B'ing the two).

Peluso himself states there is no sonic difference, only the lower noise floor on the (less expensive) SE model.

NOT trying to start anything, simply want to know how you drew your conclusion is all.

War

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by warhead

I figured I'm the only Peluso dealer left who hasn't jumped into this thread so, my turn!



OK, kidding!

But not really, I did want to ask you Tony: have you taken the same 2247 and swapped out the tubes to hear between the LE and SE tubes? The issue of course is that they aren't swappable and are socketed differently.

Even small differences in capsule tension between 2 mics could easily change perceptions between two mics and one being "better" (I know you know that, but I'm curious to know how you went about A/B'ing the two).

Peluso himself states there is no sonic difference, only the lower noise floor on the (less expensive) SE model.

NOT trying to start anything, simply want to know how you drew your conclusion is all.

War

Price wise, they are only a couple of dollars difference, so I would never let that sway me in either direction. For years they were the same price. I had tried several of each at various times to A/B them in my studio under the best conditions possible... Doing 8-16 vocal passes with each microphone to really hear the differences. Putting aside the slight sonic differences between one LE and the next, you can still hear something different in the LE's compared to the SE's (or at least that has been my experience).

The LE's always seem to have more mojo (more harmonic distortion perhaps)... it's not so much a frequency response difference (I would equate that to the subtle differences between capsules). they are also noisier, but I don't think the higher noise level takes away from the microphone in any way. I don't really want to debate it, though.. As I've already done so in previous threads and have said all I have to say about it in those other threads.

[T_R_S]

I always find it's best to eq and compress the mic or use it how it will be in the final fix.
That will really show off a great mic and anything that's not so great that will become very obvious.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by boyinthebox

The LE is not necessarily 'better.' The SE has a lower noise floor than the LE from what I recall. In addition, if the tube in the LE dies, it is much more difficult *and* expensive to find a replacement tube than the SE. So better? Depends on how you look at it...

Cheers.

I'm not basing my opinion on the specs - I've tried both and preferred the LE, as many others have.