Brauner mics, do they sound as good as old neumann mics?

JOHN · 5th January 2008, 10:50 PM

Brauner mics, do they sound as good as old neumann mics?
are they worth the asking price?

Johnkenn · 5th January 2008, 11:07 PM

For Pete's sake...buy a Neumann...or something...

Igotsoul4u · 5th January 2008, 11:23 PM

I think they sound as good, but not the same. The price is worth it. I had a VM1 for a year and unfortunately had to part with it due to the stack of unpaid invoices. The VM1 made recording a no brainer on most sources. They are also built extremely well. Mine survived a direct floor impact after a stupid singers dress got tangled under her feet and she went to grab the mic stand to steady herself. She went down, so did the mic. Huge dent in the screen, but the mic still sounds the same!!!!! I miss it very much and the second I get the money for another, its on.

84K · 6th January 2008, 04:29 AM

new neumann's are the closet thing to old neumann's. The M149 is a fukking amazing mic that gets slack here because (my speculation) people on gearslutz tend to favor boutique companies. The M149 is equally as 'Neumann' as the vintage Neumann's everyone goes ga-ga- over.

The Brauner's I tried sounded very pristine and clean. More like a C-12 than a Neumann. The Brauner's were bright in comparison to the "Neumann sound."

drBill · 6th January 2008, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHN

Brauner mics, do they sound as good as old neumann mics?
are they worth the asking price?

Now I'm confused. I thought we were supposed to buy Gemini's? Whazzz Up???

theother · 6th January 2008, 06:31 PM

Love and own plenty of old Neumanns. Can't stand Brauner mics.

If you want the old Neumann sound get Gefell mics or an old Neumann. The M149 is cool but doesn't sound like the old Neumanns either, although it borrows from that sound.

Eganmedia · 6th January 2008, 08:09 PM

The only Brauner I have is a Valvet. It sounds nothing like any Neumann I have or have ever heard. But I like it regardless. It is quite bright and doesn't have the midrange thang that a U87 has (sometimes to the point of distraction). So I guess I'd say no. It doesn't sound like a Neumann. But a TLM 170 doesn't sound like a U87 either. And though TLM 170s don't sound like Brauner Valvets, I still like them too. I don't know how a VM1 sounds compared to a Valvet, So I can't say whether a Brauner sounds less like a Brauner than a Neumann or more like a Neumann than a Brauner. I certainly wouldn't drop serious cash on any microphone without first listening to it in my studio on sources I plan to record. Nor would I buy a mic based solely on its nameplate.

And though they're both Fords a Crown Victoria can't compete with with an F350 for hauling things. Cops would disagree.

gainreduction · 6th January 2008, 08:35 PM

I've used Brauners (Vm-1 mostly) and both new and vintage Neumanns a lot. They don't have much in common soundwise.

A U47 will roll off well below 20kHz, probably around 16kHz or so, a VM-1 goes all the way up to 24kHz. The Brauner really sounds "extended" in comparison.

I'm not going to describe the sound of vintage Neumanns, I believe there's plenty of reading about that.

The Vm-1 sounds larger than life, impressive at first listen but once you start working with the sound, fitting it in a mix, you will likely find you have to struggle a bit. It has that sound you can "reach in to" and while that is deep and nice in it's own right you might find it lacking some kind of core that seats it and doesn't allow it to be all over the place. It also gets sibilant very easily and the high end, while definitely gorgeous in it's own right, can get hars and spitty on the wrong source, fantastic on the right one.

A Brauner is VERY detailed. Something ringing in your room ? You'll hear it. Dry throat ? You'll hear it. Stars not alligned ? You'll hear it.

It's hard to describe the Brauner sound. They are sterile and musical at the same time. They are cold and warm at the same time. They constantly leave me wondering...

I've had some amazing results with the VM-1 on the right singer. I find it benefits from a darker, heavily colored pre, 1073 style, that rounds it off a bit. It also benefits from a LPF filter at mixtime when used for lead vocals.

I can only imagine, but I'm quite sure a pair of VM-1's or Valvets would sound absolutely insane (good) on a good string orchestra in a good room. On vocals they are hit or miss.

Def try before you buy.

gregohb · 6th January 2008, 09:03 PM

I find the Brauner Phantera to be warmer sounding than the Neumanns. To me its thicker a bit like overdriving a tube, and in fact loses a little high end. Its nice, because is has a bit of a warm tube vibe, but its solid state, so you just turn it on and its ready to record. Very well made, and smaller than it looks in the photos.

mosrite · 6th January 2008, 10:25 PM

The Brauner's I have used sound extended (or bright) in the highs, extended in the lows but somewhat scooped in the all important midrange. Compared to a U87 the Brauner's I have used lack that richness that I personally think is very important. Having said that they are good mics and very nicely put together.

Adebar · 6th January 2008, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theother

Love and own plenty of old Neumanns. Can't stand Brauner mics.

What is it you don´t like - I mean can´t stand is a strong expression.

EdgeGuy2 · 6th January 2008, 11:59 PM

Old Neumann mics have a plesant tube and transformer distortion.
New mic makers try to keep the magic while cleaning up the microphone.
Never works.

2 cents for you.

Bob

massimo · 7th January 2008, 12:49 AM

I have owned a Brauner VM1 for seven years now. I am a musician.
Free speech in forums like this is godsend, and all opinions have a place.

I believe it doesn't hurt, however, to remind some hard facts here, and I apologize if this is somewhat a departure from the thread title.

This mic is a wonderful piece of art, and is built like a Ferrari. Mine has a low serial number, and I believe it was virtually handbuilt. I am not sure if Dirk Brauner wanted to recreate any old Neumann - I guess the VM1 was born as a materialization of his vision of what a modern-day german tube microphone should be like at its best - cut no corners. And its specs are nearly unbelievable, even more so for a tube mic. Quiet to the point of being unreal: I believe this one has a mere 7dB's of self noise! I believe this is a serious achievement. The continuously variable patterns are a joy to experiment with.
But this would mean nothing if the recorded results were not top notch. They are!
It is scaringly fast and sensitive, so it is true it can be "too much" sometimes in a way - it will pick up ants farts, but this makes it a perfect mic for acoustic stringed instruments, for example. The Schoeps(CMC5)/Brauner combo is hard to beat on classical guitar, in my experience. (Two Brauners would probably be great also, but I only own one...). Cello, wow.
...then I can add that my favorite main mic for double bass is the Sennheiser 441, and that on certain reeds I sometimes prefer the U87, god forbid...

In conclusion, you may well say you do not need a Ferrari to drive at 60mph, or a Lamborghini to go to the local pub round the corner, but it must be clear that with something like the Brauner VM1, we are dealing with the Ferrari or Lamborghini of microphones.
That said, anyone is entirely free not to like them, of course.

best regards
Happy new Year!
Massimo

robot gigante · 7th January 2008, 12:52 AM

Really love the VM-1.

This is High End: get both. Of course they're not going to sound the same.

bent sounds · 7th January 2008, 01:29 AM

Brauner vs Neumann huh? I've used a VM-1, plus many vintage and modern Neumanns (including U47, U67, U87, CMV 563, M149). They all have wonderful attributes, but I don't think they compare really - here's why:

Brauner VM-1 has what I would describe as a 'modern tube mic' sound. It's not typically a pillowy, warm 'old school' (for want of a better term) sound. That said, it works really well on many vocalists (both male & female), with the exception of certain female singers. On rare occasions, if you get a female singer singing strongly (or belting) in their chest voice, the Brauner can very subtly distort in an unpleasant way in the midrange (600Hz-1kHz). This only happened to me once, and it took me ages to work out that it was the VM-1. That said, if you get a female singer with a more delicate and airy head voice, the VM-1 is exceptional. It's also fantastic on male pop rock vocals - I'd describe it as somewhere between a Neumann M149 and a Sony C800G (but for vocals I like it more than both of those mics!)

I think the price tag is justified, but that said, I wouldn't go past another modern classic microphone that I recently acquired - the Wagner U47

Cheerio,
Bent

kenjkelly · 7th January 2008, 04:56 AM

The VM1 and Vmx are on my short list (along with Josephson C700A and Neumann M149) due to the pattern selections. Since the Brauner's pattern is continuous, is it "bright" in all patterns, compared with the Neuman or is the comparison in the Omni mode or Cardioid mode? Does the variable pattern allow you to find a not-bright pattern?

syra · 7th January 2008, 08:35 AM

The answer to your question is YES.

The VMA (especially the vmx side of it) sounds as good as any old Neumann mic ever made. Notice that "sounds as good" does not mean sound similar. Yet it belongs effortlessly in the same league.

I just did a live recording w Emmy Rossum. The whole album...just piano and vocal. No EQ was used on her voice...sounds gorgeous. Extremely good handling of resonances in the 300-800Hz area. In other words nothing like a U47

There are a lot of mics that sound similar out there. The Brauner has a specific sound only Brauner can give you. You either like it or you don't.

ps. my experience with other Brauner mics has not been as stellar as with the VMA. It just sounds better...

Fletcher · 7th January 2008, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84K

new neumann's are the closet thing to old neumann's.

Yeah... but you have to qualify which "new Neumann" because Sennheiser/Neumann isn't really as close as the other [real] Neumann... then again, I'd argue the M-149 point with you on any session at any time... with the possible exception of a "front of the kit" mic where that thing seems to excel...

84K · 7th January 2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fletcher

Yeah... but you have to qualify which "new Neumann" because Sennheiser/Neumann isn't really as close as the other [real] Neumann... then again, I'd argue the M-149 point with you on any session at any time... with the possible exception of a "front of the kit" mic where that thing seems to excel...

you wanna argue the M-149?

Next time you're in NYC call me up. Whatever I am recording that week, you can hear it with that mic. Very versatile, very rich, and very Under-rated. I don't even own one, but I would love to. It is a great mic. Male vocal, it is huge. Guitar amp, bass, ac guitar, FOK, overhead, room, strings, piano, etc. Bring it on.

That mic fukking rocks and anyone who doesn't agree should try it again. And if they still don't like it, they should go buy q-tips and take the rest of the day off.

narcoman · 7th January 2008, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fletcher

Yeah... but you have to qualify which "new Neumann" because Sennheiser/Neumann isn't really as close as the other [real] Neumann... then again, I'd argue the M-149 point with you on any session at any time... with the possible exception of a "front of the kit" mic where that thing seems to excel...

aye, but add into that equation track down and purchase cost PLUS maintaining/repairing.reconditioning an old unit and your argument loses its footing. Totally agree with much of he sound issues - but you have to get a good one. Its no good just HAVING an old mic, they are NOT all good. Many times Ive chose VM1s or orchestral work - depends on the gig, equally so with new against old neumanns etc.

matt2525 · 18th February 2008, 12:50 AM

hey narcoman, I think fletcher may have been talking about neumann gefell (microtech gefell) as the real "new neumann" - could be wrong, but it's hard to argue with modern high quality German mics with M7 capsules for cheaper than Sennheiser are making their new breed of Neumanns!

Kenny Gioia · 18th February 2008, 12:58 AM

I have the Brauner Valvet and I absolutely love it.

It really is a great modern mic.

It's brighter than the older stuff but it doesn't sound like a fake bright.

Plus, I always wind up adding even more top while I track and even more when I mix.

So I'm not complaining. It sounds great on just about everyone.

The u-87 and u-67 do not fall into that category for me.

Shaman · 18th February 2008, 03:11 PM

I had & used a stereo couple of Brauner VM-1s for the last 5 years and traded them for a stereo pair of Neumann M-149s.

The Brauners have sort of a nasty resonance at 12khz which makes things easily sound harsh - especially with so called clean mic pres. I guess this was the sound which everyone in the mid/end nineties was after. Massive high end from the beginning.

I can remember Bruce Swedien claiming that the VM-1 is "the best mic in the world..."
I´m pretty shure he wouldn´t say this anymore.
It seems the current trend goes more into the classic smooth hig end direction which is not a bad thing.

Neumann M 149 rule indeed. They are much smoother than the brauners + more versatile.

Yes there´s a lot of bullshit goin´on about them here on gs.

Kai · 18th February 2008, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaman

I had & used a stereo couple of Brauner VM-1s for the last 5 years and traded them for a stereo pair of Neumann M-149s.

The Brauners have sort of a nasty resonance at 12khz which makes things easily sound harsh - especially with so called clean mic pres. I guess this was the sound which everyone in the mid/end nineties was after. Massive high end from the beginning.

I can remember Bruce Swedien claiming that the VM-1 is "the best mic in the world..."
I´m pretty shure he wouldn´t say this anymore.
It seems the current trend goes more into the classic smooth hig end direction which is not a bad thing.

Neumann M 149 rule indeed. They are much smoother than the brauners + more versatile.

Yes there´s a lot of bullshit goin´on about them here on gs.

Hi!

Check out the Brauner VMX if you look out for something smoother than the VM1's...

Cheers

Kai

jimmyjimjim · 18th February 2008, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84K

new neumann's are the closet thing to old neumann's. The M149 is a fukking amazing mic that gets slack here because (my speculation) people on gearslutz tend to favor boutique companies. The M149 is equally as 'Neumann' as the vintage Neumann's everyone goes ga-ga- over. "

That is the most ridicoulus bullshit I have ever read on an Internet forum.

The Sennheiser M-149, is as much Neumann U47/M49/U67as a flea is an elephant.
The M-149 is the worst value microphone ever produced.

Lousy components, lousy build quality, lousy sound.
Thankfully the capsules are still the same so that Sennheiser can provide spares for the older mics.

Kai · 18th February 2008, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHN

Brauner mics, do they sound as good as old neumann mics?
are they worth the asking price?

Hi John!

I just wanted to give you some tipps and some feedback I got from our customers, and from my personal experience, regarding this topic.

First of all Brauner is NOT trying to emulate any old Neumann. All Brauner Mics have an own outstanding sound character which you can not compare with any vintage microphone.

If the Brauners sound as good as an old Neumann is always a question of taste, in which application you use them etc. So as you can see you will got 100's of opinions which don't help you really much.

Of course we all love the old vintage Neumann U47s, U67s and all the other legends. Its always great to have one, but nowadays there are also always a few problems in getting one. You have to know that:

1. All old vintage mics sound different. (Its hard to find two mics which sound similar) So you should always listen to a mic before you buy it.

2. If you find a vintage mic in good conditions its always very expensive. Except when the seller doesn't knows what he is doing.

3. Its really hard to get spares or support for those mics. Spares are also often very expensive

4. This is what I think: most of the vintage mics sound really amazing, but also really special. I think most of them fit perfect for one application, but are not very versatile. That's ok if you just record your own voice, guitar or whatever, but that might be a problem if you run a project studio in which you have different productions and different musicians day by day and in which you also don't have the money to buy several HiEnd-microphones which allow you to fullfill every situation.

So what I would suggest is that you compare the microphones you are thinking about to buy and have a listen to them. (Never buy a HiEnd Microphone before you haven't heard it!) Listen which microphone comes as clear as possible to the sound YOU want to have on your final production, which is versatile (works 'well or excellent' on different applications) and of course if you have to look on your budget: the price/cost ration, spares(?)/support and all the things I mentioned before.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Regards

Kai

Shaman · 18th February 2008, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmyjimjim

That is the most ridicoulus bullshit I have ever read on an Internet forum.

The Sennheiser M-149, is as much Neumann U47/M49/U67as a flea is an elephant.
The M-149 is the worst value microphone ever produced.

Lousy components, lousy build quality, lousy sound.
Thankfully the capsules are still the same so that Sennheiser can provide spares for the older mics.

WOW

As far as sound goes taste differs very much - No need "bullshitting" around here - we´re talking opinions - not the "truth".

As soon as you talk about build quality & components I´m not shure if you ever had a 149 in your hands / looked inside it. It´s built like a tank.

I´m not shure how you define value.
I & my customers love its sound so much that it´s a very valuable tool.
I´m not shure if its resale value is like the one of a U-47/U-67 but I never bought mics for resale values - I buy mics for sound...

And yes I could have bought two mint Neumann U-67 directly from he-studio instead but prefered the M-149 only for sound & reliability reasons...

theother · 18th February 2008, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84K

new neumann's are the closet thing to old neumann's. The M149 is a fukking amazing mic that gets slack here because (my speculation) people on gearslutz tend to favor boutique companies. The M149 is equally as 'Neumann' as the vintage Neumann's everyone goes ga-ga- over.

No they are not.

Gefell are the closest thing to old Neumanns. They are/were Neumann. Just in east Germany the Neumann factory got called Gefell after the war.

The M149 is a good microphone but not exactly amazing if you have access to old Neumanns and other high end mics.

Kenny Gioia · 18th February 2008, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaman

I can remember Bruce Swedien claiming that the VM-1 is "the best mic in the world..."

I´m pretty sure he wouldn't say this anymore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaman

As far as sound goes, taste differs very much - No need "bullshitting" around here - we're talking opinions - not the "truth".

Yes. And some of us are talking about other's opinions changing without such knowledge.

Shaman · 18th February 2008, 08:26 PM

well.........last time I can remember the nu-47 was the holy grail.

but you´re right - this is pure speculation - would you ask him from me what the best mic in the world is nowadays ?

Not that I would care but Kenny Gioia would have found out not only the relative but nothing less than the EXACT, SAMPLE ACCURAT & PHASE COHERENT GOSPLE TRUTH truth for us all.

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5th January 2008, 10:50 PM	#1
JOHN Gear addict Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: LONDON Posts: 303	Brauner mics, do they sound as good as old neumann mics? Brauner mics, do they sound as good as old neumann mics? are they worth the asking price?

5th January 2008, 11:07 PM	#2
Johnkenn Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Nashville Posts: 1,696	For Pete's sake...buy a Neumann...or something... __________________ "You take the blonde, I'll take the one in the turban..." *All opinions expressed herein are subject to change at listener's whim and/or ability to pay... http://www.myspace.com/johnkennedysongs

6th January 2008, 08:09 PM	#7
Eganmedia Gear maniac Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Burlington, Vermont USA Posts: 208	The only Brauner I have is a Valvet. It sounds nothing like any Neumann I have or have ever heard. But I like it regardless. It is quite bright and doesn't have the midrange thang that a U87 has (sometimes to the point of distraction). So I guess I'd say no. It doesn't sound like a Neumann. But a TLM 170 doesn't sound like a U87 either. And though TLM 170s don't sound like Brauner Valvets, I still like them too. I don't know how a VM1 sounds compared to a Valvet, So I can't say whether a Brauner sounds less like a Brauner than a Neumann or more like a Neumann than a Brauner. I certainly wouldn't drop serious cash on any microphone without first listening to it in my studio on sources I plan to record. Nor would I buy a mic based solely on its nameplate. And though they're both Fords a Crown Victoria can't compete with with an F350 for hauling things. Cops would disagree. __________________ Joe Egan EMP Colchester, VT USA www.eganmedia.com "Don't push religion on me, and I won't push rational thought on you."

6th January 2008, 08:35 PM	#8
gainreduction Lives for gear Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,529	I've used Brauners (Vm-1 mostly) and both new and vintage Neumanns a lot. They don't have much in common soundwise. A U47 will roll off well below 20kHz, probably around 16kHz or so, a VM-1 goes all the way up to 24kHz. The Brauner really sounds "extended" in comparison. I'm not going to describe the sound of vintage Neumanns, I believe there's plenty of reading about that. The Vm-1 sounds larger than life, impressive at first listen but once you start working with the sound, fitting it in a mix, you will likely find you have to struggle a bit. It has that sound you can "reach in to" and while that is deep and nice in it's own right you might find it lacking some kind of core that seats it and doesn't allow it to be all over the place. It also gets sibilant very easily and the high end, while definitely gorgeous in it's own right, can get hars and spitty on the wrong source, fantastic on the right one. A Brauner is VERY detailed. Something ringing in your room ? You'll hear it. Dry throat ? You'll hear it. Stars not alligned ? You'll hear it. It's hard to describe the Brauner sound. They are sterile and musical at the same time. They are cold and warm at the same time. They constantly leave me wondering... I've had some amazing results with the VM-1 on the right singer. I find it benefits from a darker, heavily colored pre, 1073 style, that rounds it off a bit. It also benefits from a LPF filter at mixtime when used for lead vocals. I can only imagine, but I'm quite sure a pair of VM-1's or Valvets would sound absolutely insane (good) on a good string orchestra in a good room. On vocals they are hit or miss. Def try before you buy. __________________ "You always get more than you paid for at gearslutz" - Jules

5th January 2008, 11:23 PM	#3
Igotsoul4u Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,413	I think they sound as good, but not the same. The price is worth it. I had a VM1 for a year and unfortunately had to part with it due to the stack of unpaid invoices. The VM1 made recording a no brainer on most sources. They are also built extremely well. Mine survived a direct floor impact after a stupid singers dress got tangled under her feet and she went to grab the mic stand to steady herself. She went down, so did the mic. Huge dent in the screen, but the mic still sounds the same!!!!! I miss it very much and the second I get the money for another, its on.

6th January 2008, 04:29 AM	#4
84K Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: right coast Posts: 3,716	new neumann's are the closet thing to old neumann's. The M149 is a fukking amazing mic that gets slack here because (my speculation) people on gearslutz tend to favor boutique companies. The M149 is equally as 'Neumann' as the vintage Neumann's everyone goes ga-ga- over. The Brauner's I tried sounded very pristine and clean. More like a C-12 than a Neumann. The Brauner's were bright in comparison to the "Neumann sound."

6th January 2008, 06:31 PM	#6
theother Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: London & Ibiza Posts: 1,587	Love and own plenty of old Neumanns. Can't stand Brauner mics. If you want the old Neumann sound get Gefell mics or an old Neumann. The M149 is cool but doesn't sound like the old Neumanns either, although it borrows from that sound.

6th January 2008, 09:03 PM	#9
gregohb Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 642	I find the Brauner Phantera to be warmer sounding than the Neumanns. To me its thicker a bit like overdriving a tube, and in fact loses a little high end. Its nice, because is has a bit of a warm tube vibe, but its solid state, so you just turn it on and its ready to record. Very well made, and smaller than it looks in the photos. __________________ The Logic_Cafe is an alternative and less censored discussion list of Apple's Logic Pro/Logic Studio 8.

6th January 2008, 10:25 PM	#10
mosrite Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Scotland Posts: 817	The Brauner's I have used sound extended (or bright) in the highs, extended in the lows but somewhat scooped in the all important midrange. Compared to a U87 the Brauner's I have used lack that richness that I personally think is very important. Having said that they are good mics and very nicely put together.

6th January 2008, 11:59 PM	#12
EdgeGuy2 Gear interested Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 11	Old Neumann mics have a plesant tube and transformer distortion. New mic makers try to keep the magic while cleaning up the microphone. Never works. 2 cents for you. Bob

7th January 2008, 12:49 AM	#13
massimo Gear maniac Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Roma, Italy Posts: 241	I have owned a Brauner VM1 for seven years now. I am a musician. Free speech in forums like this is godsend, and all opinions have a place. I believe it doesn't hurt, however, to remind some hard facts here, and I apologize if this is somewhat a departure from the thread title. This mic is a wonderful piece of art, and is built like a Ferrari. Mine has a low serial number, and I believe it was virtually handbuilt. I am not sure if Dirk Brauner wanted to recreate any old Neumann - I guess the VM1 was born as a materialization of his vision of what a modern-day german tube microphone should be like at its best - cut no corners. And its specs are nearly unbelievable, even more so for a tube mic. Quiet to the point of being unreal: I believe this one has a mere 7dB's of self noise! I believe this is a serious achievement. The continuously variable patterns are a joy to experiment with. But this would mean nothing if the recorded results were not top notch. They are! It is scaringly fast and sensitive, so it is true it can be "too much" sometimes in a way - it will pick up ants farts, but this makes it a perfect mic for acoustic stringed instruments, for example. The Schoeps(CMC5)/Brauner combo is hard to beat on classical guitar, in my experience. (Two Brauners would probably be great also, but I only own one...). Cello, wow. ...then I can add that my favorite main mic for double bass is the Sennheiser 441, and that on certain reeds I sometimes prefer the U87, god forbid... In conclusion, you may well say you do not need a Ferrari to drive at 60mph, or a Lamborghini to go to the local pub round the corner, but it must be clear that with something like the Brauner VM1, we are dealing with the Ferrari or Lamborghini of microphones. That said, anyone is entirely free not to like them, of course. best regards Happy new Year! Massimo __________________ - even nostalgia isn't what it used to be -

7th January 2008, 12:52 AM	#14
robot gigante Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: out west Posts: 2,721	Really love the VM-1. This is High End: get both. Of course they're not going to sound the same. __________________ "Good qualities are easier to destroy than bad ones, and therefore uniformity is most easily achieved by lowering all standards." - Bertrand Russell

7th January 2008, 01:29 AM	#15
bent sounds Gear Head Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London Posts: 69	Brauner vs Neumann huh? I've used a VM-1, plus many vintage and modern Neumanns (including U47, U67, U87, CMV 563, M149). They all have wonderful attributes, but I don't think they compare really - here's why: Brauner VM-1 has what I would describe as a 'modern tube mic' sound. It's not typically a pillowy, warm 'old school' (for want of a better term) sound. That said, it works really well on many vocalists (both male & female), with the exception of certain female singers. On rare occasions, if you get a female singer singing strongly (or belting) in their chest voice, the Brauner can very subtly distort in an unpleasant way in the midrange (600Hz-1kHz). This only happened to me once, and it took me ages to work out that it was the VM-1. That said, if you get a female singer with a more delicate and airy head voice, the VM-1 is exceptional. It's also fantastic on male pop rock vocals - I'd describe it as somewhere between a Neumann M149 and a Sony C800G (but for vocals I like it more than both of those mics!) I think the price tag is justified, but that said, I wouldn't go past another modern classic microphone that I recently acquired - the Wagner U47 Cheerio, Bent

7th January 2008, 04:56 AM	#16
kenjkelly Gear Head Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NorthEast USA Posts: 69	The VM1 and Vmx are on my short list (along with Josephson C700A and Neumann M149) due to the pattern selections. Since the Brauner's pattern is continuous, is it "bright" in all patterns, compared with the Neuman or is the comparison in the Omni mode or Cardioid mode? Does the variable pattern allow you to find a not-bright pattern?

7th January 2008, 08:35 AM	#17
syra Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: L.A. Posts: 1,330	The answer to your question is YES. The VMA (especially the vmx side of it) sounds as good as any old Neumann mic ever made. Notice that "sounds as good" does not mean sound similar. Yet it belongs effortlessly in the same league. I just did a live recording w Emmy Rossum. The whole album...just piano and vocal. No EQ was used on her voice...sounds gorgeous. Extremely good handling of resonances in the 300-800Hz area. In other words nothing like a U47 There are a lot of mics that sound similar out there. The Brauner has a specific sound only Brauner can give you. You either like it or you don't. ps. my experience with other Brauner mics has not been as stellar as with the VMA. It just sounds better...

18th February 2008, 12:50 AM	#21
matt2525 Gear Head Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Scotland Posts: 37	hey narcoman, I think fletcher may have been talking about neumann gefell (microtech gefell) as the real "new neumann" - could be wrong, but it's hard to argue with modern high quality German mics with M7 capsules for cheaper than Sennheiser are making their new breed of Neumanns!

18th February 2008, 12:58 AM	#22
Kenny Gioia Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: NYC Posts: 2,444	I have the Brauner Valvet and I absolutely love it. It really is a great modern mic. It's brighter than the older stuff but it doesn't sound like a fake bright. Plus, I always wind up adding even more top while I track and even more when I mix. So I'm not complaining. It sounds great on just about everyone. The u-87 and u-67 do not fall into that category for me. __________________

18th February 2008, 03:11 PM	#23
Shaman Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Munich - Germany Posts: 1,680	I had & used a stereo couple of Brauner VM-1s for the last 5 years and traded them for a stereo pair of Neumann M-149s. The Brauners have sort of a nasty resonance at 12khz which makes things easily sound harsh - especially with so called clean mic pres. I guess this was the sound which everyone in the mid/end nineties was after. Massive high end from the beginning. I can remember Bruce Swedien claiming that the VM-1 is "the best mic in the world..." I´m pretty shure he wouldn´t say this anymore. It seems the current trend goes more into the classic smooth hig end direction which is not a bad thing. Neumann M 149 rule indeed. They are much smoother than the brauners + more versatile. Yes there´s a lot of bullshit goin´on about them here on gs.

18th February 2008, 08:26 PM	#30
Shaman Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Munich - Germany Posts: 1,680	well.........last time I can remember the nu-47 was the holy grail. but you´re right - this is pure speculation - would you ask him from me what the best mic in the world is nowadays ? Not that I would care but Kenny Gioia would have found out not only the relative but nothing less than the EXACT, SAMPLE ACCURAT & PHASE COHERENT GOSPLE TRUTH truth for us all.