3rd February 2006
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#1 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2004 Location: Alabama
Posts: 518
Thread Starter  | U87 vs U89
any major differences?
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3rd February 2006
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#2 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Sep 2005 Location: London
Posts: 643
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Yep. The U89 is 2 better.
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3rd February 2006
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#3 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Sep 2005 Location: London
Posts: 643
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Actually they are fairly different mics...... there was a great thread on this about six weeks ago.... I'll see if I can find it, and post a link.
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3rd February 2006
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#4 | | Gear interested
Joined: Nov 2005 Location: Finland
Posts: 19
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3rd February 2006
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#5 | | Gear addict
Joined: Jan 2005 Location: france
Posts: 443
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The u87 is "brighter", the u89 is "darker".
Depending on the source both are very nice.
I like the 89 on bass mostly
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4th February 2006
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#6 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,209
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For me, the main difference is how the U89 manages far sources miking...it's simply the best I've heard.
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4th February 2006
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#7 | | Guest | U87 vs U89
The U89 is a great mike ----- U87 great mike ---- U87ai = Fingernails on a chalkboard!
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4th February 2006
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#8 | | Head of Bumping Security (B.S)
Joined: Feb 2004 Location: in the hills of Southern California
Posts: 3,018
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My buddy has a U89 that Chevy Chase used to own. It's modded by Audio Upgrades, and he gets a lot of mileage out of this mic. It's really one of Jims best mods.
One vocalist my friend works with pretty much uses the U89 on every track. He tried a Soundelux ELUX 251 that I used to have, but his harmonies weren't blending as well, so he went back to the modded U89.
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4th February 2006
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#9 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,354
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by jdunn My buddy has a U89 that Chevy Chase used to own. ..... (snip).... |
Who cares about the mods - but Chevy Chase used to own it!!!!!   | |
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4th February 2006
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#10 | | Head of Bumping Security (B.S)
Joined: Feb 2004 Location: in the hills of Southern California
Posts: 3,018
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Originally Posted by mixerguy Who cares about the mods - but Chevy Chase used to own it!!!!! | Yeah, it's got an authentic ding on the mesh grille where it was dropped and everything. I can imagine Chevy getting a little wild in the studio back in the day.   | |
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5th February 2006
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#11 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2003 Location: Europe
Posts: 1,256
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I really like my U89 mics. It was the first "good" mics I got. Now I have many of the classic Neumanns but the U89s still get lots of use on every session. | |
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5th February 2006
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#12 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 267
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Originally Posted by retrophonics The U89 is a great mike ----- U87 great mike ---- U87ai = Fingernails on a chalkboard! | Crack open that u87ai and look at what it says on the circuit board...I'll tell you...u89!
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21st October 2012
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#13 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 852
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Originally Posted by retrophonics  The U89 is a great mike ----- U87 great mike ---- U87ai = Fingernails on a chalkboard! | there´s nothing wrong with the u87ai.. don´t know where all this comes from. It´s a perfectly good, even great mic on many things. IMO of course, but if it sounded crap I doubt that neumann would sell it, and that so many pro people would use it.
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21st October 2012
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#14 | | Gear nut
Joined: Oct 2012 Location: Bolivia - Chile
Posts: 106
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U89: Excellent Mic
I have a U89 Vintage, 1980 of the first to be designed. I use it on vocals and some instruments.
Supposedly, the Neumann U89 is the improved model of the U87, but still remains unknown. IMHO the U89 is better than the U87.
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21st October 2012
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#15 | | Gear nut
Joined: Oct 2012 Location: Bolivia - Chile
Posts: 106
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Check this....
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21st October 2012
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#16 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Sep 2009 Location: los angeles
Posts: 2,673
| Quote:
Originally Posted by claesbjo there´s nothing wrong with the u87ai.. don´t know where all this comes from. It´s a perfectly good, even great mic on many things. IMO of course, but if it sounded crap I doubt that neumann would sell it, and that so many pro people would use it. | Neumann sells the atrocious TLM-103 too. The U87ai sounds edgy. Bright, similar to Chinese mics and the equally bright Manley Ref-C.
A lot of consumers buy gear based on buzzwords (U87, 1073 etc). The U87 made it's reputation on the smooth sounding vintage U87, not the modern U87ai. People buy it and realize it sounds bright and edgy and that's why there are so many for sale second hand. Quote:
Originally Posted by retrophonics The U89 is a great mike ----- U87 great mike ---- U87ai = Fingernails on a chalkboard! | Totally agree.
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21st October 2012
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#17 | | Gear nut
Joined: Feb 2008 Location: München
Posts: 107
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The u87ai is a perfectly fine mic with a headroom problem. If you scream into it without he pad engaged it might get ugly, but otherwise it is a good microphone, certainly not worlds apart from the old u87a.
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21st October 2012
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#18 | | Motown legend
Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Songwriter Gulch, Nashville TN
Posts: 12,156
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I've always thought the U89 is a very under-rated microphone.
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21st October 2012
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#19 | | Gear addict
Joined: Oct 2009 Location: San Sebastian (Spain) | Quote:
Originally Posted by germanduranv U89: Supposedly, the Neumann U89 is the improved model of the U87. | Where the hell did you get that information? The U87 and U89 are different mics sonically and phisically. The U89 i is similar in appearance to the U87 althoug of smaller size and lighter weight. The U89 capsule diameter is smaller and no center screw. The U87 capsule is center screw. The U89 was released in 1980. The original U87 was released about 1967, but the U87A was released in 1986.
I am afraid that you have never had both mics in your hands.
__________________ www.bcstudiorecording.com Music is a gift from God to Man
My friend Luis is able to summarize in fifteen minutes what I've said in five. | |
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21st October 2012
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#20 | | Motown legend
Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Songwriter Gulch, Nashville TN
Posts: 12,156
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The fact remains that the U89 was originally marketed as an improved universal application microphone to replace the U87 in that role. The two were comparably priced and most people just bought U87s since it was a known quantity there was a lot of demand for.
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21st October 2012
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#21 | | Gear nut
Joined: Oct 2012 Location: Bolivia - Chile
Posts: 106
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I am afraid that you have never had both mics in your hands.
| Mr. SteelyDani:
I think you do not know me, and also do you not know the material I work in my studio. If I allow myself to give an opinion on a product, it is because I know him. I have two mics: U87 and U89 and I can properly speak of both. Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson The fact remains that the U89 was originally marketed as an improved universal application microphone to replace the U87 in that role. The two were comparably priced and most people just bought U87s since it was a known quantity there was a lot of demand for. | Yes, this is correct.
Mr. SteeleDani, I ask you not form an erroneous judgment and learn more.
Here one of the mics on my studio...
Best Regards
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21st October 2012
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#22 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Sep 2003 Location: BOSTON
Posts: 1,984
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Love the U89. I have an old one too. One of the first 200. Used to belong to Dylan which makes it even cooler to own and a mic I will have until death. I agree completely under rated.
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21st October 2012
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#23 | | Gear nut
Joined: Oct 2012 Location: Bolivia - Chile
Posts: 106
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Originally Posted by hasbeen Love the U89. I have an old one too. One of the first 200. Used to belong to Dylan which makes it even cooler to own and a mic I will have until death. I agree completely under rated. | Yes.... until death | |
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22nd October 2012
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#24 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,578
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Originally Posted by SteelyDani Where the hell did you get that information? The U87 and U89 are different mics sonically and phisically. The U89 i is similar in appearance to the U87 althoug of smaller size and lighter weight. The U89 capsule diameter is smaller and no center screw. The U87 capsule is center screw. The U89 was released in 1980. The original U87 was released about 1967, but the U87A was released in 1986.
I am afraid that you have never had both mics in your hands. | GermanDuranV was actually correct. The U89 was brought in as a replacement for the U87, Neumann thought it would be accepted as such and that they could phase out the U87. This was an error on their part as people perceived the U87 as better since it was bigger. Then Neumann introduced the ai version as an "improvement" on the U87. Or so the stories go.
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22nd October 2012
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#25 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2010 Location: Hungary
Posts: 786
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Originally Posted by jdunn I can imagine Chevy getting a little wild in the studio back in the day. | No surprise there, he used to be a bodyguard for Paul Simon.  | |
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22nd October 2012
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#26 | | Gear nut
Joined: Oct 2012 Location: Bolivia - Chile
Posts: 106
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Ward Pike GermanDuranV was actually correct. The U89 was brought in as a replacement for the U87, Neumann thought it would be accepted as such and that they could phase out the U87. This was an error on their part as people perceived the U87 as better since it was bigger. Then Neumann introduced the ai version as an "improvement" on the U87. Or so the stories go. | Thanks Ward Pike!
I read a lot, for years on this, and I can confirm that what you say is correct.
Best regards
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22nd October 2012
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#27 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 1,136
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As mentioned above, the U89 and the newer U87Ai use the same amplifier board (or very close) and the circuit board on the U87Ai even says U89 on it. However, THEY USE TOTALLY DIFFERENT CAPSULES and sound quite different from each other. The U87 and U87Ai use a slightly larger (than the U89) CENTER TERMINATED capsule with a screw in the middle of the capsule to attach one of the electrical leads. The U89 uses a smaller (smaller than the U87) EDGE TERMINATED capsule with no center screw and electrical lead in the middle. It's the difference in the capsules which make the mics sound so different from each other. The same capsule used in the U89 is also used in the Neumann TLM 170 and TLM 193.
Of course there are no rules in recording, and you can and should experiment as your results may be different, but the U89 is most famous for use in classical recordings and the U87 is most famous as a vocal mic in pop/rock and a voice over (and radio broadcast) mic. The U89 is a lot flatter and sounds dull when compared the the U87 on a vocal. But again, there are no rules and I am sure you can find someone who got good results using the U87 on classical and the U89 on pop.
You can't bring up the U87 without getting a lot of comments about old original U87 mics (thay do NOT have the U89 circuit board but have an older circuit board with a place on one side for 2 batteries which could be used if phantom power was not available as was the case in the late 60's when ther U87 came out). The U87Ai was issued in 1986 (? I think) and it used the U89 circuit board and eliminated the batteries. The U87Ai has slightly higher output than the original U87 but less headrood.
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22nd October 2012
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#28 | | Gear nut
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 126
| Quote:
Originally Posted by seb37000 The u87 is "brighter", the u89 is "darker".
Depending on the source both are very nice.
I like the 89 on bass mostly | I have heard it said that the hi end detail on the U89 is really the only difference plus the polar patterns of coarse
And a few extra DBs of headroom or SPL handling capacities
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22nd October 2012
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#29 | | Gear nut
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 126
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Originally Posted by retrophonics U87ai = Fingernails on a chalkboard! | I own a U87ai and although I have never heard the original 87s or 89s
I can honestly say my U87ai does not sound like finger nails on a chalk board .
paired up with a good pre I found eqing the 87ai at times not even necessary to a great amount ,just a few small tweaks is all it really needs on allot of stuff..
If thats fingernails on a chalk board I want that in stereo please
I will take another 87ai for overheads
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22nd October 2012
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#30 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 639
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The U87ai is a fine mic. Use it with the right pre and it is stellar. There are some tests between vintage U87s and u87ais on youtube with industry experts. Surprisingly the majority preferred the U87ai over the 87. The U87ai gets dissed a lot on this site for some reason. There is no doubt you can record great music with it and it will perform well. It is a fantastic multi purpose mic. I use a pair of them all the time.
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