thread is cloooosed by mod.

[Telefunken USA]

We are now shipping our new M80 dynamic microphone. Check it out Telefunken | USA M80 Mic. This is a great sounding microphone with lots of gain before feedback (plus cool packaging). Priced at $229. We will be having a great promotion for it starting Summer NAMM.

[George Necola]

where is it made=?

[tony666]

Originally Posted by George Necola

where is it made=?

Not in Germany...

[jeep]

hmm..

[bee]

Originally Posted by George Necola

where is it made=?

I wouldn't expect Telefunken USA to give you a answer on this one. I asked 5 times on another thread where the m260 was made and they never responded.

[Telefunken USA]

Originally Posted by George Necola

where is it made=?

Why does it matter?

[Slaytex]

Originally Posted by Telefunken USA

Why does it matter?

No offense, but I think that is a perfectly valid question. I like to support my country if I can help it. That doesn't mean your product is better or worse than anything else.

[Telefunken USA]

Originally Posted by Slaytex

No offense, but I think that is a perfectly valid question. I like to support my country if I can help it. That doesn't mean your product is better or worse than anything else.

None taken, and I understand that it could be perfectly valid question. But I can think of plenty of better questions that could have been asked. For example:

How does it sound?
How rugged is it?
How loud can you get it before it feeds back in the monitors?
What makes it different from something like an SM58?
Just to name a few...

Instead, the first thing that someone asks is "where is it made," like it's some kind of interrogation, like the spotlight is on me. Well, I'm not going to say where it is made. Not because we have something to hide, but because I'm tired of being asked the same question. So, I have decided I'm not going to answer that question about any of our mics. If someone really wants to know, call me up or send me an email. I'll gladly get back to you.

Now, does anyone have any other questions?

[George Necola]

yeah, I have one.

where is it made?

... sorry man, but what is your problem? tell me it's made in china, and I will take notes, and never ask again.

telefunken USA just bought the brand and some old tubes and I have 0 problem with that.

Oliver is a very nice guy, and very knowledged! he gave me good tips in the past trough PSW and he also just bought a name (TAB-Funkenwerk).

...and some guys even modify SM57..

cheers & please don't take this as an offense.

[George Necola]

and to take the spotlight from you..

ask Klaus from ADAM where his monitor-housings come from, or Fletcher with his KM-69..

I have ZERO problem with that. It has to sound good. that is the most important thing, second it has to work on a particular source.

cheers

btw. I am a big CharterOak-fan myself, and they use Asianparts for some reason.. to keep the price low and deliver the best sound for the money I know so far.

[Telefunken USA]

Check your PM

[rghose]

Hi Ian,

I have a couple questions:

1. What's with the white noise bursts on the website? It's seriously annoying.

2. Can you characterize the sound of the microphone in reference to other popular dynamic mics? Is the microphone inspired by any particular microphone or is it a brand new design from the ground up?

It looks good, btw.

Thanks!

[bee]

Originally Posted by Telefunken USA

None taken, and I understand that it could be perfectly valid question. But I can think of plenty of better questions that could have been asked. For example:

How does it sound?
How rugged is it?
How loud can you get it before it feeds back in the monitors?
What makes it different from something like an SM58?
Just to name a few...

Instead, the first thing that someone asks is "where is it made," like it's some kind of interrogation, like the spotlight is on me. Well, I'm not going to say where it is made. Not because we have something to hide, but because I'm tired of being asked the same question. So, I have decided I'm not going to answer that question about any of our mics. If someone really wants to know, call me up or send me an email. I'll gladly get back to you.

Now, does anyone have any other questions?

If potential customers keep asking you the same question and you don't have anything to hide...why don't you just post the info on your website so that you will no longer have to answer the question? It seems like a extremely valid question to alot of your potential customers or else they wouldnt be asking it all the time. The above statement is bad PR in my book. I think most people would agree that they have the right to know where a product they want to purchase is being made.

[OldTimey]

your mic looks cool. but your website implementation is hideous! Sliced images and tables? really? it looks so silly loading up.

[Telefunken USA]

Originally Posted by rghose

Hi Ian,

I have a couple questions:

1. What's with the white noise bursts on the website? It's seriously annoying.

2. Can you characterize the sound of the microphone in reference to other popular dynamic mics? Is the microphone inspired by any particular microphone or is a brand new design from the ground up?

It looks good, btw.

Thanks!

Ah... The website. Well, the little burst of White noise is actually the sound of a fuse. However, once you click on the link, the next page loads almost immediately, so there is not enough time for the full fuse sound to play, which I agree makes the site annoying. Let me back up a little bit. The website that is up there currently, is not the finished website. The real website (which should be live in a couple of days) is a completely flash based website. This one is a basic HTML site with some flash buttons (the reason for this is because of a slight misunderstanding between myself and the website designer). Give it a couple of days and the real one should be up and running and everything should make sense.

Now, as far as the M80 sounds... I really like it. It is not designed to emulate anything, it is a brand new design that is a collaboration between AMI/TAB-Funkenwerk and us. First, it seems to be the most rugged handheld mic I've ever seen, like you could pound a nail into a 2 x 4 with this thing (which I wouldn't recommend trying). It is slightly thicker than most corded handhelds, but not quite as thick as most wireless mics. This makes it very comfortable to hold. Sonically, the M80 seems to have cuts and boosts in all the right places. It's more open than something like a 58, but it's not overly sibilant or harsh. From my experience, it tends to require little to no EQ to get it to fit into the mix, and it has worked well on everyone that I have heard it on. One additional thing that I like about it is it's gain before feedback. I haven't run into a feedback problem with it yet, and it's been used with loud monitors in all sorts of different venues. Also, we have had a few beta versions on the road with some artists that we trust, and we have gotten a lot of very positive feedback. Feel free to ask any other questions and I'll gladly answer them.

[bee]

Originally Posted by Telefunken USA

Feel free to ask any other questions and I'll gladly answer them.

Please see my post above and answer my questions. It would be appreciated.

[Telefunken USA]

Originally Posted by OldTimey

your mic looks cool. but your website implementation is hideous! Sliced images and tables? really? it looks so silly loading up.

The website that is up currently is a temporary website. The real website is really sleek and functions a lot better. I agree that the temp site looks silly when it loads. Give it a couple of days and the real one should be up and running. We are a bit behind schedule because of a miscommunication between myself and the designer (he thought that I just wanted flash buttons instead of a completely flash-based site). Again, give it a couple of days.

[Telefunken USA]

Originally Posted by bee

If potential customers keep asking you the same question and you don't have anything to hide...why don't you just post the info on your website so that you will no longer have to answer the question? It seems like a extremely valid question to alot of your potential customers or else they wouldnt be asking it all the time. The above statement is bad PR in my book. I think most people would agree that they have the right to know where a product they want to purchase is being made.

They ask the question because of the original M16, which if you want to know the real story behind that, call me up and I'll tell you.

[bee]

Originally Posted by Telefunken USA

Instead, the first thing that someone asks is "where is it made," like it's some kind of interrogation, like the spotlight is on me. Well, I'm not going to say where it is made. Not because we have something to hide, but because I'm tired of being asked the same question. So, I have decided I'm not going to answer that question about any of our mics. If someone really wants to know, call me up or send me an email. I'll gladly get back to you.

Now, does anyone have any other questions?

No one on this thread mentioned the original M16.

Why would anyone buy a microphone from a company that refuses the let the public know where it's being manufactured on a public forum?


What are you going to do when people keep asking how the mic sounds?
Are you going to tell them to call you or send you a email because you're too tired of being asked the same question.

[cww2]

I'm not really that interested in where it's made - but how it sounds and the durability for a stage mic.

My question would be - what about this mic will I like better than my Beta 58, which I like quite a bit?

Thanks.

[audiothings]

From my experience, it tends to require little to no EQ to get it to fit into the mix, and it has worked well on everyone that I have heard it on.

the frequency response graph scares me a bit. it seems to be at least 10 dB down @ 100 Hz, and theres quite a bit of presence boost happening above 3K. makes me think its intended for heavy rock music, more than anything else. This "fit into the mix" thing comes into play only when you have stuff trying to occupy the same space, like electric guitars and vocals in heavy rock music.

of course i know that the graph can be deceptive and it might actually sound great in use (when the proximity effect kicks in or whatever), i'm just reacting to the information presented.

[PMoshay]

It's so weird how people are "Made In China" Phobic.

Apple products have been made in China for a long time now, as well as Vietnam & Malaysa.........nobody seems worried about it.

Since when is made in Germany a guarantee of ultimate quality?

Just like it has to be old to be good......... nobody knows how to make any good audio gear anymore, especially Chinese people.

[pedrodash]

Wtf, it's a new Telefunken mic and It's cheap, I'll buy it.

[BenJah]

So I'm assuming it's made in China.....

[Slaytex]

Where it's made isn't the point. Being shady & hiding basic information from your potential customers is complete BS and is all I need to dismiss them from my future purchases. Also some people like to support their local economy by buying things made in their country if possible. Like I said earlier just because it's made in China or not doesn't mean it's a good or bad product.
Sorry if Ian from Tele is having a bad day, but at this rate he should not be allowed to be doing PR work for his company as it's making them look bad IMO. The past is the past, but you have to take accountability for your actions.

[bee]

Originally Posted by Slaytex

Where it's made isn't the point. Being shady & hiding basic information from your potential customers is complete BS and is all I need to dismiss them from my future purchases. Also some people like to support their local economy by buying things made in their country if possible. Like I said earlier just because it's made in China or not doesn't mean it's a good or bad product.
Sorry if Ian from Tele is having a bad day, but at this rate he should not be allowed to be doing PR work for his company as it's making them look bad IMO. The past is the past, but you have to take accountability for your actions.

Well said. I agree 100% with this post.

[Telefunken USA]

Originally Posted by audiothings

the frequency response graph scares me a bit. it seems to be at least 10 dB down @ 100 Hz, and theres quite a bit of presence boost happening above 3K. makes me think its intended for heavy rock music, more than anything else. This "fit into the mix" thing comes into play only when you have stuff trying to occupy the same space, like electric guitars and vocals in heavy rock music.

of course i know that the graph can be deceptive and it might actually sound great in use (when the proximity effect kicks in or whatever), i'm just reacting to the information presented.

You are exactly right. Once proximity effect kicks in, the mic starts to even out. Like I said before, we have had a lot of positive responses for bands from all types of genres.

[Telefunken USA]

Like I said, we have nothing to hide. With that said, the M80 is a combination of parts that come from America and overseas.

[Duardo]

It looks almost identical to Heil's PR20...

I also find the responses to inquiries about where the microphone is manufactured odd...especially since it says on the website "Telefunken products are meticulously handcrafted in the USA"...

[Telefunken USA]

Originally Posted by Duardo

It looks almost identical to Heil's PR20...

Actually, if you see it in real life, it looks nothing like a PR-20 (except that they are both handheld mics and are black and chrome). Believe me, I have a PR-20. For one thing, the M80 is considerably thicker in size. The headgrill is shorter and the wire mesh is thicker. Also, the bottom of the M80 is sort of triangular. It also weighs a bit more than the PR-20 does. Once the finished website is up, there will be additional pictures of the mic and it should give you a better idea of what it looks like.