just got Neumann M147 in the mail...

[hazelmossobrien]

Ive only tested it on vocals, and don't hate it as much as everyone else on here, i got a good used price, but i certainly don't love it for $2600 new. my first impression is "huh, more obvious tube sound than expected" ...i also can see how this could be an awesome mic in some situations. but being as i only have a few high end microphones, i think i'll be selling it off. i need versatility first and foremost, i'd like to sell a couple mic's for a U87.

[JQ127]

Yeah the M147 is hated with a vengeance on GS. It gets used a lot in our studio though. Great outside the kick drum and works on vocals for a lot of singers. No it's not worth $2600 (I got mine for 1500) but once I got past all the hatred and tried it out I found it's a damn good mic. In the words of the immortal Fletcher-YMMV.

[hazelmossobrien]

i don't think i can keep it as a centerpiece of my LDC choices though, its sounds very nice, but my first impression is not that it will be versatile.

[BB3]

I have an M147. like it alot, but I agree the $2500 MSRP is way too much. I got mine for $1000. At that price it was well worth the investment. If you want versatile, it may not be the best choice though. I find it excels on airy vocals, especially females and airy layered BG vocals. Good for accoustic guitars, oboe too.

The things I find that are tricky about it is that it has a pretty huge proximity effect, so if your vocalist is loud or screaming and you need to get them a foot and a half or three off the mic, the further you go the more low end you lose. I usually head to a different mic for belting out really loud stuff because of this. It doesn't break up pretty either when over driven like some other tube mics.

I'm keeping mine, but if I only had to have one LDC it would probably be the C12 (the one here is just a lowly VR but it is still awesome). Street price on the reissues used is often in the same ball park as a U87.

[JPeters86]

I just used the M147 to track male vocals for an album (13 songs). Very pleased with the result. Bit overpriced though.

[LaChunkyStudio]

I bought my M147 for £550. For that price it is splendid. If I paid full price I am not so sure I would have been so pleased.

[hazelmossobrien]

Originally Posted by LaChunkyStudio

I bought my M147 for £550. For that price it is splendid. If I paid full price I am not so sure I would have been so pleased.

wow, you only paid a little over $700 for you m147? thats a great buy.

[roadsweeper]

Although this mic gets abused by a lot of people on here I used it on a couple of occasions on acoustic guitar and male vocals and got unbelievably good results. Then again I have tried using it in different situations where it has been quite poor.

Maybe not worth the price but still a great mic in my opinion.

[hazelmossobrien]

Originally Posted by roadsweeper

Although this mic gets abused by a lot of people on here I used it on a couple of occasions on acoustic guitar and male vocals and got unbelievably good results. Then again I have tried using it in different situations where it has been quite poor.

Maybe not worth the price but still a great mic in my opinion.

i tried it on guitar today briefly - it sounded horribly unclear and broken up when strumming, but it sounds REALLY nice with a warm tone when plucking.

[sound_music]

i don't post very often, but this is one thread i have to chime in on! all the hating going on with the new neumanns is unfounded.

i've got an m147 (and some other neumanns), and i think it's a great mic.
it's not the same sound as a "real" u47--it's its own animal--and it kills on acoustic instrumants and vocals.

sure, neumann (sennheiser) tried to cash in on the legacy of the original 47 models, they even copied the old grill design (it looks like a "mini" u47), and marketed the crap out of the fact that the thing has the same capsule (K47). but so what? IT'S A GREAT CAPSULE.

don't buy into all the audio-snob hype. the m147 sounds great.

as with all things in the studio, we need to use our ears to make decisions--not our eyes on a computer screen! (a biased post on GS is just as capable of misleading you as a digital meter on a plugin...)

ps - i do have one small gripe with the m147: would have liked to see a pad and a low cut filter included at this price. it does limit it's applications somewhat. high volume is not it's friend.

[roadsweeper]

Originally Posted by hazelmossobrien

i tried it on guitar today briefly - it sounded horribly unclear and broken up when strumming, but it sounds REALLY nice with a warm tone when plucking.

This is exactly what I found, too 'crunchy' and undefined when strumming but when used for picking it has been my favourite mic yet. I found that it gives a really nice transient feel to the strings without it sounding too toppy or thin. This coupled with a nice condenser on the neck really worked beautifully for me.

[hazelmossobrien]

Originally Posted by sound_music

i don't post very often, but this is one thread i have to chime in on! all the hating going on with the new neumanns is unfounded.

i've got an m147 (and some other neumanns), and i think it's a great mic.
it's not the same sound as a "real" u47--it's its own animal--and it kills on acoustic instrumants and vocals.

sure, neumann (sennheiser) tried to cash in on the legacy of the original 47 models, they even copied the old grill design (it looks like a "mini" u47), and marketed the crap out of the fact that the thing has the same capsule (K47). but so what? IT'S A GREAT CAPSULE.

don't buy into all the audio-snob hype. the m147 sounds great.

as with all things in the studio, we need to use our ears to make decisions--not our eyes on a computer screen! (a biased post on GS is just as capable of misleading you as a digital meter on a plugin...)

ps - i do have one small gripe with the m147: would have liked to see a pad and a low cut filter included at this price. it does limit it's applications somewhat. high volume is not it's friend.

yo man, i don't think anyone will deny that the M147 is a real nice mic! its price should be in the $1000 - $1500 range thats all...i think its stupid that we pay $1000 or more extra for the neumann badge. though neumann does not skimp on sexy design, great quality build, and nice shockmounts / storage boxes.