U87 on a German beer budget

C

CCS

New member
I received the TLM 103 today.

First off, the case is superbly crafted and is much nicer than the jewel case my TLM 170 came in. Go figure. When you reverse the foam compartment on the right side, it produces a nice fitted compartment, suitable for a second mic.

I ran it through several pres and it definately has a lot of output, so I found myself backing off my favorite pre settings. The first thing that struck me is that it has a dark sonic quality to it, just like the U87, along with a flat response, except for the bump near 5 kHz. Uncolored sound is the best way to describe this mic, with a solid bottom, and nothing to wild on the top end.

For me, it sounds very much like a U87 in cardiod, but without the extras. It's a very smooth mic and the highs are somewhat controlled, which probably accounts for its darker sonic quality. This is a good thing, though it's too early to draw conclusions.

So far, I like what I hear.
 
Surprisingly, my MXL V76 tube mic rivals the TLM 103. The TLM 103 requires aprrox a 4db boost on the top end to match the crispness of the V76. I got to tell you, both are exceptional mics, with the build quality going to the Neumann, of course. Kudos to MXL for producing a real winner with the V76 and for Neumann for breaking out with a budget U87, with a very sweet low end and smooth top end.

Between the two mics, I find myself leaning toward the darker tonal quality of the TLM 103. Very nice. I also recommend the V76 for those of you on an "American beer budget", as opposed to the German one. It's that good.

Back to work.
 
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