TLM 103 neuman

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The TLM103 is a fine sounding mic. I love mine. However, in all honestly, the studio projects C1 sounds better to my ears. Since buying a C1, I hardly touch the TLM103. The C1 really does sound like a mic that costs a lot more.
 
tubejay said:
...The C1 really does sound like a mic that costs a lot more.
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Speaking of which, I wish the C1 and other SP mics had been on the 3D Mic CD. The ADK A51 is on there, but not any SP stuff. :confused:
 
I have 5 different preamp sources. The TLM 103 is one of those mics that's peculiar with pres. It sounded great in one of them, OK in another, and not so good in the other three. All the other mics I have don't seem to mind which pre they're plugged into - they sound good to great in any of them.
 
Michael Jones said:
I have a pair of TLM 103's and a Studio Projects T3.
The 103's are great for a lot of stuff, I've even used it on vocals.
The T3 seems to excel at vocals though, especially female vocals.

But if I were looking for ONE good, all around vocal mike, in the $500 - $1000 range, I'd go for a Shure SM7 and save the balance.
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The Shure SM7 is one of my favorite mics too... and sometimes you can get good used ones for pretty cheap.
 
I've got to agree with the premise of these caliber of mics being very sensitive and reactive to the preamp. I was very unimpressed with the TLM103 through the board pres but more interested in its sound through a Langevin/Manley pre.The KSM44, on the other hand, tends to sound good under all conditions and would be my personal selection for the most usable/versatile single mic for a project/home studio owner.The 4060 is a very good mic and you should hear it through a ViPre.It seems to really get a lot of different and exquisite sounds when you mess with its input impedance.Much more than the other two.If a person owned an SM7,MD441,and one of these three LD's he/she would be set for mic's for quite a while.As for the TLM193, this is my favorite mic in the TLM line...Its great for my voice....Its darker and yet more detailed than the 103.The 87 is a Swiss-army-mic and never sounds 'bad'....
 
no one mentioned the Microtech gefell m930. this mic is almost identical to the tlm103 and is cheaper. I have never used the tlm103 but i have used the m930 and i absolutly loved it. It uses the original neumann m7 capsule made precisely how georg neumann specified. Unlike the neumanns of today which specs have been changed by sennheiser.
 
SureShotStudio said:
no one mentioned the Microtech gefell m930. this mic is almost identical to the tlm103 and is cheaper. I have never used the tlm103 but i have used the m930 and i absolutly loved it. It uses the original neumann m7 capsule made precisely how georg neumann specified. Unlike the neumanns of today which specs have been changed by sennheiser.
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The M930 is similar to the TLM103, and it is better all around. It does not use the M7 capsule, but uses a different single Mylar membrane capsule designed by Microtech Gefell. The street price is higher too.
 
sdelsolray said:
It does not use the M7 capsule, but uses a different single Mylar membrane capsule designed by Microtech Gefell. The street price is higher too.
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ok my bad i thought i had an m7 capsule.... here in holland the m930 is cheaper than a tlm103.
 
SureShotStudio said:
ok my bad i thought i had an m7 capsule.... here in holland the m930 is cheaper than a tlm103.
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The UM70s has the M& capsule. a really wonderful mic, but I think the price is a bit higher than the 103 as well.
 
Now that we're sailing headlong off-topic (kind of) would anyone like to make a list of Neumanns and their MG equivalents for those of us who don't have clue 1?

Average prices (in $s, £s or €s) would be nice too :)
 
Mark7 said:
Now that we're sailing headlong off-topic (kind of) would anyone like to make a list of Neumanns and their MG equivalents for those of us who don't have clue 1?

Average prices (in $s, £s or €s) would be nice too :)
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Interesting question. There are certainly mics between the two companies that are similar, yet different, and there are mics that are rather different. Here's my thoughts on mics that are somewhat similar (though still different):

Neumann TLM103 - Gefell M930
Neumann TLM170 - Gefell UMT800
Neumann U89 - Gefell M70s
Neumann KM184 - Gefell M300
Neumann M147 - Gefell M990 (or M92.1s)
Neumann M149 - Gefell UM 92.1s (or UM900)

Other copmparisons might be made.
 
Just in case anyone wants to know, here's Sdelsolray's list with prices

1: In £ sterling

Neumann TLM103: £596.76 - Gefell M930: £514.66
Neumann TLM170: £1,434.98 - Gefell UMT800: £1,041.05
Neumann U87ai: £1,190 - Microtech Gefell UMT70: £675
Neumann U89: £1,394.27 - Gefell UMT800: £1,041.05
Neumann KM184: £428.82 - Gefell M300: £362.19
Neumann M147: £1,312.18 - Gefell M990: £1,163.13 (or M92.1s: £1,102.45)
Neumann M149: £2,443.60 - Gefell UM 92.1s: £1,408.07 (or UM900: £1,836.50)

2: In US $s

Neumann TLM103: $1,161.54 - Gefell M930: $1001.75
Neumann TLM170: $2793.07 - Gefell UMT800: $2026.32
Neumann U87ai: $2,793.07 - Microtech Gefell UMT70: $1,311.94
Neumann U89: $2713.84 - Gefell UMT800: $2,026.34
Neumann KM184: $833.89 - Gefell M300: $704.98
Neumann M147: $2554.05 - Gefell M990: $2264.00 (or M92.1s: $2145.83)
Neumann M149: $4756.28 - Gefell UM 92.1s: $2740.70 (or UM900: $3574.59 )

Biggest savings are at the higher end
 
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Mark7 said:
Just in case anyone wants to know, here's Sdelsolray's list with prices

1: In £ sterling

Neumann TLM103: £596.76 - Gefell M930: £514.66
Neumann TLM170: £1,434.98 - Gefell UMT800: £1,041.05
Neumann U89: £1,394.27 - Gefell M70s: £
Neumann KM184: £428.82 - Gefell M300: £362.19
Neumann M147: £1,312.18 - Gefell M990: £1,163.13 (or M92.1s: £1,102.45)
Neumann M149: £2,443.60 - Gefell UM 92.1s: £1,408.07 (or UM900: £1,836.50)

2: In US $s

Neumann TLM103: $1,161.54 - Gefell M930: $1001.75
Neumann TLM170: $2793.07 - Gefell UMT800: $2026.32
Neumann U89: $2713.84 - Gefell M70s: $
Neumann KM184: $833.89 - Gefell M300: $704.98
Neumann M147: $2554.05 - Gefell M990: $2264.00 (or M92.1s: $2145.83)
Neumann M149: $4756.28 - Gefell UM 92.1s: $2740.70 (or UM900: $3574.59 )

Biggest savings are at the higher end
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Hey thanks Sdelsolray and Mark7... very interesting.
 
More

Neumann KM183: £448.43 - Microtech Gefell M270: £453.95
Neumann KM184: £428.22 - Microtech Gefell M200: £453.95
Neumann KM185: £448.43 - Microtech Gefell M210: £465.68

Neumann KM183: $872.83 - Microtech Gefell M270: $883.58
Neumann KM184: $833.89 - Microtech Gefell M200: $883.58
Neumann KM185: $872.83 - Microtech Gefell M210: $906.41

Neumann score the price war victory in this field. But only just.
 
Flatpicker said:
These may be similar in design, but they sound very different on the 3D Mic CD.
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Yeah, they're different, but they're the closest when comparing Neumanns to Gefells. Actually, their designs have several differences too. Capsules are different. The Gefell uses their proprietary DC optical decoupler and some ceramic parts (instead of metal). The 930 is smaller and not quite as hot, outputwise. The M930's HF "presence" bump is not as wide or pronounced and the TLM 103.
 
Maybe the M900 would be a better comparison for the TLM103 ;)
 
Flatpicker said:
My suggestion…
Before throwing $1000 at a mic just because it’s on sale at GC, invest $45 in this CD:
http://www.3daudioinc.com/mics.html

No, it’s not the definitive answer to all things, but it’s a great resource for answering these type of questions. All of the mentioned mics are on here in both male and female versions. I can’t post samples because it would violate copyright laws and such, but I can give my humble opinions based on listening to the CD –

First a word about the vocals. The female vocal is a very pleasant, middle of the road voice – not a soprano, but not an alto either. Somewhere in the middle. Silky smooth, too. The male voice is also middle of the road pitch wise, but very, very raspy. I keep wanting him to clear his throat. At first listen, I wondered why they would use a voice like this for a mic demo, but the more I study it, I realize it’s a great contrast to the female vocal. What sounds good on him doesn’t usually sound good on her and vice-versa.
Now the mics…
The TLM 103 is lifeless on the female vocal, but sounds decent on the male vocal – not great, mind you, but very useable. The Gefell, on the other hand, was just opposite – sounded very good on female but was kind of thin on the male (I know this probably doesn’t make sense, but that’s the way it sounds). The KSM44 sounded great on both as did the AT4060, with the KSM44 being a little darker (certainly not brassy) and the AT4060 having a little more (very smooth!) highs while maintaining a slightly clearer low end. Of the mics mentioned and based on this CD, I’d beg, borrow, or steal to get an AT4060. If not that, I’d go for the KSM44.
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These type of CDs are useless as the proof is in the *mix* and *not* standalone recordings. If you want to record 1 voice, then almost any of the mics will do a good job. It is when a song is mixed that the pricier mics will shine (and yes, the TLM103 shines in a mix very well).
 
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