This is a review of the NEUMANN U87ai.
I just bought another new one!
This is the third U87 I’ve owned in total.
The 87 is the one of best. What a great sound!
So, here’s the review.
NEUMANN U87 is the most powerful reference microphone!
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably already familiar with the NEUMANN U87, which is the most powerful reference microphone available.
“When in doubt, come back here!”such a mic.
If you do that, you can do most of the recording.
But it’s very expensive. I’m in tears.
I had to sell off a lot of equipment to get it.
For the history of the U87 and its general origins, please refer to the other article!
There are three types of U87 model numbers depending on the era.
- NEUMANN U87
- NEUMANN U87i
- NEUMANN U87ai
Each new model has an additional symbol at the end.
The one I bought this time is the newest current U87ai.
I’ll write more about it later, but buying a used U87 is a bit risky.
It is expensive, but I would definitely choose a new one.
I’ll tell you why later.
Open the box!
The box.
My heart is pounding from this moment on.
What’s with the logo? Is it too cool?
Half a turn!
Oh, I get excited just looking at the label!
Inside the box, a crate!
Only a simple instruction manual and warranty card are included.
By the way, Neumann was acquired by Sennheiser quite some time ago.
It’s a little sad to remember.
Even the wooden box is engraved!
Open…!
Oh,it looks as dignified as ever….(`･ω･´)
The mesh is very fine.
Directionality can be selected in three levels by sliding the switch to the left or right.
Unidirectional. This mode picks up sound only from the front.
Omni-directional. A mode that picks up sound from all directions.
Bidirectional. Mode that picks up sound from front and rear.
There are also two switches on the back.
PAD switch. Turn it on when you want to receive high volume.
But I don’t do that because it scares me….
A switch that cuts the lows. Sometimes used for singing, depending on the environment.
Neumann badge!
There is a “do not throw away” mark on the trash can.
I wouldn’t throw it away(´◔౪◔)◞
Try to record it.
So I immediately tried to record an acoustic guitar to check the operation.
The stock suspension is too expensive (sold separately), so I diverted the one I had.
The holder for the MXL R144 (ribbon mic) was perfect.
NEUMANN ( ノイマン ) / EA87 サウンドハウス
Here is the stock suspension.
The price is enough to buy another piece of equipment (lunacy).
I wanted to compare it with other microphones, so I also used two other microphones I have.
NEUMANN M149 for life.
And the MXL V67G.
This is an introductory condenser microphone which is said to be a copy of U87.
The price is less than $100, but it is very popular and well-received.
It seems to be popular to modify it to make it more like the U87.
Recording terms and conditions
I recorded two tracks of acoustic guitar.
Microphone preamp is WARM AUDIO WA76.
The audio interface is an ANTELOPE AUDIO Discrete 8 Synergy Core.
No comps, no EQ, no plug-ins on the tracks.
I only use faders to adjust the volume.
Only the rhythm is a LOGIC X loop.
So let’s listen and compare!
NEUMANN U87
NEUMANN M149
MXL V67G
impressions
Wow! I knew the NEUMANN sound was really good!
NEUMANN ( ノイマン ) / U87Ai サウンドハウス
The thickness of the sound, the way the air shakes, the depth of the sound, all can be heard with ease.
It’s very important to be able to work on a mix with peace of mind.
But the MXL V67G also sounds better than I expected….
It’s a great value for money, considering the 30-50x price difference.
The V67G is a great mic, but it’s not as convincing as the NEUMANN mic.
Even the U87 and the M149 have different sonic characters, as one would expect!
Both are great, but the U87 feels a little more comped. It’s like the sound is already coherent, like it’s squeezing out the good parts.
The mid-range expression is just superb.
The M149 is like a tube mic, it’s got a three-dimensional feel to it, but it also has a wide range up and down!
NEUMANN ( ノイマン ) / M149 Tube サウンドハウス
It’s not unpleasant at all, even though the high notes are extended. And the sound image is huge.
The name “flagship” is not a bad thing.
Hmmm, all three of them are winners(´◔౪◔)◞(´⊙౪⊙)۶(`･ω･´)!!!
NEUMANN U87 is recommended for
Neumann microphones are basically a nice set of default sounds.
And it eliminates the process of tweaking plug-ins as much as possible (depending on the genre).
The U87 is the most Neumann-like sound, isn’t it?
I think so.
The U87 is a reference position microphone among Neumann microphones.
The midrange expression is really exquisite.
The U87 is recommended for all computer music users, as long as the budget allows it!
The quality of the sound will go up at once, and the effectiveness of plug-ins will change completely.
I especially want you to use it for voice recording!
I’m a hopelessly bad singer, so unfortunately I can’t upload a file of me singing, but…
I did a test recording with my voice, and it was great!
Even though I’m not very good at it, the sound quality and the position of my voice was great ( ･ὢ･ )b!!
I can’t complain about anything except the price.
It’s not all about value for money.
NEUMANN U87 is an expensive microphone,…
To be honest, value for money is bad, isn’t it?
However, it’s also true that music production will reach its limits if you only think about cost.
In this respect, the U87 is a microphone that will surely give you a return beyond value for money!
You can take an overwhelmingly shortcut to your destination.
If you’re buying used, be cautious!
And as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, if you’re buying used, be cautious!
I’m writing about the same thing here.
I made a mistake when I bought a used U87….
I really wanted a U87, so I bid on it to get it as cheap as possible.
I bought it to get a good price, but the mic highs were over.
In addition, the mid-low part of the sound was also blurred.
I was going to recording studio a lot at the time, so I compared it to the U87 there, but it was too bad one.
Yes, sir.
It makes sound, but it’s degraded!
The worst deal of all.
It does make sound, so it is indeed a working product…
The other party is not lying, so there is no way to return it.
- There are dents in the casing.
- It’s being sold by a non-music-related vendor.
- It looks old and rusty.
- It has what looks like a sticker on it.
- It says it was used in a studio.
This is the kind of thing you should try to avoid!
Items not tested for operation are out of the question. You definitely don’t want to do this!
Condenser microphones are very sensitive, so if the unit is damaged, the sound is likely to be damaged as well.
The ones in recording studios are used in a harshly way.
I don’t know how they were used, and in some cases the assistants put them in baskets in a messy manner when cleaning up.
Surprisingly, I believe that microphones used in studios are dangerous.
If you’re buying used,
- Items that have been purchased new by a private seller and have been owned by one person.
- If possible, the item should have a warranty that is still valid.
- At the very least, it should look very clean.
I would recommend taking care of these points!
Even used U87’s are expensive!
This is why I always buy my microphones new.
Only vintage ones are a gamble, because you can’t buy them new.
I try to buy from accounts that I can trust as much as possible.
summary
I was most enthusiastic about the used microphone crap at the end.
That’s how frustrated I’ve been with U87 in the past, so… forgive me!
I’d like to get a suspension one of these days.
Let’s work hard….
So, that was my review of using the best “reference mic,” the NEUMANN U87!
I’m sure it will appear in future articles on this site as a sound source for equipment comparison(´◔౪◔)◞
I hope you will be able to refer to the sound quality comparison there as well.
Thank you for reading to the end!
