Georg Neumann Microphones; The Sound of Perfection

Georg Neumann introduced the world’s first commercially available condenser microphone, the Neumann CMV, and officially put his new company Neumann on the map. The interchangeable capsules offered different directional patterns, and it was hard to miss at 40 cm tall and 9cm in diameter. Due its large profile it became known as the “Neumann bottle.” The easily recognizable CMV 3 is often seen in historical photographs of public events in Germany, many taken during World War II.

After the Neumann factory in Berlin was damaged by Allied bombing in November 1943, Georg Neumann moved his company to the town of Gefell and resumed production in the early months of 1944. After the close of World War II, Gefer was taken by the Soviets and Neumann became a state owned and operated “people’s corporation.After the reunification of Germany, the Neumann company now located in Gefell became known as Microtech Gefell.

After re-establishing his company in one of the allied sectors of Berlin under the new name Georg Neumann GmbH, a new switchable pattern microphone was developed, the famous U 47, which was based on the M7 capsule of the previous CMV3 microphones. One of the first condenser microphones to be widely accepted, the U47, was used in recording studios around the world. Neumann microphones were used by The Beatles giving their recording a signature sound which had better upper midrange response, and sounded sharper and more present.

Post-war, Neumann developed the famous M49 and M50, both of which used the M7 capsule, and later during the 50’s the KM 53, 54, and 56. In 1957 Neumann introduced the first stero microphone, which was essentially a pair of KM56 microphones housed in the same body and capable of being remotely controllled. Many 50’s rock ‘n roll recordings were distinguished by the up close, high volume, overdriven sound of the U47 and U48, which produced a harsh sound, loved by some and frowned upon by others. Just as this trend was developing, the VF 14 vacuum tube was discontinued by its manufacturer Telefunken, leaving the U47 and U48 without an essential component, which led to the development of the subsequent U67.

The first Neumann solid state microphones apeared in the mid-sixties with the KTM and U77, which were transistorized versions of previous Neumann microphones. In 1966 the Neumann U87 capacitor microphone employed the phantom power method which had been used for years by telephone systems, allowing Neumann tube, solid state and dynamic microphones to all e connected to the same power supplies.

Neumann introduced the TLM 170 in the 80’s, which featured no output transformer, and instead had balanced outputs. The transformerless microphone design was expanded to include the KM100 which featured seven different changeable active capsules, the TLM 193 which used the capsule of the U89 and TLM 170, the KM 180 series, the TLM 103 large diaphragm condenser, the variable pattern TLM 127 variable pattern condenser and the TLM 49 cardiod vocal microphone.

During the 90’s, Neumann introduced a revolutionary series of vacuum tube microphones that featured transformerless output circuitry.Widely sought after still today, the Neumann M149 tube microphone, the M147 cardioid tube microphone and the M 150 tube microphone, are all based on the M 50 design that was developed with the pressure transducer mounted directly on the surface of the sphere inside the capsule head. The iconic Neumann company was bought by Sennheiser in 1991, and production was moved to a brand new level 100 clean factory in Wedermark, but official Neumann headquarters remained in Berlin.

In 2003 Neumann revolutionized the recording industry again with the Solution-D D-01, which features built-in analog-to-digital conversion. The D-01 was followed a few years later by a modular, small-diaphragm series of digital microphones, the KM D which was based on the earlier KM 100/180 series. During this time Neumann also began production of its very first dynamic microphone, the BCM 705 broadcast microphone.

Since the beginning, Neumann microphones have remained synonymous with quality and signature models like the Neumann U87 have become unmistakable icons of the recording studio. For artists, producers and engineers alike, a Neumann microphone represents the highest level of sonic perfection and innovation.

Tagged with: audio • hobbies • microphones • music • pro audio • Product Reviews • recording • shopping • sound engineering

Filed under: Product Reviews

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!