Neumann first introduced the U 47 microphone back in the late 1940s.
Back then the microphone utilized a Telefunken VF14 pentode tube, but once the company’s supply of these tubes ran dry Neumann had to look at alternative solutions to keep the product in its production line.
The Skinny: By the mid-1960s the company found a solution: an FET (field effect transistor) circuit design that enabled the company to keep production of the microphone going into the late 1960s before moving on to a newer product design (the U 48).
The Specs: As part of its AES show activities, Neumann has introduced a reissue of the U 47 FET called the “Collector’s Edition U 47 fet.” This limited production condenser microphone offers users a cardioid polar pattern and options that include a switchable low-cut filter that raises the low cut-off frequency from 40Hz to 140Hz, and switchable attenuation that reduces transmission levels by 10dB.
“Today many new musical currents are defining themselves through the possibilities of digital production technology. The relaunch of the U 47 FET now provides the opportunity of using epoch-making technologies from different decades side-by-side,” explains Wolfgang Fraissinet, president of Neumann.Berlin. “Vintage sounds meets the modern world [to] provide ideal conditions for the realization of new creative soundscapes.”
Click here to see the Collector’s Edition U 47 fet.
The microphone is said to produce a wide dynamic range through its FET 80 circuit design and double large-diaphragm capsule that provides a boost above 2kHz. The microphone ships in a wooden case with a certificate that indicates the product’s serial number, and is available through Sennheiser USA.
Solutions: The “Collector’s Edition U 47 fet” condenser microphone can be used for audio production, including music and broadcast.
