Telefunken USA Ela M-260 Tube Mic

[3daudioinc]

I had the privilege of trying out Telefunken USA's new entry into the SDC field during the last few sessions I've done. I'll say one thing for this mic. It is a beautiful package.

My first impression when I opened the cardboard box was "This is a lot of stuff." In addition to the mic, there's a power suppy, associated cables, nice shock mount and a little plastic bag full of goodies. Those goodies are a hypercardioid capsule and an omnidirectional capsule, in addition to the cardioid that's on the mic itself, along with an adapter that will allow the use of any AKG 451-style threaded capsules to be used with this body/amp. That list of additional capsules also includes many lollipop-style heads that are available from Red (sister company to BLUE) and features capsules designed to sound like a C-12, Neumann M-50, U47 and others. But I digress.

The microphone itself comes in an oak case that will immediately remind you (if you've ever had the luxury of handling a vintage C12) of a miniature version of the AKG C-12 case, satin lining and all. The finish on the mic is a glossy paint in the original sea-foam green that mirrors the finish of an original Telefunken Ela M251. Or the newer Telefunken USA 251. The chrome on the head is very bright and the overall feel is one of very high quality. Though I had this mic on trial, I can imagine the pride that a new owner would feel when first pulling it out of the case. It's nothing like opening a zippered bag or a plastic box. It makes a great first impression. The pictures that you'll see at the Telefunken site don't do it justice. The business end of the head, where the diaphragm resides, is gold in color and just looks expensive, unlike what I'm used to seeing in lots of other mics that are surfacing recently.

The power supply is also very well built, sturdy and looks like it could have been built 40 years ago. The crinkle-coated case with red power lamp looks exactly like the vintage U67 supplies that I've seen all my life, even down to the size and shape of the ventilation holes. A lot of attention to detail is evident. The power supply is matched to the mic, sharing the same serial number.

It also came with something I've not seen in a while. A personalized frequency response graph. Of this very mic, not a generic plot of "a mic." This one identified the mic by serial number and also which capsule was tested. As you can see in the picture below red is omni, green is cardioid, and blue is hypercard. I did mention that it comes with all three capsules right? That's a big deal. There are lots of tube cardioid SDCs on the market out there and the manufacturer may gladly supply you with alternate capsules for a price. This package includes all the capsules for one price. I was very impressed by that.

I know the question that's coming. How do the capsules compare to each other? Honestly, I don't know. My time with the mics was limited to a few studio days with a blistering rapid-fire pace of tracking, orchestral overdubs and singing and the opportunities that I had to use them all called for the cardioid capsules, so I never had the opportunity to try the other two out. Sorry.

Speaking of the frequency response charts, I was fascinated to see how UNflat these mics (with hypercardioid heads) really are. I was not put off by that at all. I don't typically look at graphs and let my ears decide which mics sound like what and then match those sonic characteristics in my head to the instruments I'm recording. So I wasn't troubled at all by the waviness of the line on the graph. One thing I did notice though, since I had two mics (serial numbers 48 and 49) was that the two mics were similar but not identical according to the graphs. Would a 2-3 dB difference at 700 Hz between the mics make a difference in a two-mic stereo recording? I bet it would. Did I notice it in any of my studio recordings? No, I did not. But if I was planning on using them as a main stereo pair for recording orchestra or ensembles, I would be inclined to ask about stereo matching of the mics.

In use, I found the mics to sound very nice, with a clear top end that was not exaggerated at all. It didn't seem soft or rolled off at all (which I might have expected if I'd looked at the graphs first) and I was very impressed with the sound of this pair. I used them on drum overheads, percussion, choir, and strings. In my next installment, I'll provide audio samples and tell you my impressions for each of those applications. So stay tuned.

[3daudioinc]

Here's a link to some of those optional mic heads made by RED. LDC omnis, LDC cardioids, etc.

http://www.vintagemicrophone.com/JSh...d23e896af84197

[maxman]

OK, enough of the baiting.

So what did you use them on, and what did they sound like?

[PookyNR]

Interesting. That's quite a cut at 2k...

I'm also curious, what did they sound like? I have a feeling they probably sounded quite nice.

[3daudioinc]

I'm also curious, what did they sound like?

Pretty darn sweet.

I'm tied up the rest of the day but will try to finish and post samples within the next day or so.

Actually, I already did do one set of samples. Here they are.

These are made with the M260s overhead at about 9' with both mounted on a stereo bar. Here's a picture. You can see the gold color of the front of the heads in this picture.



I used them as overhead mics for a string section that was 7-2-2, with players seated in an orchestral arrangement, mics at conductor's perspective with violins left and celli right.

The first sample is just the M260s, this sample is with the strings doubled but the two mics are panned hard left and right for both passes. These use the Millennia Media HV-3D preamp. Completely dry.

http://www.3daudioinc.com/clips/260strings.wav

The second sample also includes the spot mics blended in and the reverb so that you can hear the final result as it sounded in the mix.

http://www.3daudioinc.com/clips/260strings+.wav

I was very pleased with the results. They were airy without being scratchy and yielded a very satisfying sound.

[ADDENDUM: Observant listeners who read all the posts here will have the satisfaction of hearing the rall. in the violas which we discussed just last week. -LF]

[PookyNR]

Very nice....!

I was very pleased with the results. They were airy without being scratchy and yielded a very satisfying sound.

I'm guessing that the cut at 2k helped with that...

So are you going to add them to your collection?

[Stephen Bright]

Here is a GS thread with some interesting info (compared favorably to a km84) -- along with some heated debate on the naming convention:

http://tinyurl.com/359e75

I'm adding this to my want list of modern tube mics for tracking ac. guitar.

Stephen

[3daudioinc]

I'm adding this to my want list of modern tube mics for tracking ac. guitar.

Well, I'll tell you one sample that I did NOT get but wanted badly. On the second rhythm date, I took the 260s off the overheads even though I loved them there and put one on the setup for acoustic guitar alongside a KM84 so I could record both. Six hours and four songs later, no acoustic guitar on any of the songs. All electric.

Oh well....

[pickboy]

They look beautiful and sound fantastic too, thank you Lynn for sharing with us ... I'd like to buy a pair ... It's just .. you know .... how many 000 ?

[Dave Martin]

Well, I'll tell you one sample that I did NOT get but wanted badly. On the second rhythm date, I took the 260s off the overheads even though I loved them there and put one on the setup for acoustic guitar alongside a KM84 so I could record both. Six hours and four songs later, no acoustic guitar on any of the songs. All electric.

Oh well....

I'm tracking acoustics on Monday, Lynn - It'll be my usual acoustic setup, but I can set up the 260's and KM84's together if you'd like.... or if you don't like my acoustic setup, you can come by at some point on Monday and we'll set 'em up your way.