Neumann U87

If there’s one piece of equipment that deserves the title of industry standard it’s the Neumann U87 microphone.

The U87 could be described as the world’s most famous mic and thanks to its fidelity, clarity, present sound and most importantly, its reliability it has become a staple of recording studios all over the world.

In the late 60’s the transistor was changing the landscape of the pro audio world. In 1967 Neumann’s flagship valve microphone the U67 was replaced by the solid-state U87. The U87 sported the same k67 or k87 capsule as the U67 but used a Field Effect Transistor (FET) in its impedance conversion circuit instead of the EF86 pentode in the U67.

The benefits of the FET over valves were increased reliability (valves need to be changed occasionally), lower noise floor and that the FET U87 could be powered by 48 volt phantom power and didn’t need its own dedicated power supply. The first U87s even included a battery compartment and could be run from a battery.

Despite using the same capsule as the U67 the frequency response in the U87 was said to try to emulate that of the predecessor, the U47, with more emphasis in the higher mid range frequencies. In reality the U87 sounds quite different to either of them.

In the recording industry the U87 is not devoid of having its detractors. Because the mic is so commonly used I think some engineers find the sound somewhat uninteresting.

Although the U87 can sometimes get overlooked in my studio, simply because in each area I could probably find a mic that I prefer a little more than this one, it is undeniably a fantastic mic which always sounds great and never sounds bad.

I have recorded almost an entire album including trumpets, congas, ukulele, trombone, piano and more with nothing but my U87 and I’m very proud of how that album sounds. It comes with me when I’m travelling because I know it is trustworthy and will sound good on anything.

I occasionally suspend the U87 in the bridge of a double bass and it sounds fantastic in this role.