If you have decided to go on a quest all the way to the extreme high-end microphones, your time has come to bump into the big, grandiose Neumann U 87. In this Neumann U87 review, we take a look at a condenser microphone has the reputation as one of the best high-end microphones that are available on the market today. This, of course, makes it a pricey option, but, oh, wait for me to start reviewing it and you’ll be completely mesmerized by everything that it has to offer. So let’s take a look at the amazing and very popular Neumann U 87 and fall in love with it over and over again while we talk about its design, features, and performance.
- Amazing quality of sound
- Three polar pickup patterns: cardioid, omnidirectional, and figure-8
- Large dual-diaphragm capsule
- 10dB attenuation switch and rolloff switch
- High-quality output components
- You will need to treat your Neumann U 87 with a lot of care because some of its parts are pretty fragile
Design
Many world famous musicians and artists had the pleasure to work with the Neumann U87 microphone. This microphone’s sound quality attracts a very large number of people across the globe and so does its astounding design. Of course, being as pricey as it is, its manufacturers had to make sure there will be a lot to brag about when it comes to the design of the microphone.
The microphone U87 looks so beautiful with its matt, semi-shiny chassis and its big head with soft edges. It has an all-metal body that is 200 mm long and slightly narrower at the bottom than it is at the upper part. The body has an approximate diameter of about 56 mm and it comes in both nickel and black to impress and attract us all.
Furthermore, you can spot Neumann’s logo lower on the chassis of the microphone, and you can see a tiny, indented-like text below the logo saying, ‘Made in Germany.’
As you proceed to explore this microphone’s looks, you’ll notice the two switches for attenuation and rolloff right where the Neumann U 87’s chassis ends and its head begins. On the opposite side of the microphone, the polar pickup pattern switch awaits for you to use it for picking up your preferred pattern.
Once you start checking the metal head of the Neumann U 87 mic, you notice how sturdy it feels. This is because of the three layers of mesh that are used in order to make the metal grille. There’s also a rectangular metal piece that is attached to the grill vertically and makes sure that the three layers of mesh stay in place.
Features
As a high-end microphone, the Neumann U 87 doesn’t lack on great features.
The microphone uses three polar pickup patterns, the patterns being the cardioid, the omnidirectional, and the figure-8 one. The fact that you have the option to choose between the three polar patterns speaks about Neumann U 87’s versatility and flexibility.
Contrary to the cardioid pattern, the omnidirectional one makes the Neumann 87 sensitive to all the sounds in its near environment. And for the times you need the microphone to pick up the sounds coming to its front and rear without picking up any side sounds, you can switch to the figure-8 pattern with the help of the pattern switch located on the chassis of the Neuman U87. The patterns on the Neumann U87 mic would have not been possible without its special, large dual-diaphragm capsule.
Furthermore, the microphone has, as I already mentioned, two switches on its body that can help you make your microphone more adjusted for both the louder and the lower sounds. There’s the -10dB attenuation switch which helps the microphone be tolerant to loud sounds with a maximum SPL of 127dB, and there’s the bass rolloff switch that you can count on when you want to eliminate low frequency noises. The U87 has a frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz.
When it comes to Neumann U 87’s output components, you should know that they are very high-quality ones. Together with the other features, the output components of the microphone Neumann U87 make sure that you can get the best out of this microphone and have your live sound perfectly processed.
Performance
How can I speak about Neumann U 87’s performance when this is a microphone that leaves you completely speechless once you get to hear what it sounds like? How can there be any place left for criticism when this Neumann u87 condenser microphone is all about the warmness and transparency of your sound?
Really, there is a reason why this Neumann mic U87 is so high-end and that is its studio-quality sound. There won’t be a detail that will escape the sensitive Neumann 87. Both your vocals and instruments will sound very clear and crisp.
You would also expect distortion noises to be completely inexistent in a microphone at this price, and you would be right—that’s exactly the case of this diaphragm condenser microphone.
Neumann U 87 will also keep its promise to provide good use of the attenuation and bass rolloff switches. Furthermore, its manufacturers didn’t lie when they advertised their microphone as one with some high-quality output components.
Neumann U87 Review Conclusion
Neumann U 87 is a wunderkind microphone that has set the standard for what a professional, studio-quality microphone should sound like. In the case of this microphone, there’s not only a good balance between its price and properties, but there is an ongoing balance between its design and what it has to offer and deliver. Ultimately, if you are considering spending more on a microphone that will provide you the best quality of sound there is, the one that you most definitely deserve is the Neumann U87. For more reference, read our best condenser microphone under 200 article.
The review of Neumann U87 here is pretty great, and I am wondering whether or not I should get this product now. I love making music, and I require some good quality headphones right now.