Mid-range microphones can be the perfect addition to your audio gear if you’ve come to the point where you want to surround yourselves with better quality equipment. It’s true—they do come at higher prices and might get us out of our comfort zone when it comes to how much they cost, but they do know how to reciprocate with offering some great-value features. Let’s dive in this Telefunken M80 review and learn what this mic is all about.
- Designed to enhance the vocal performance of singers, but can also be used with instruments
- Equipped with a low-mass capsule with an ultra-thin diaphragm for proximity effect reduction
- Has a custom wound impedance-matching transformer
- Maximum SPL of 140dB
- Great design with multiple finish options
- Some plosives could make their way to your sound’s projection
The Telefunken M80 is a mid-range microphone that comes with such features that could shake up your world as a musician and spice up your time performing or recording at your home or studio. Starting with the design and wrapping it up with the performance, the Telefunken M80 is a true gem among the microphones in its class.
Design
If there was a beauty contest for microphones, the Telefunken M80 Dynamic Vocal would’ve certainly placed in the top five. There’s a great story about aesthetics when it comes to the design of this microphone. Looking very sleek, the Telefunken M80 will take your breath away with the many finishes that cover it from the top of its head to the bottom of its handle. There’s the beautiful metallic chrome finish, the tender-looking white, the standard and powerful black, the wooden-looking oak and cherry, the charming red, and many other faces.
The different finishes offer you a personalization of your Telefunken M80 and a chance to enjoy the design that you prefer the most. All of the designs come at different mid-range prices and they all have Telefunken’s logo made of a piece of metal sitting on the upper part of the handle.
The handle itself is a state-of-the-art piece of the body. There are spots on it that are flattened and there are also edges that perfectly contour them. A design like this doesn’t only look attractive, but it also feels very hand-friendly. With a handle like this you’re guaranteed that your microphone won’t slip from your hands while you’re using it.
The body of the M80 vocal microphone is completely made of metal. This is also the case of its elongated metal grill that shapes the head of the microphone. Since its made of metal, you can expect that your Telefunken M80 will last long and will cause you no problem while you’re performing, recording, or travelling with it.
Features
When it comes to M80 features, this microphone surely sparkles the interests of many. What you get with purchasing the M80 is a robust, dynamic microphone that sounds like a condenser one. Really, Telefunken M80 goes a long way to offer you that studio-quality sound that everyone is talking about.
With a cardioid polar pickup pattern, the microphone will succeed in eliminating all the rear noises that could negatively affect the quality of M80 sound. On the other hand, being a cardioid enables it to pick up the sound from the source of sound that is close to its metal grill. This dynamic mics is perfect for loud environments, and also makes a good pick for home.
Telefunken M80 details
Aside from being a rugged dynamic cardioid, the Telefunken M80 also has a low-mass capsule with an ultra-thin diaphragm. The capsule, together with its diaphragm, makes the proximity effect have a smaller overall influence on the projected sound. This way, you will not have to fear that getting too close to the microphone will cause some unpleasant sounds that could stop your voice or your instrument from sounding clear and detailed.
The Telefunken M80 also comes equipped with a custom wound impedance-matching transformer. If these words don’t ring a bell to you and you cannot wrap your head around what they might mean, I could help you better understand the importance of this transformer by telling you that it has everything to do with a sound sounding like it sounds when processed by the microphone.
This being said, the sound enters your microphone as it is and is then converted into an electrical signal only to be projected with as much detail as the microphone can possibly recognize. That being said, the Telefunken M80’s transformer is of such a good-quality that you will have a great ‘copy’ of your live sound when using it.
In terms of the specifications, the M80 dynamic microphone has a frequency response from 30Hz to 18,000Hz. This is a wide frequency range tailored for vocals, that also works well with instruments. The range of the microphone goes hand in hand with its good maximum SPL of 140dB, making the M80 dynamic microphones, once again, suitable for live vocals and instrumental performances and recordings.
Performance
Telefunken M80 is everything that a mid-range microphone should be about when it comes to performance. There’s little to no noise in the sound and everything sounds very clear. Really, not a single hit that something could go ‘the muddy way’ and sound undefined. Those mid-range frequencies really make the vocals stand out and cut through in a transparent, elegant way.
The sounds that you get are natural with some warm undertones, but still pretty strong to rise above a loud environment. Ultimately, with the Telefunken M80, you will get open, rich, and detailed sound.
Conclusion
All things considered, the Telefunken M80 is a well-rounded microphone. It offers you a great design with various interesting finishes for greater personalization and features that will make both your performances and recordings top-quality ones.
You’ve probably heard people saying that a book should not be judged by its covers. Well, with the Telefunken M80 you will get both the ‘covers’ and the ‘book’ with some interesting characteristics which you can later judge them upon. That being said, I hope that your microphone quest is now over and that this is the microphone that will make you want to perform and record more. For more options, take a look at best dynamic microphone and best wireless karaoke microphone articles.
