When you hear masterpieces from legends like Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, or Barbra Streisand, or today´s top talents like Adele, you hear an M 49 at work. Sound engineers and artists alike keep vintage versions of the M 49 like treasures for a reason. And whoever is lucky enough to still have a historic version could easily sell it for a five-figure sum. For years and years our most experienced microphone experts trialed and tested until Neumann came up with a product that even the most respected producers and sound engineers considered to be acoustically identical to the historic version, even in direct AB comparison.
The M 49 V production involves a meticulous assembly process by hand, while the availability of key parts like the triode tube is limited. For this reason, the Neumann team can build a very limited number of pieces per month. Due to limited availability, we have excluded a preorder phase or preorder discounts from the launch. Demand will exceed production, so please expect waiting periods of weeks to months. Because of the limited availability, no bulk orders can be accepted. Artists and studios working with the M 49 V will always be preferred. This exclusive product can only be ordered via your sales manager. He will be happy to guide you through the order and allocation process.
Tech Specs
Technically, the M 49 V is a large diaphragm tube circuit microphone with a silky, warm, and magically rich, deep sound. Practically, it has needed absolutely no introduction from the very start, since it took over the recording and broadcast studios in 1951. One of the reasons: The revolutionary microphone came with a remote-controlled polar pattern (from omnidirectional to cardioid to figure-8). Back then, most bands or orchestras were recorded with a few microphones, often fixed installed. The remote control saved a lot of time, and the engineers could work in a lot of situations with the very same microphone, from vocals to instruments. While the remote setting is more of a secondary feature these days, the signature sound remains unparalleled and unachieved. Although today´s production is defined by digital workflows, the warm magic of a tube-driven, analog microphone remains unrivaled. The M 49 has a natural position on the shortlist of genre icons for 70 years and counting. For many reasons, it is an inseparable part of the Neumann DNA.
With the new revision, owners can now decide to extend the bass sensitivity and drop the high-pass frequency from the original 30 Hz to an incredible 12 Hz - a tribute to modern listening and recording culture. Another option is part of the classic circuitry and allows users to switch the microphone to a fixed cardioid pickup pattern (which is the most used setting anyway). This increases the sensitivity by 2 dB and reduces the equivalent noise level by 3 dB. Especially when recording speech or vocals, this setting translates into even more M 49 magic and intimacy. Please note that both options should not be changed by clients. We consider them built to order (BTO).
Features
- Reissue of the legendary M 49 with detail improvements
- Superb vocal microphone for male and female voices
- Versatile microphone for all types of instruments
- Made to original specifications using archived documentation
- New pattern control unit automatically adapts to mains voltage
- Handmade and hand-soldered in Germany
