It was the microphone that defined the sound of the sixties: the U 67 tube microphone, introduced in 1960, was the quintessential studio workhorse throughout the formative years of modern music and has since acquired legendary status. And now, for the first time in decades, the iconic tube microphone is back in production and built to original specifications.
The company today announced the availability of the U 67 in the Middle East following an overwhelmingly positive reception at its official re-launch at NAMM. “Our customers in the Middle East now have a chance to adopt a microphone that set the studio standard when it was first introduced in 1960. The U 67 retains its pre-eminence and with the re-issue, which meticulously reproduces the sound and technical specifications of the original, a new generation of musicians will now enjoy the versatility, reliability and unique sound profile of this microphone,” said Mig Cardamone, Director of Sales and Marketing at Sennheiser Middle East.
Suitable for any recording task
With three selectable polar patterns – omnidirectional, cardioid, and figure-of-8 – and advanced tube circuitry, including low-cut and pad switches, the Neumann U 67 is well-equipped for virtually any recording task. Its smooth top-end with a subtle tube shimmer makes the U 67 an outstanding vocal microphone for both male and female voices. Due to its essentially linear response in the three polar patterns, the U 67 is also a very versatile microphone for all kinds of instruments such as strings, woodwinds, brass, piano, drums, acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar and upright bass.
Return of a legend
The U 67 was the first microphone equipped with the famous K 67 capsule, which has since become associated with “the Neumann sound” and continues to be used in its successor, the U 87 A. No less important is the U 67’s masterful tube circuit, which features a clever pre-emphasis/de-emphasis scheme to minimize tube hiss. The U 67 was also the first microphone to address modern recording techniques such as close miking, with its switchable low-cut filter compensating for the proximity effect occurring at short recording distances. Using its pre-attenuation, the U 67 can handle high sound pressure levels of up to 124 dB without distortion.
Sonically, the current re-issue is identical to the U 67 made from 1960-1971. It uses the same capsule and electronic design. Key parts, such as the BV 12 output transformer, have been meticulously reproduced according to original documentation. Its EF86 tubes have been carefully selected in a dedicated measurement facility for optimal characteristics and lowest noise.
U 67 Set
The U 67 comes in a vintage case that is – just like the U 67 re-issue – hand-made in Germany. Besides the microphone, it includes an elastic suspension, a microphone cable and the NU 67 V power supply. The power supply was redesigned to meet today’s strict safety requirements and to accommodate the slightly higher filament current of newer premium-grade tubes. The new NU 67 V is fully compatible with older U 67 microphones and automatically adapts to the local mains voltage.
