Warm Audio WA-47 Vintage Tube Microphone

Testimonials:

"To give you an example of how great these mics are, I had an artist come in who is massive and almost exclusively has recorded on a vintage 47. He sat down in front of the 47, sang one line of the song, and said, “what is this mic?! This is literally the best I have ever sounded”… I love the Warm products…Call me crazy but I don’t want to go bankrupt on musical equipment and I’m very grateful for what Warm is doing for the music creator community." Gabe Simon (Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey, Maroon 5, Anderson .Paak, Rag N Bone Man, James Bay, Hailee Steinfeld, Ruel, Jessie Murph)

"I have nothing but the utmost respect for what Warm Audio has been able to achieve with their products. I bought my first microphone from them after having tracked vocals with a vintage U47 and needing something in the ballpark for some overdubs. It was more than in the ballpark and the difference was miniscule. I now have an entire studio filled with their microphones and probably won't feel complete until I have a pair of everything they make." Ilan Rubin - (Drummer Nine Inch Nails, Angels & Airwaves, The New Regime)

"Recently I was working in an under-equipped studio in Bristol in the UK. The first thing I did was hook up my Warm Audio mic pres to use for the most crucial microphones: kick, snare, bass and lead guitar. Later in overdubs, I used the Warm audio pres to record vocals with one of the beautiful Warm Audio mics, the WA-47." Sylvia Massy - (SYSTEM OF A DOWN, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SMASHING PUMPKINS, TOM PETTY, JOHNNY CASH)

The WA-47 Vintage Tube Condenser Microphone from Warm Audio captures the essence of the classic '47 microphone. With originals having been used extensively in studios for over half a century, Warm Audio's convincing recreation of this iconic microphone gives you a super-versatile studio-quality unit with the perks of modern reliability and affordability. 

In its element when used with vocals, the WA-47 is also excellent for recording acoustic guitars and other instruments such as piano, strings and even drums. With the faithfully recreated vintage k47-style capsule, this microphone was designed with the same hole pattern and frequency response as the original, to provide you with a warm-sounding mic with great fidelity and a wide frequency response.

A Slovak Republic JJ 5751 tube ensures low-noise operation, with lower gain to push the sonics of the k47-inspired capsule and transformer. This allows them to essentially be more audible, much more so than the tube's higher gain counterparts will give. Speaking of the transformer, the TAB-Funkenwerk (AMI) USA transformer delivers a smooth and warm top-end to keep down any piercing or brittle frequencies. It also really opens up its low-end response, something which the original '47 lacked in comparison.

Here's what Warm Audio say about the WA-47 Vintage Tube Microphone:

The WA-47 is an all vacuum tube, large diaphragm, transformer balanced, multi-pattern (9), large condenser microphone, based on the classic ‘47 that has been used on countless hit records for the last 50+ years.  The WA-47 is designed for pro studio, home studio, live, and broadcast applications and sounds great on vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, acoustic/electric bass, drums, piano, strings, brass/woodwind instruments, and an array of other sources.

The classic ‘47 became extremely popular as a vocal microphone in the 1960’s and is now considered to be one of the greatest microphones ever made.  The classic ‘47 mic is still widely used today in professional recording studios but has become extremely rare and expensive to acquire. We at Warm Audio are very excited to bring this all vacuum tube, large diaphragm, transformer balanced, '47 style, large condenser microphone to the market at such an affordable price.  We feel confident that you will enjoy a lifetime of beautiful recordings with the WA-47.

True '47 style capsule

The WA-47 utilizes a custom reproduction of the vintage k47 style capsule that was used in the classic ‘47 microphone - designed with the same hole pattern and frequency response.  Every Warm Audio capsule is made in the same small assembly house in a clean-room environment,  and packaged in its own protective jewel case until the moment it is loaded into the microphone.  Each capsule is visually inspected and electrically tested for imperfections.
 
A large part of any microphone's tone comes from its capsule, and the true k47 style capsule used in the WA-47 is not easily manufactured or typically found in affordable condenser microphones.  We are proud to be using such a faithful recreation of this classic part in an affordably priced '47 style microphone.

The Capsule

The WA-47 utilizes a custom reproduction of the vintage k47 style capsule that was used in the classic ‘47 microphone - designed with the same hole pattern and frequency response.  Our version of this capsule (model# WA-47-B-80v) is carefully manufactured by an Australian capsule manufacturer who's precision and repeatability allows us to nail the vintage sonics of the most important sonic piece of this classic style of microphone.

The Tube

A Slovak Republic JJ 5751 vacuum tube is a lower gain, low noise tube that forces much of the sonics of the capsule and transformer to be heard more significantly than some higher gain tubes might allow.  We auditioned 4 different tube brands and fell in love with the JJ 5751.  The frequency response of the JJ 5751 and the way it contributes to the circuit is tonally smooth and vintage in nature.

The Transformer

The WA-47 utilizes an American made TAB-Funkenwerk (AMI) USA transformer with large core imported German laminations.  This transformer helps provide the creamy smooth top end, and the LARGER THAN LIFE bottom end one would expect from a '47 style condenser microphone.

The Cable

One component of a tube microphone often overlooked is the 7 pin cable that connects the microphone to its power supply.  When auditioning the WA-47 and other tube microphones we learned quite a bit about 7 pin cables and how the shielding and wire gauge size can drastically change the sonics of a tube microphone.  We have partnered with Gotham Audio in Switzerland to use their very carefully built top-end 7 pin GAC-7 cable. Using this cable increases top end presence and the overall size of the recorded image in the stereo field, by reducing phase shift and the parasitic effect often found in poorly built cables. Gotham Audio is very expensive and boutique in nature and should not be considered a small addition to the WA-47 package.

The Capacitors

The WA-47 uses a polystyrene coupling capacitor for uncompressed top-end response from the capsule, wima film capacitors throughout, and an imported Solen French capacitor on its output driving the TAB-Funkenwerk (AMI) USA output transformer.

In the Box 

• Warm Audio WA-47
• Wood Box
• PSU
• Shockmount 
• Gotham 7-pin GAC-7 Cable 
• IEC Power Cable

Specifications

• Custom true '47 capsule reproduction (k47 style) - Model# WA-47-B-80v
• Capsule makeup: Gold sputtered, dual large diaphragm, single backplate, 6 microns NOS mylar (PET film)
• TAB-Funkenwerk (AMI) USA output transformer
• JJ Slovak 5751 vacuum tube
• Gotham 3 meter GAC-7, 7-pin tube microphone cable
• Wima, Solen French, and Polystyrene capacitors
• Polar Patterns: 9 patterns - Cardioid, Omni, figure-of-eight + 6 mixed patterns
• Self-noise: 11dBA
• Dynamic range: 130dBA
• Maximum SPL: 140dB  (<0.5% THD)
• Frequency Range: 20 Hz~20 kHz
• Output Impedance: 200 ohms
• Rated Load Impedance: ≥2kOhms
• S/N Ratio: 82dBA
• Equivalent Noise: 10dBA (IEC651)
• External IEC grounded PSU
• Total Weight - 9 lbs
• Mic Diameter: 90mm
• Mic Length: 254mm