Up Close: TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik

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Carrying on a Tradition of Innovation: More than simply a memorable advertising line, “Built to a standard, not a price” is the company-wide philosophy for TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik; the South Windsor, CT based state-of-the-art microphone manufacturer that follows the tradition of excellence and innovation set by the original German TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, GmbH over 100 years ago. While TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik was widely regarded as Europe’s finest tube and audio equipment manufacturer, their foray into microphones began in 1948 with the distribution of the world renowned U-47 and the release of the ELA M 251 in 1959. Production of the original ELA M 251 ceased in 1963, but the blueprint was reborn in 2000 when owner Toni Fishman needed to recreate the switch assembly for the 251s in his extensive vintage microphone collection. All of TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik’s microphones are hand-assembled at the company’s plant.

M60_FET_microphone_2Diamond Series Line: Meticulous historic research led to the creation of TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik’s flagship “Diamond Series,” which offers meticulous reproductions of classic vintage microphones including the ELA M 251, U47 and C12, recreated to exacting details to the originals. The R-F-T Series consists of original circuit designs combining premium components and new, old stock vacuum tubes with globally sourced metalwork for cost efficiency, and includes the AR-51, AK-47 MkII, ELA M 260 and CU-29 Copperhead. The Dynamic Series features three unique dynamic microphone designs, the M80, M81 and M82, in a variety of packages to accommodate nearly every need for a dynamic microphone, such as handheld microphones, low-profile versions, and wireless head capsule adapters.

First Non-Vacuum Tube Mic: With over 18 months of development and beta testing by top recording engineers, the newly designed M60 FET (Field Effect Transistor) small diaphragm microphone is TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik’s first non-vacuum tube, FET-based solid-state condenser microphone. Utilizing a unique proprietary circuit topology, this re-interpretation of the classic FET mic amplifier produces an exceptional transient response and SPL handling capabilities. Carefully selected and tested components are hand-plugged into gold-plated circuit board traces to provide an ultra-clean true Class A discrete amplifier with a frequency response of +/- 2dB from 20Hz to 50KHz.

Contact TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, 860-882-5919
http://telefunken-elektroakustik.com

By Jonathan Widran