Golden Age Project GA-47 Large-Diaphragm Tube Condenser Microphone

Product Description

The Golden Age Project GA-47 Large-Diaphragm Tube Condenser Microphone reimagines the Neumann U-47 microphone, one of the most highly revered and sought after microphones of all times. Due the high cost and low availability of vintage originals, especially ones in good condition, a number of manufacturers are producing U-47 clones.

After extensive experimentation and valuable feedback from pro users testing prototype units, Golden Age Project did feel that it was indeed possible to bring something new to the table. The end result is a microphone with a very sweet character that should appeal to a great number of users and a microphone that can be used for the most demanding recording tasks. It has proved itself to be a great allrounder, this is not a "vocal-only" microphone.

The GA-47 is not a product produced in huge quantities on a big assembly line. It is built by hand, fifty units at a time in a small workshop by a skilled and dedicated staff. High quality components are used to achieve the desired goal of creating a boutique quality U-47 style microphone at a competitive price.

MIC BODY AND GRILL

The mic body is made of brass, the grille is made of iron. The grille, which is a critical component affecting the sound character, is similar to the one in the U47.

TUBE

The GA-47 uses a NOS Telefunken 800 series super low noise pentode tube connected in triode mode in order to decrease distortion and noise. This tube is modern glass derivative of the VF14M used in the vintage U-47.

OUTPUT TRANSFORMER

The GA-47 transformer is especially designed with a 6.5:1 dual bobbin transformer by a reputed transformer factory. It is a replica of the BV8 transformer used in the vintage U47. It uses a high quality core material.

MIC INTERIOR

The electronic circuit is built with point-to point wiring, all soldering points made with Mudorf Msolder Supreme silvergold solder. All of the inside wire use pure silver wire and decrease the loss during the circuit transmission, also it can ensure the sound quality is transparent. All components which are connected to electrical ground is connected to the ground plane on the circuit board. All other component connections use point to point wiring which results in virtually zero loss and crosstalk.

POWER SUPPLY, TRANSFORMER, AND CAPACITORS

The vintage style power supply PSU uses a high power R-style transformer with a low noise level and minimum stray field. A simple but effective circuit uses dual-stage filtering for the filament voltage. The High voltage is also precisely filtered and stabilized using an ON semiconductor zener diode. The polar pattern switch is placed on the power supply so that the recording engineer can change the polar pattern between Cardioid and Omni remotely. A ground lift switch will help to solve mains power related noise issues that can appear in some cases.

CAPACITORS AND RESISTORS

The coupling capacitor is made in United Kingdom, the brand is Ciarit, the same type used in the famous and very expensive B&W Nautilus loudspeaker. It is an axial capacitor made from MKP material with copper pins. It has a delicate, full sound and a wide frequency response. Other used capacitors are MIAL polystyrene film capacitors with very low loss. The resistors are ALLEN BRADLEY carbon film resistors made in the USA with vintage and warm sound.

CAPSULE

The capsule for the GA-47 is designed to provide the requirements of modern day recordings. By mixing the character between a vintage K47 capsule and the one from a K67-style capsule with a wide frequency response and high sensitivity. The result is a truly great sound. Being a dual-sided one, it provides the GA-47 with both cardioid and omni polar patterns. In order to get a good consistency between units, for each production run of 50 pcs GA-47 units, approximately 200 capsules is evaluated in order to find 50 capsules with specifications that lie within the tight tolerances.