Microphone Defies Biz Trends

For the better part of a decade, the trend in microphone manufacturing and marketing has been moving toward lower prices.

With the home studio revolution accelerated by ever-increasing use of low-cost/high-performance digital audio workstations (DAWs), demand for correspondingly inexpensive accessories is surging. One such example is the abundance of less costly microphones—primarily from China—which continue to flood the marketplace.

Meanwhile, most well-established manufacturers are producing less-expensive variations on their flagship products in an effort to reach budget-conscious home studio owners.

Given this environment, it might seem odd that a manufacturer would focus solely on the top end of the market. But Telefunken USA is doing just that: The Simsbury, Conn.-based company is building a reputation for its exact replica of the much-revered Ela M 251, which costs approximately $10,000.

German company AEG-Telefunken—which pioneered the development and manufacturing of vacuum tubes, microphones, consoles, and tape recorders—shuttered in 1988.

The Ela M 251, produced by Telefunken's Elektroakustic division in conjunction with Austrian manufacturer AKG, remains a coveted microphone. Vintage models are highly prized by producers, engineers, and artists.

Telefunken USA acquired the design rights to the Ela M 251 in 2002 and has been marketing the product since November, president Craig Allmendinger explains. "We build it exactly they way they did," Allmendinger says. "It's literally the exact same process."

It is tempting, Allmendinger says, to produce a microphone at a price competitive with the many models found in MI chains. "We don't see it on the shelves next to all the other brands that are doing that," he states. "Right now, everything is going to be hand-made. We're sticking to that and will for some time."

Recently, Telefunken USA principals demonstrated the model at Los Angeles studios, among them Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood. A microphone comparison at Ocean Way is a meaningful barometer: Owner Allen Sides is a consummate collector of vintage equipment, and owns several vintage Ela M 251s.

"The 251 Telefunken is probably the single most sought-after, most popular tube mic that I know of, and also one of the rarest," Sides says. "They don't all sound exactly the same—some are better than others—but 'better' is sometimes a question of what works for a particular singer.

"I listened to that microphone," Sides adds, "compared it with five of mine, and I would say it fell right in the middle of those five. To actually have someone manufacture something that really is remarkably close to the original is a wonderful asset.

"Let's face it," Sides argues. "If you're a singer, isn't it worth having the best microphone in the world in your own possession? Even for somebody who's scrimping and saving, because if they've got a Pro Tools system, one good mic preamplifier and one good mic, that's a long way to getting where you need to be."