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The included cable is built by Gotham Audio, a boutique cable maker. The soldering looks nice and clean on the inside of the mic, and the fit and finish of the power supply is solid. The WA-47 is a well-constructed piece of equipment. You can’t go wrong with a pair of WA-47s as a pair of drum overheads either. It’s also a great choice for acoustic instruments like cellos, acoustic guitars, and pianos. The tone that it captures is better than what you hear in the room ( check out a song I recorded using the WA-47 on vocals). To me, the WA-47 is first and foremost a vocal mic. However, in this price range, I’d say it’s one of the best sounding mics in its class. Is the Warm Audio WA-47 a $15,000 vintage tube mic? No. It’s the best sounding tube microphone I’ve used in a while, edging out the Avantone CV-12 as my favorite tube microphone in the sub $1,500 category. When compared with similarly priced, non-tube microphones, this one tends to stand out as the most interesting sounding. There’s nothing about this mic that sounds tinny or small. The lows and mids are extremely detailed, meaning vocals and acoustic guitars recorded with this mic have a strong sound, with lots of rich character. I’ve used a few different U-47s and clones in different studios, and the WA-47 is my favorite one that I’ve used. This makes tube mics especially well suited for lead vocals that you want to have lots of color and character, but you can use them for just about any source. The process of running the mic via the tube introduces a unique harmonic character, as well as a natural compression. Sonically, tube microphones have a unique vibe. You’ll need to plug this power supply box into the wall, and then you’ll use a special 7-pin cable (as opposed to a 3-pin XLR) to connect the mic to the power supply. Tube microphones are different from standard condenser microphones because they pass their signal through a vacuum tube, just like a tube guitar amp! Because of the extra power required to power the tube, these mics come with an external power supply. I’m a big fan of their outboard gear, like their compressors, EQs, and even their preamps, so it should come as no surprise that I am a fan of this microphone! What is a tube microphone?
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I’ve owned a handful of their products at different times, and I’ve always been impressed with the sound and build quality.
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Warm Audio is one of my favorite brands for pro audio, and I often find myself recommending their stuff to my friends who want high quality gear at reasonable price. Warm Audio has taken on the challenge of creating a similar microphone at a price point that regular people can afford, and they’ve done a great job at that! The original U-47 was discontinued in 1965, and they can fetch upwards of $25,000 on the used market. The Neumann U-47 has become the stuff of legend, with studios clamoring to buy them.
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