Neumann U 87 AI Studio Set

S-87 Kit Five Star Review, short version: After building this wonderful instrument, I immediately sold my Neumann TLM 103! S-87 Kit Five Star Review, long version: Years ago I worked for the now-defunct Heath Company. To those unfamiliar with it, The Heath Company produced and marketed a huge series of high-end electronic kits ranging from televisions to test instruments to ham radio gear to audio equipment to computers to -- well -- you name it, there was a Heathkit for it. As a result of my employment with this much-missed company, I have build score upon score of very fine electronics kits and loved the experience. Nowadays, I am a very busy voice over actor whose home studio boasts an industry-preferred (sometimes mandated) large diameter condenser microphone. ... MoreS-87 Kit Five Star Review, short version: After building this wonderful instrument, I immediately sold my Neumann TLM 103! S-87 Kit Five Star Review, long version: Years ago I worked for the now-defunct Heath Company. To those unfamiliar with it, The Heath Company produced and marketed a huge series of high-end electronic kits ranging from televisions to test instruments to ham radio gear to audio equipment to computers to -- well -- you name it, there was a Heathkit for it. As a result of my employment with this much-missed company, I have build score upon score of very fine electronics kits and loved the experience. Nowadays, I am a very busy voice over actor whose home studio boasts an industry-preferred (sometimes mandated) large diameter condenser microphone. When I built the studio, my first choice was the much revered Neumann TLM-103 -- seemingly the best-of-the-best voice over mic (or so many have said). Its been my booth companion for some years. No doubt, its a very fine microphone but sadly exhibits a somewhat harsh top end and a proclivity toward sibilance, necessitating extra time and labor efforts in editing my narrations. Not long ago on this website I read that the S-87 kit, properly equalized internally during its construction, allegedly yielded a kinder, gentler signal, eliminating the annoyances produced by the Neumann. I was a bit skeptical of this claim, but I bought the S-87 box o bits anyway because -- well -- it was a kit and thus promised an enjoyable few hobby hours of fun and possible sonic benefits. Honestly, though, I had hopes but no real expectation that the very reasonably priced Microphone Parts product would even approach let alone outshine the much more expensive German mic. Well, as you might guess, the S-87 -- in my estimation -- does indeed sound markedly better as a voice over microphone than the TLM-103! The S-87 is smooth all the way through its range and tames not only whistling Ss but, as a bonus, plosives as well. Whoda thunk? The kit building experience itself was very pleasant; reminiscent of the good old days -- aided considerably by the kits excellent construction manual and supplemental online instructions. The ONLY challenge I faced was due solely to my advancing years. At age 75 I had to resort to high powered magnifying lenses to read printed values on some of the components. So, whos complaining?? Not me! As I said in my abbreviated review -- complete in its own way -- as soon as I had completed and tested the Microphone Parts S-87 kit, I put my Neumann TLM-103 up for sale. What more does one need to know of my enthusiasm, eh?

This S-87 was my third micparts microphone kit build. I have years about 35 years experience soldering thousands of audio connectors and multi-pin connectors, with competent, but limited experince doing component-level PCB soldering. This has more parts than my previously-built T-12 and T47 kits, so it took me about 3 hours to build. It works perfectly and sounds amazing. This microphone is very fast and has very clean transients, but with no harshness of any kind. Very smooth. We got this microphone after we decided to sell all of our brand name LDC microphones and spend the money on a wider variety of micparts kits, as well as capsule replacements and circuit mods for several low-cost donor microphones. Not only are these quality parts, the kits are amazing, the ... MoreThis S-87 was my third micparts microphone kit build. I have years about 35 years experience soldering thousands of audio connectors and multi-pin connectors, with competent, but limited experince doing component-level PCB soldering. This has more parts than my previously-built T-12 and T47 kits, so it took me about 3 hours to build. It works perfectly and sounds amazing. This microphone is very fast and has very clean transients, but with no harshness of any kind. Very smooth. We got this microphone after we decided to sell all of our brand name LDC microphones and spend the money on a wider variety of micparts kits, as well as capsule replacements and circuit mods for several low-cost donor microphones. Not only are these quality parts, the kits are amazing, the illustrated manuals are thorough, and Matts tireless, personal email support is without equal.

Just a word of appreciation for my new S-87 mic. I very rarely go out of my way to send notes of appreciation, but your mic kit has exceeded my expectations, and I wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the mic. Im a part-time voice-over announcer working out of my bonus room at home. Im a computer technician as my day job. I have been using an Audio-Technica 4033a for a couple of decades now, and have been applying extra processing in my DAW software to correct for sibilance and a fairly high noise floor. I didnt really know any better until I heard the rave reviews of your kits. My new S-87 is noticeably richer in sound, with a smoother top end. I have a naturally sibilant voice, and the S-87 is smoothing it out nicely. Also, the S-87 has better immediacy ... MoreJust a word of appreciation for my new S-87 mic. I very rarely go out of my way to send notes of appreciation, but your mic kit has exceeded my expectations, and I wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the mic. Im a part-time voice-over announcer working out of my bonus room at home. Im a computer technician as my day job. I have been using an Audio-Technica 4033a for a couple of decades now, and have been applying extra processing in my DAW software to correct for sibilance and a fairly high noise floor. I didnt really know any better until I heard the rave reviews of your kits. My new S-87 is noticeably richer in sound, with a smoother top end. I have a naturally sibilant voice, and the S-87 is smoothing it out nicely. Also, the S-87 has better immediacy (or whatever you call it. The AT 4033a sounded like I was standing a couple of feet further away from the mic, but the S-87 sounds like Im right up front.) The kicker is that an AT4033 is $399, and your kit is $359. Even if I splurge for the optional colored body, Im still investing less money in your S-87 for a clearly better-sounding mic. Thank you again for a very well-executed kit. I really love my new S-87, and it was great fun putting it together.

I bought S-87 and S3-87 as my first experience with built. Started with easier S-87 and with help of my friend we made it in about 4 hours. Everything went nice with really good instruction manual. I didnt have many experience with soldering or building electronic device like this before. So I think its not so hard to do it at all. The only thing was that blue wire from backplate to board was too short so I had to solve it with cutted leg of some resistor ;) but it works from the first plug really nice. Next day we built S3-87 in about the same time as first one. I like the possibility of modifying EQ of the capsule by changing capacitor in terminal very easy. Again mic worked perfectly for the first time. Then we made a several tests and compare them both with ... MoreI bought S-87 and S3-87 as my first experience with built. Started with easier S-87 and with help of my friend we made it in about 4 hours. Everything went nice with really good instruction manual. I didnt have many experience with soldering or building electronic device like this before. So I think its not so hard to do it at all. The only thing was that blue wire from backplate to board was too short so I had to solve it with cutted leg of some resistor ;) but it works from the first plug really nice. Next day we built S3-87 in about the same time as first one. I like the possibility of modifying EQ of the capsule by changing capacitor in terminal very easy. Again mic worked perfectly for the first time. Then we made a several tests and compare them both with Neumann U87ai on a different sources. The response is amazing, both are more sensitive than U87. Clear natural sound, S3 is quite similar like U87 to me with more bass warmth, S87 is more neutral, little bit more open top-end due to chosen capacitor. I recommend this kits for everyone - its my two handmade mics and they sound perfect! What a nice feeling!

A very capable mic for voiceover

This was my second MicParts build (the first was a T-47) and the experience, again, was low-fuss, as long as you take your time, follow the instructions closely, and check your work as youre going. As several others have pointed out, these kits are great confidence builders, and knowing whats inside your recording tools gives you a head start should it ever become necessary to troubleshoot or repair it. A couple of the screw hole threads on the body I received were machined inaccurately, which meant the supplied screws for mounting the circuit boards wouldnt work. Instead I used two of the three leftover head basket screws, which worked fine. Not a big deal. I built this mic for voiceover recording, and following the philosophy of a colleagues modified Neumann M367, ... MoreThis was my second MicParts build (the first was a T-47) and the experience, again, was low-fuss, as long as you take your time, follow the instructions closely, and check your work as youre going. As several others have pointed out, these kits are great confidence builders, and knowing whats inside your recording tools gives you a head start should it ever become necessary to troubleshoot or repair it. A couple of the screw hole threads on the body I received were machined inaccurately, which meant the supplied screws for mounting the circuit boards wouldnt work. Instead I used two of the three leftover head basket screws, which worked fine. Not a big deal. I built this mic for voiceover recording, and following the philosophy of a colleagues modified Neumann M367, I didnt use the corrective EQ capacitor options, instead leaving the top end wide open. The result is certainly a bright mic, and on a sibilant voice would be aggressively so, but given that in commercial production I often add air around 10-12k, I feel good about the decision. Given the voicing I selected, a comparison to a real U87 wouldnt be fair, but so far the mic performs admirably with voices that pair well with a Sennheiser MKH-416 - another mic commonly used in VO. It would be good if the kit could include a couple of sockets so that we can compare the included corrective EQ options - I would have used them if Id had any lying around. Overall an excellent microphone, and Im happy to recommend the S-87 to DIY-curious voiceover students and pros alike.

Excellent

An ultimate aspirational mic for me. I have compared this with a vintage u87. For vocals, the vintage U 87 has a slightly more noticeable presence. By presence, I mean that you feel like the microphone is a noctilux-level macro lens focusing in on the singer's articulation and bringing them up close to your ear. All that, but it doesn't sound like it's trying. The new U 87 Ai is almost the same as the old U 87, but a bit more neutral. Less emphasis of sounds like ch (as in, chess), and the specs say less noise. That's my two cents, at least! The U 87 Ai is an amazing sounding mic and lives up to its name. I'd agree with so many reviewers who say that it's just plain good on anything.

I am blown away!

I dont just want to echo all the good things that others have said, but they are all well deserved. I have designed and built electronics of all kinds in the past, from scratch and from kits. This microphone kit is probably the most well designed and documented I have ever seen. The circuit boards are remarkably precise, the component choices are perfect, the instructions are outstanding, and it even worked the first time! The microphone itself turned out to be comparable to mics I have used costing thousands of dollars. The noise floor and smooth response surprised me, even with the high expectations I had from reading other reviews. I just cant tell you how pleased I am, and this is not the last thing I will be ordering from you! Thanks!!!

Meumann U87Ai with universal shock mount.

An excellent microphone. A sonic monster. It has a very transparent and clear sound. It works well on acoustic instruments but you need to have an acoustically treated room or a very isolated acoustic space around the source because this mic picks up everything. To me that is a good thing. The universal shock mount I received with it is not the one from Neumann. It is a little cumbersome to use but it works. I just have to be very careful with how I mount the microphone into it and make certain it is secure.

Microphone of the Highest Quality and Audio Standards

This microphone is made of the highest quality. The sound is absolutely unbeatable for voiceovers. Very natural, neutral, and clear in the midrange. It has a reputation for being the best for a reason. Yes, you can buy wonderful microphones for cheaper, but none of them are a Neumann U87. Neumann uses the best materials and craftsmanship out there. If you are looking to record primarily vocals and like the magic of tubes I would also recommended the Neumann M149 and if you are on a budget the Miktek CV4 is quite good. The Neumann U87ai will do anything however. It's great on any instrument and is probably the accurate microphone for realistic voiceover work. It just sounds polished and EQ's nicely. I use a Neumann Pop Screen and a Neumann Wind Cap on it usually to ... MoreThis microphone is made of the highest quality. The sound is absolutely unbeatable for voiceovers. Very natural, neutral, and clear in the midrange. It has a reputation for being the best for a reason. Yes, you can buy wonderful microphones for cheaper, but none of them are a Neumann U87. Neumann uses the best materials and craftsmanship out there. If you are looking to record primarily vocals and like the magic of tubes I would also recommended the Neumann M149 and if you are on a budget the Miktek CV4 is quite good. The Neumann U87ai will do anything however. It's great on any instrument and is probably the accurate microphone for realistic voiceover work. It just sounds polished and EQ's nicely. I use a Neumann Pop Screen and a Neumann Wind Cap on it usually to reduce noise as it is very sensitive. Must have for a quality home or professional studio.

S87 diy kit

The sound just blew me away when I use it in the recording session. It sounds solid, punchy and smooth. Also it is quiet and eat much less gain compare to my other mics those I used for tracking. I’ve swapped the capacitors for different characters according to the instructions guide. Initially I use the standard parts that recommended by instructions to slightly attenuate high frequency. The mic sounds very warm on low frequency and very smooth on top. The low frequency can deliver some rich character and texture than i cannot describe in words. But I found that it is a bit too dark for pop vocal. That’s why I changed a capacitor to retain flat frequency response. It sounds punchy, solid, top end opened smoothly. However it lost the low end magic texture compare to ... MoreThe sound just blew me away when I use it in the recording session. It sounds solid, punchy and smooth. Also it is quiet and eat much less gain compare to my other mics those I used for tracking. I’ve swapped the capacitors for different characters according to the instructions guide. Initially I use the standard parts that recommended by instructions to slightly attenuate high frequency. The mic sounds very warm on low frequency and very smooth on top. The low frequency can deliver some rich character and texture than i cannot describe in words. But I found that it is a bit too dark for pop vocal. That’s why I changed a capacitor to retain flat frequency response. It sounds punchy, solid, top end opened smoothly. However it lost the low end magic texture compare to the same mic with the previous capacitor. I really want to have them both and I might order again for the magic S87 warm tone with high frequency attenuation. I really enjoy the process of building this mic as a diy beginner. The mic is quiet and take much less gain to be driven.