Warm Audio WA-47 tube condenser microphone

Warm Audio WA-47 tube condenser microphone
The WA-47 is a full vacuum tube, large diaphragm, transformer balanced, multi-pattern (9), large condenser microphone, based on the classic ‘47 used on countless hit records over the past 50 years. Designed for professional studio, home studio, live and broadcast applications, the WA-47 sounds great on vocals, acoustic / electric guitars, acoustic / electric bass, drums, piano, strings, brass / woodwinds and a range of other sources. The classic ‘47 became extremely popular in the 1960s and is now considered one of the best microphones ever made. The classic ‘47 is still widely used in professional recording studios, but has become extremely rare and expensive to purchase.

A classic
Designing the WA-47 to sound like the classic ‘47 was no easy task, especially considering that some vintage components are no longer available. Warm Audio compared and listened to 2 different vintage ‘47 microphones and found that they both sounded great, but also sounded a bit different. These comparison tests became the benchmark for fine-tuning the WA-47 sonics to exactly match these 2 vintage '47 microphones. The WA-47 is packed with quality components.

Genuine '47 Style Capsule
The WA-47 uses a modified reproduction of the vintage k47-style capsule used in the classic ‘47 microphone - designed with the same hole pattern and frequency response. Each Warm Audio capsule is made in the same small mounting house in a cleanroom environment and packed in its own protective case until it is loaded into the microphone. Each capsule is visually inspected and electrically tested for imperfections.
Much of the tone of a microphone comes from the capsule, and the true k47 style capsule used in the WA-47 is not easy to manufacture or usually found in affordable condenser microphones.

The capsule
The WA-47 uses a modified reproduction of the vintage k47-style capsule used in the classic ‘47 microphone - designed with the same hole pattern and frequency response. Our version of this capsule (model # WA-47-B-80v) has been carefully crafted by an Australian capsule manufacturer whose precision and repeatability allows us to capture the vintage tone of the main sonic piece of this classic style microphone.

The tube
A Slovakian JJ 5751 vacuum tube is a lower gain, low noise tube that allows many of the capsule and transformer sonics to be heard more clearly than some higher gain tubes would allow.

The transformer
The WA-47 uses an American TAB-Funkenwerk (AMI) USA transformer with imported German large core fins. This transformer provides the creamy, smooth top and LARGER THAN LIFE bottom that you'd expect from a '47 condenser microphone.

The capacitors
The WA-47 uses a polystyrene coupling capacitor for an uncompressed top-end response from the capsule, wima film capacitors throughout, and an imported Solen French capacitor at the output that drives the TAB-Funkenwerk (AMI) USA output transformer.

The cable
Part of a tube microphone that is often overlooked is the 7-pin cable that connects the microphone to the power supply. Listening to the WA-47 and other tube microphones we learned quite a bit about 7-pin cables and how the shields and gauge of the wire gauge can drastically change the sound of a tube microphone. The use of Gotham Audio's 7-pin GAC-7 cable increases the presence of the top end and the overall size of the captured image in the stereo field, by reducing phase shift and the parasitic effect often found with poorly built cables. Reduce. Gotham Audio is very expensive and boutique in nature and should not be considered a minor addition to the WA-47 package.