Neumann M 150 Tube

The M 150 is a unique tube microphone in the tradition of the legendary 1950s Neumann M 50, often cited as the ultimate microphone for orchestral recordings. The M 150 offers the same phenomenal transient response and unique directional characteristic as its ancestor, updated with 21st-century technology and enhanced performance. Like its predecessor, the M 150 uses a 12 mm small diaphragm capsule, flush mounted in a 40 mm sphere. The capsule itself is a pressure transducer, but the sphere adjusts its omnidirectional pattern to become progressively more directional at higher frequencies. The M 150's condenser transducer is also extraordinary in other respects: the ultra-thin diaphragm is made of titanium, a light but rigid metal, and is located just 10 microns from the back plate, also made of titanium. The result is a sound transducer with an unparalleled transient response. This delicate capsule is protected by an acoustically open head grille - just like that of the venerable M 50. The capsule signal is amplified by a tube circuit using a subminiature triode, specially selected for optimum transmission characteristics and the lowest self-noise of only 15 dB-A. Unlike its ancestor, developed in the 1950s, however, the M 150 does not use an output transformer that could color the sound. Instead, the M 150 relies on an ultra-transparent transformerless output stage that provides clear low end, even at the highest levels, and a wide dynamic range of 119 dB. Moreover, this state-of-the-art output stage allows long cable lengths of up to 300 m without transmission losses. A -10 dB switch allows the output microphone signal to be attenuated for use with low headroom preamplifiers. Another switch activates a 40 Hz rumble filter; in the LIN position, the low cut filter is not completely deactivated, but shifted to 16 Hz to protect the console input from sub-audio noise, since the low frequency response of the capsule is virtually unlimited. The M 150 is primarily designed to give unprecedented detail and realism to orchestral recordings, e.g. of classical pieces and film scores. Because of its unique "directional omni" characteristic, excellent transient response and gradually increasing sensitivity above 1 kHz, the Neumann M 150 is the perfect microphone for DECCA Tree techniques, including extended surround setups.

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