It's your PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS of the equipment that makes your reviews so useful, Peter. Most shootout videos only provide audio samples with no commentary, which given all the variables involved in recording, conversion, soundstreaming and playback makes it difficult for the listener to accurately judge. You tell us what you're hearing at the source, and that's really helpful.
Excellent review, and as always I'm impressed with the seriousness of the tests. I love your non-verbal cues when we're listening to the different mics, I totally got what you were saying and I appreciate it!
I am a mix engineer from Greece. Now you are my teacher. The way you explain without talking the time you make the demo it is just brilliant. God bless you.
C24 is such a brilliant microphone, by far my fave piano mic. With lid full up, placing the mic halfway between the lid edge and the piano body edge, centered above the strings about 30” distant, is a delicious sound with nothing but a touch of low ratio compression. I used one on a Monte Alexander recording where that non-EQ’d track became my bedrock track, with everything mixed around it. Such a pleasure.
Awesome comparison! The ELAM 251 is so crispy and captures every single transient. Personally, I would want to smear it with a tube compressor or tape emulation just to smooth it out a little. The C24 was like butter and naturally softened the transients enough to make it more pleasing to listen to. Micparts and Warm are fine but aren't giving the same vibe of the OG mics. You da man, Peter!
Excellent video. After trying one I bought a WA 251 over a year ago. I didn't have an ELAM 251 to compare but I really enjoyed singing through the mic. For me it gave a sort of 'focus' that was a positive. So much of this is subjective. If a singer likes what they hear when they are singing sometimes the "best" microphone may not be "the one" to get the best performance out of them. Thanks again.
@@MasterclaesVideos I'd be comfortable working with any of the mics but I prefer the ELAM 251 in this video. I watched your other video comparing U67 to the WA67. I was impressed. I picked up a WA67 and compared it to a 1963 U67. I was very impressed with how close they sounded.
Fantastic video! This is one of the best videos I’ve seen where it is so unbelievably clear of how superior the original 251 is. All of the mics sounds good and are useable. But man especially in the vocal comparisons the original 251 just gives you so much more. Thanks for doing this.
Thanks Peter , that was really to the point 👍👍 It would be so nice to see your comparison and opinion about modeling microphones like the townsend sphere L22 , Slate VMS ,Antelope Again thanks for the great effort
Great video! just remember the Mic Parts is actually more based on the C12. They have a V-251 which is their exact 251. You can buy them pre built as well and the 12-251 kit is named the V-12. Beautiful sounding mic!
Thanks for the comparison. Ah the AKG C 24. This and a Kudelski Nagra IV-S were John Shuttleworth's (Meridian) go-to for basically everything: choral, organ, piano and small ensembles in the 1970's & 1980's. Definitely worth seeking out for great examples of what the C 24 could do for on location, single-point, stereo recording. He had a knack for getting the best out of venue (though I wish I had a better idea what patterns he was using).
Awesome comparison. Would be cool to have a frequency meter going during the comparisons, so we could also get a visual represenation of the frequencies being recorded. Cheers!
I did the comparison with my eyes closed and my pockets really liked my taste, Mic Parts won booth guitar and vocals, and W.A second on guitar and third on vocals, so, if I had those mics I´d sell the Elam and the AKG and buy a pair of MP and WA and keep the rest of the money, because the price diference does not come close to justify the sound diference. Keep up the good job.
amazing Brilliant electrical engineer, perfect, DETAILED DEMO and narrative, explanation, Soo calm AND steady, great Sense of humor, Love him, So MIND BLOWING knowledge...
Again: Chuck thank you for the comment and great compliments! It is very nice to read all these words and it gives me energy to do even better on the next video’s!
Thank you for letting me test these microphones with you! I’d be happy with either one of the microphones, though to my ear the vintage Telefunken takes the cake.
Thank you for this comparison. I will never own a $5,000 - 10,000 microphone. I do have two WA-251’s and this comparison provides the knowledge of when, what, where, and how I should use them. I also modified the tube and the capsule. They sound wonderful.
Thank you for taking the time to put this video together. My 2 cents, worth less than 1 cent are. The WA and the Mic parts both sound better to me for the guitar. The Mic parts sounds the best by far on the guitar. The WA is over bright but that can be fixed in post. I am spoiled by a very quiet hifi and the noise floor of the other 2. Was like listening to a 60s radio show. There was so much noise that even my tube setup is quieter than the mic noise floor. The ELAM also had a boom or honking in the lower end. That made the instrument sound cheap and artificial. The Mic parts sounds so much cleaner than the AKG or the ELAM. In the silence gaps you can hear the guitar playback clear and clean on the Mic Parts. To me the Mic Parts just crushed all the others. In accuracy, sensitivity and representation of picked up sound. The WA is to bright and silibent it just fell apart with the sizzle of the essssss. You might be able to process it but it isn't what I would reach for it if I had the Mic parts mic. Both the AKG and the ELAM sounded like a classic mic. But that isn't a good thing to me. The AKG was less boomy with the vocals. The ELAM sounded better on the guitar than the AKG. But they both didn't have a tight sound. I get if you want to use the mic as an instrument and get a "classic sound" of the mic, I totally understand. However compared to the Mic parts mic they both sounded old and imprecise. The ELAM's big resonance hump in the lower range of his voice, that you seem to love. Sounds tubby and unnatural on all my gear. Guess my next mic will be a DIY one :/ ug.. Please keep making these awesome videos. They are very illuminating.
I guess my 2 cents would be that the Warm is definitely a very fine sounding microphone. It's pretty amazing what can be done for very little money these days. It's one of those, if you can't get a good vocal take with it, the mic isn't your problem, kind of things. That being said, the real 251 is on a different time space continuum. NONE of those mics were in its league really to me. But, would I ever miss it having not heard it, or just not having that much money? No. The point of these things is education, and that's what you do so very well. This is my first time seeing one of your videos, and I learned a lot. I thought I knew about mics, but.... I clearly don't. I appreciate that you mention the aspect that they are really all very usable because people need to make music, not sniff corks. You show that claims of being exact are just marketing talk, but claims of being super nice, are very true. I actually think my Lewitt LTC840 is probably more similar to a 251 than the Warm is. But the Lewitt is also very U47 and U67 like too... It's not any of them, but it's built on the legacy of all 3. I think that's a more interesting way for people to go, because they aren't trying to clone, but they're trying to see what can be done. Can you have the best parts of all 3 mics? I don't know... maybe. Maybe where it's different is just that, different. I'm curious. What do you think of the current run that Telefunken is selling?
Hi, thank you for your nice feedback! I think Telefunken is doing a great job recreating the originals, I heard stories of users who compared a vintage 251 with a new one and they were impressed. But on the other hand, if you put a few of them together you will hear a different sound on each of them… As you said, the 251 is in a different league, and IMHO every mic that is equiped with an AC701 is in that same league… it is the tube that makes the sound. So as long as nobody uses an AC701, nithing will ever compare…
Great video! Thank you for doing this. First of all, all of them sounded very nice. The Elam and Mic Parts were really quite close. The Warm Audio was more focused, with a bit more mid range sizzle. The Elam was rounder on the bottom, smoother in the mids and with a nice airiness in the high end.
@@MasterclaesVideos Oh, must I choose only one? 😄 For this application (vox and acoustic), the original Elam 251. It was the smoothest, biggest, and sweetest sounding. The AC701 is a special tube. Now, that C24, for other applications, might be my top choice, but that’s for another discussion
That ELAM 251 sounds amazing. I often use an AKG 414 and a C12 in recording violin, acoustic guitar and vocals. The 414 has actually proven to be my favorite. But after watching your video I find myself wanting to try an ELAM 251.
I just talked to a buddy of mine this morning that has an ELA M251 that I can try out. If I like it I may have to buy one. Watching your video may cost me money. LOL
Great in depth comparison! Clearly, the Elam 251 is chief. The 24 was brilliant as well. MP was ok and the warm did a little better w the vocal than guitar. Ty for the exceptional video.
WOW WOW WOW!!!!! The Mic Parts held up, fairly nice, but the ELAM is OUTSTANDING!!!! Would love to see how well some digital emulation mics stand up to the ELAM.
Excellent comparisons and descriptions from the horses....hahaha;) Man that's some squirrel you got there! Over here in Chicago they eat through garage roofs! Loved that C24 on vocals, and that MP mic was pretty damn good...the 251 was a little dark for me on the guitar, dug it for the vox though. It's so funny on these tracks I don't favor the 251 which on other's I always do! Got to do a check on a 251 vs 47 vs...I don't remember tbh. But the 251 won out and ever since then I've adored the mic because I was blown away at everything we threw at it that day! But maybe it was that particular mic, or that particular track that it was perfect for. Although I have hear the newer Telefunken AF51 and the Elektroakustik 251(which was the one I was blown out for so it's a different mic than these old ones, not as dark which I prefer, although I do not like the cheap mic brightness of the WA mics!).
I found the same thing with a Warm Audio 47jr. I ended up going with microphone-parts sister company Roswell and getting a mini 47 and a mini 87. That was an affordable compromise but of course not much is going to compete with a vintage Telefunken or a Neumann In well-maintained condition. Thank you so much for the video
Roswell mics are nice, it’s a shame they don’t want to participate in shootouts because they don’t consider them as “clones” but as variations on the design. 😅
To my ear, the vintage one takes it. Though I really liked the C24, seems like it would be very mouldable come mix-time. Great shootout as always, Peter. Top notch. Gut gemacht!
Was surprised at how thin the WA251 sounded, though a better tube might open it up. But my favorite was the Microphone Parts 12-251. Nice presence without harshness. I can see how the ELAM 251 would be good with a female vocal by taming some of the high end while rounding out the chest voice. But for a male vocal, it's a bit too woofy, would need to apply more EQ than the Mic Parts to get it to shine.
Great comparison, the ELAM to me was head and shoulders above the others. Surprisingly didn't find the C24 to my liking, though maybe on a harsher or brighter sound source. Would have been interesting to hear guitar and vocals in sets to hear the cumulative differences in the mics.
I found it easier to compare the vocals, and in that shootout, the Elam-251 was my favourite - so pleasant. The Warm audio was actually the least warm, ironically, but perfectly useable. Thanks for the comparison.
Hi Peter. First, love your channel. It is so refreshing to see someone take the time to set things up in such an intelligent way - to make the comparisons truly meaningful and to obviate the endless nattering about variables. Edit: I answered my own question about the small screen in front of your squirrel -the TC Electronics Clarity M. You explained this in your Rig Rundown of Tack #1 video.
The Mic Parts V 251 is supposedly the more accurate 251 clone. I wonder how it compares to your Elam. This is a great test though. And your vintage mics sound amazing. I mixed some vocals recently that were recorded on a WA251 and I felt the exact same way about the tracks: a hard midrange and harsh top. I had to roll off highs and use Soothe to soften the middle. Btw, maybe the lyrics should have mentioned a milkshake instead of a chocolate bar? 😂
AKG on this singer . It's resonance seemed to work for this singers register . The ELAM sounded good too, but for me it was just a little too "big"(matter of taste). The Microphone Parts wasn't bad . The WA was congested and a bit "slow". I didn't care for the guitar (just not my cup 'o tea) sonically. I listened with Sennheiser headphones. Very nice comparison ! I enjoyed it !
I think you are very likable presenter and you've also made very tasteful decisions over the years when looking at your studio equipment. It would be great being able to see more of those switched-on and in action. Maybe it makes sense to give each significant piece of gear from your studio it's own episode. Something like, here we have the Lexicon 224, followed by a bit of history, how does it work and how does it sound, where does it has its place in context with musical styles, instruments, vocals etc. Its current place today compared with plug-ins, which one would come close . . Just an idea and it is probably a lot of work : )
It was always my dream to do what Alan Sides did. Travel the world and collect vintage mics. I once had a chance to buy 2 Elam 251's from a church in San Diego in 1978 for $800 for the pair. I begged people to loan me the money but they just didn't understand. I have 2 Chinese C12 copies that I paid 500 each for in 2009. They are passable but would never live up to a real mint AKG C12. Even the re-issue Telefunkin 251 fell short of the originals. I worked at Soundelux for awhile as a mixer / editor and their mic division made better copies than most. Thanks for your video. I subscribed
This actually helped me decided to set aside money for the WA 251. It doesn't sound /as good/ raw (especially on acoustic) in these examples, but it doesn't sound /bad/ in any way compared to the things in its price range that've been available to ppl on a budget historically. In fact I think it's admirable that it punches so far above and actually has similarities to these super expensive vintage mics et al. For less than a grand, having this mic in your locker and in a mix isn't going to offend you or any clients.
I felt like the Warm was just a tad more scooped and focused on the top-end. Not a million miles away, but I did prefer the 251 best. Still, all of these mics, despite their wildly varying price tags, are very useable for this track, and it's impressive that they're all relatively close to the same sound. I'm happy with my Sphere mic. Got almost everything I need there.
Geweldige video! Veel dank....!! Bizar hoeveel beter de vintage microfoons klinken, dit is de eerste video die ik heb gezien waar dat zo overduidelijk te horen is. Niets ten nadele van MP of WA hoor, goede microfoons voor het geld...
@@MasterclaesVideos Telefunken ELAM 251 was mijn favoriet! Met heel dicht in de buurt de AKG als 2e.... De MicParts vond ik verrassend goed en de Warm Audio een klein beetje een teleurstelling, maar nog steeds een prachtmic voor het geld! Ik zou ze alle 4 wel willen! :-) Succes met het mooie kanaal!!
Thanks Peter, excellent job as always! As a reminder to those who may have missed this insignificant little detail; we are a comparing a $10.000 microphone to one that sells for just under $900.- With that in mind I think it's remarkable just how close Warm got with this one. I have never had the good fortune to work with an ELA M251 but I'm perfectly happy with my WA251. (And my Tegeler Audio Manufaktur VTRC ha ha!)
Great stuff mate. Is the distance between the mic's and guitar what you would normally use in a single (or double) mic situation? Also, in your opinion, would distance affect the sound quality of each mic?
I had the mics on that distance because it sounded better than up close on all mics. I also choose to have it on that distance to avoid comments that some mics were not picking up the same source... But primarily because it sounded the best at that distance. Thanks for the reply!
I like the unbiased honesty, and mentioning you really want the classic to blow the clonecopy away ....but they dont as much as one would think per the cost.
It is not about the cost, it is the honest quality that needs to be defined. If Warm says you can buy a 251 for 1k, are you getting the 251 quality? That’s what i’m trying to reveal
Love the video, and I love your style! I'm sure the Telefunken is the best. However, I don't know any humans who could afford one..... Especially musicians. I like when you mentioned "mix ready" mics. It would be great to see the cheaper mics in the setting of a song/mix. All that matters to me is the end result, not so much the solo track of a vocal or guitar. Thanks for your knowledge and experience. It's probably beyond what most people are capable of!
Nobody does better comparisons than you your subtle humor makes these so much more enjoyable to watch. 😄 I listened again with my headphones sounds a lot different than on my monitors and I have the Arc system from IK Multimedia on my monitors. Listened on my Focals, the ELAM is definitely the winner the C24 next and I like the MP the WA sounds a bit harsh but with a little EQ I think it would work. I didnt like it on the acoustic but I really think if the WA was positioned closer to the body it would be better. Again I think with eq it could be a good sounding mic. We are talking roughly an 11 thousand dollar difference .You convinced me to buy the WA67 for my vocals. They got a LOT closer with that one. But I agree, why so shiny? I'd love to hear some of your finished projects. Your have some beautiful hardware my friend. . Thanks for the info.
The Mic Parts 12-251 is the clear winner, even over the Telefunken ELAM 251 itself. There was as top end that was not present in any other mic. It also did not contain the boominess that the Warm Audio WA-251and AKG C24 mics had. For these modern times, the well rounded sound on top of the crisp top end of the MP 12-251 is the way to go, DIY or not.
Peter, great video, really well done. One suggestion with the audio comparisons, I think it would be helpful to have quicker transitions, like one 3 word phrase compared, then maybe another small phrase, maybe in a different performance register or even mic proximity. Cheers!
@@MasterclaesVideos Perhaps. I watched pretty closely though. Again though, fantastic job on this and your other videos too. Really respect and appreciate your knowledge and insight. Thanks!
Thank you so much for doing this. I love the sound of your 251, as well. But I also really liked the sound of the C24. While I thought the 251 had a smoother overall tone, I thought the C24 accentuated some very pretty parts of the guitar. I bet it makes a fantastic vocal mic as well. Again, this was great.
Hi Peter, hitting g you up to say how much I enjoyed this comparison review very much. Your innate ability to bring just enough levity to what I’d often a dry and boring subject is refreshing. Gonna check out the 251. 15 years ago tbd tech at Metropolis Studio, London offered me a matched pair of C12s for £2500 since one of the mics was constantly needing repair. This is why I didn’t purchase them. This predated Nashville’s insatiable hunger for the damn. I’ve been on sessions where 4 pairs were used. There’s good news though. In the past 18 months the C12 has depreciated in value. Down from a median pride of $33,000 to a mere $28000! Yet I don’t hear a stampede of folks rushing to stock up on a pile of them. Wonder why?
Thank you for the praising words! I think that comes from passing on my knowledge for the past 30 years through my masterclaes program. Man i wish i had known that tech! I’m still looking for a c12 but not at 28k…. What mic was your favorite?
The vintage ELAM sounds ‘silky’ for lack of another word, which the WA version completely lacks. It sounds like a dip in the mids centered about 2k and it’s very flattering on the guitar. Ironically, the Warm Audio ELAM is anything but warm, kinda nasally by comparison to the vintage, a sound I’d rather not have to undo. The vintage might be a bit forward at the low end, but I find that so much easier to EQ out if it doesn’t work. Btw, beautiful guitar playing.
Hey :) @Masterclaes I will be getting one of those Mic Parts 251s very soon! Do you think I need a colored preamp and will the default one of my UAD Apollo x8 be fine?
Okay I was inspired by this video and built my own MP mic. I noticed on this video, there is an optional capacitor that was not installed on board B (back side). According to support at MP, without the supplied cap the mic sounds like the C12, with the supplied cap it will sound more like the ELAM 251. The cap is basically a gentle low pass that will give the mic more body due to slightly attenuated top end. It would be awesome if this test can be performed again where we can compare the ELAM with MP with 150pF cap installed at C10 on board B. I would like to get the ELAM sound without spending the 10K HAHA!
The WA 251 sounds more monophonic than the comparison mics. As far as mix ready, I can surmise it is because of the attenuation level that prevails in a low and high (near subliminal) frequency range that adds crispness to the closer proximity of the 'in your face' sound level. EQing down those hot spots should have it blend better with my personal mixing. However, it might add some work to sound close to a C24.
Considering cost, the lower priced ones could be said to have a way bigger value to cost. The Warm was poorest with the guitar but considering a used one goes for $700 USD with power supply... I think I could make it work.
Hi Peter! I love your videos! The 251 is my dream microphone. What do you think of the current Telefunken 251 E version? How does it compare to the vintage ones? Thank you!
Have you tried the wa251 with a good nos RCA or Millard 12ay7. JJs are ok but not really in the same league. I would bet you would find it a much smoother mic. I've got a few spares if you need one
17:58 LOL I hear you, man. Kind of night and day when switching between them. That said, the Warm Audio doesn't sound bad, per se, just doesn't measure up against the rest. I have a MIc Parts V-251 kit, waiting to be built. This video is encouraging, to say the least. Thanks for the great video and insight!
Question Peter, do you know if the Microphone Parts V-251 tested was a basic build or the "Platinum Edition"? Any info would be greatly appreciated. 👍Great video btw!!!
Peter, I absolutely love your comparisons of vintage gear to modern clones. Those of us who can’t afford vintage are forever in your debt. ❤️
It's your PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS of the equipment that makes your reviews so useful, Peter. Most shootout videos only provide audio samples with no commentary, which given all the variables involved in recording, conversion, soundstreaming and playback makes it difficult for the listener to accurately judge. You tell us what you're hearing at the source, and that's really helpful.
@@richardroskell3452 Gffgggdgdggdfdgfgggffff episodeff i hindi fulln u
Excellent review, and as always I'm impressed with the seriousness of the tests. I love your non-verbal cues when we're listening to the different mics, I totally got what you were saying and I appreciate it!
Man, that was really informative. I love all the history and detail you go into when you do these reviews and shootouts. Thank you!
I am a mix engineer from Greece. Now you are my teacher. The way you explain without talking the time you make the demo it is just brilliant. God bless you.
Select the 2 channels and then shift + S to switch between solo channels. 🔥
C24 is such a brilliant microphone, by far my fave piano mic. With lid full up, placing the mic halfway between the lid edge and the piano body edge, centered above the strings about 30” distant, is a delicious sound with nothing but a touch of low ratio compression. I used one on a Monte Alexander recording where that non-EQ’d track became my bedrock track, with everything mixed around it. Such a pleasure.
Great reviews- love the in-depth approach and analysis. Cheers from Philadelphia!
Great job on this comparison video Peter! I was just about to get the WA-251 but now I'm looking at the Mic Parts. Thanks!
It's still a good mic regardless of how close or different it is compared to the original.
Right on time!! Thank you
Awesome comparison! The ELAM 251 is so crispy and captures every single transient. Personally, I would want to smear it with a tube compressor or tape emulation just to smooth it out a little. The C24 was like butter and naturally softened the transients enough to make it more pleasing to listen to. Micparts and Warm are fine but aren't giving the same vibe of the OG mics. You da man, Peter!
Excellent video. After trying one I bought a WA 251 over a year ago. I didn't have an ELAM 251 to compare but I really enjoyed singing through the mic. For me it gave a sort of 'focus' that was a positive. So much of this is subjective. If a singer likes what they hear when they are singing sometimes the "best" microphone may not be "the one" to get the best performance out of them. Thanks again.
Valuable input
Excellent review. Thank you! Love how you set everything up so well here, including a great singer and guitarist.
Hi Peter,
finally someone who speaks clear language!
There aren't many clones that can get hold of the original!
Very good comparison!!!
Thank you!
Once again Microphone Parts holds its own as "belonging to the family".
thank you for taking the time to do this comparison. Very informational!
Thanks for watching! Which is your favorite mic in this video?
@@MasterclaesVideos I'd be comfortable working with any of the mics but I prefer the ELAM 251 in this video. I watched your other video comparing U67 to the WA67. I was impressed. I picked up a WA67 and compared it to a 1963 U67. I was very impressed with how close they sounded.
Fantastic video! This is one of the best videos I’ve seen where it is so unbelievably clear of how superior the original 251 is. All of the mics sounds good and are useable. But man especially in the vocal comparisons the original 251 just gives you so much more. Thanks for doing this.
I agree with your assessment and reaction to the sound of these mics. The Elam-251 was the fullest and warmest of all of them.
Thank you for sharing your studio and equipment. Great video as I am looking to purchase...
Thanks Peter , that was really to the point 👍👍
It would be so nice to see your comparison and opinion about modeling microphones like the townsend sphere L22 , Slate VMS ,Antelope
Again thanks for the great effort
Great video! just remember the Mic Parts is actually more based on the C12. They have a V-251 which is their exact 251. You can buy them pre built as well and the 12-251 kit is named the V-12. Beautiful sounding mic!
Thanks for the comparison. Ah the AKG C 24. This and a Kudelski Nagra IV-S were John Shuttleworth's (Meridian) go-to for basically everything: choral, organ, piano and small ensembles in the 1970's & 1980's. Definitely worth seeking out for great examples of what the C 24 could do for on location, single-point, stereo recording. He had a knack for getting the best out of venue (though I wish I had a better idea what patterns he was using).
Thanks for your comparison of these mics !
Awesome comparison. Would be cool to have a frequency meter going during the comparisons, so we could also get a visual represenation of the frequencies being recorded. Cheers!
I did the comparison with my eyes closed and my pockets really liked my taste, Mic Parts won booth guitar and vocals, and W.A second on guitar and third on vocals, so, if I had those mics I´d sell the Elam and the AKG and buy a pair of MP and WA and keep the rest of the money, because the price diference does not come close to justify the sound diference.
Keep up the good job.
Thanks a lot for that comparison! It would be interesting to also hear the Telefunken TF51 in that comparison
Great to see another improvement of your videos with multiple cameras! I died at 17:58 haha. Good stuff as always mate!
Can't stop laughing... Awesome review BTW...
amazing Brilliant electrical engineer, perfect, DETAILED DEMO and narrative, explanation, Soo calm AND steady, great Sense of humor, Love him, So MIND BLOWING knowledge...
Again: Chuck thank you for the comment and great compliments! It is very nice to read all these words and it gives me energy to do even better on the next video’s!
Thank you for all your reviews, Peter. In my humble opinion the AKG C24 sounds the best, less colours, better mixable.
Best review I've ever seen. Highly knowledgeable, and funny :)
Wow! Great video! Peter is very knowledgeable! Amazing watch
Thank you for letting me test these microphones with you!
I’d be happy with either one of the microphones, though to my ear the vintage Telefunken takes the cake.
Dude you killed it ... nice like the song
What is the song you sang on this? It sounds great!
@@ryanudairam2002 Thanks! It's called 'Old Ford Truck'. It's on my latest album called 'Episodes'. You can find it wherever you stream your music!
@@droppingknowledge8259 I love the production on this. Did Peter Claes handle all the mixing on this? It's really nice! :D
Thank you for this comparison. I will never own a $5,000 - 10,000 microphone. I do have two WA-251’s and this comparison provides the knowledge of when, what, where, and how I should use them. I also modified the tube and the capsule. They sound wonderful.
What tube did you end up using?
you will do just fine with WA mic
En definitiva, se deja oír la calidad de cada uno. Excelente me despejó la duda de comparación.
Thank you for taking the time to put this video together.
My 2 cents, worth less than 1 cent are.
The WA and the Mic parts both sound better to me for the guitar. The Mic parts sounds the best by far on the guitar. The WA is over bright but that can be fixed in post. I am spoiled by a very quiet hifi and the noise floor of the other 2. Was like listening to a 60s radio show. There was so much noise that even my tube setup is quieter than the mic noise floor. The ELAM also had a boom or honking in the lower end. That made the instrument sound cheap and artificial.
The Mic parts sounds so much cleaner than the AKG or the ELAM. In the silence gaps you can hear the guitar playback clear and clean on the Mic Parts. To me the Mic Parts just crushed all the others. In accuracy, sensitivity and representation of picked up sound. The WA is to bright and silibent it just fell apart with the sizzle of the essssss. You might be able to process it but it isn't what I would reach for it if I had the Mic parts mic.
Both the AKG and the ELAM sounded like a classic mic. But that isn't a good thing to me. The AKG was less boomy with the vocals. The ELAM sounded better on the guitar than the AKG. But they both didn't have a tight sound. I get if you want to use the mic as an instrument and get a "classic sound" of the mic, I totally understand. However compared to the Mic parts mic they both sounded old and imprecise. The ELAM's big resonance hump in the lower range of his voice, that you seem to love. Sounds tubby and unnatural on all my gear.
Guess my next mic will be a DIY one :/ ug..
Please keep making these awesome videos. They are very illuminating.
I guess my 2 cents would be that the Warm is definitely a very fine sounding microphone. It's pretty amazing what can be done for very little money these days. It's one of those, if you can't get a good vocal take with it, the mic isn't your problem, kind of things. That being said, the real 251 is on a different time space continuum. NONE of those mics were in its league really to me. But, would I ever miss it having not heard it, or just not having that much money? No. The point of these things is education, and that's what you do so very well. This is my first time seeing one of your videos, and I learned a lot. I thought I knew about mics, but.... I clearly don't. I appreciate that you mention the aspect that they are really all very usable because people need to make music, not sniff corks. You show that claims of being exact are just marketing talk, but claims of being super nice, are very true.
I actually think my Lewitt LTC840 is probably more similar to a 251 than the Warm is. But the Lewitt is also very U47 and U67 like too... It's not any of them, but it's built on the legacy of all 3. I think that's a more interesting way for people to go, because they aren't trying to clone, but they're trying to see what can be done. Can you have the best parts of all 3 mics? I don't know... maybe. Maybe where it's different is just that, different.
I'm curious. What do you think of the current run that Telefunken is selling?
Hi, thank you for your nice feedback! I think Telefunken is doing a great job recreating the originals, I heard stories of users who compared a vintage 251 with a new one and they were impressed. But on the other hand, if you put a few of them together you will hear a different sound on each of them… As you said, the 251 is in a different league, and IMHO every mic that is equiped with an AC701 is in that same league… it is the tube that makes the sound. So as long as nobody uses an AC701, nithing will ever compare…
Excellent demo and most appreciated!
Sorry for the late reply. Thank you for the comment! Which one would you choose to use?
God, I love this channel, hope you'll make more videos :)
Great video! Thank you for doing this. First of all, all of them sounded very nice. The Elam and Mic Parts were really quite close. The Warm Audio was more focused, with a bit more mid range sizzle. The Elam was rounder on the bottom, smoother in the mids and with a nice airiness in the high end.
Again… Thank you! May I ask: Which one is your ultimate choice and why?
@@MasterclaesVideos Oh, must I choose only one? 😄 For this application (vox and acoustic), the original Elam 251. It was the smoothest, biggest, and sweetest sounding. The AC701 is a special tube. Now, that C24, for other applications, might be my top choice, but that’s for another discussion
I preferred the Warm Audio mic. Seemed clearer to me. I also plan on buying two of the Warm Audio for my drum overheads.
That ELAM 251 sounds amazing. I often use an AKG 414 and a C12 in recording violin, acoustic guitar and vocals. The 414 has actually proven to be my favorite. But after watching your video I find myself wanting to try an ELAM 251.
I just talked to a buddy of mine this morning that has an ELA M251 that I can try out. If I like it I may have to buy one. Watching your video may cost me money. LOL
Great in depth comparison! Clearly, the Elam 251 is chief. The 24 was brilliant as well. MP was ok and the warm did a little better w the vocal than guitar. Ty for the exceptional video.
WOW WOW WOW!!!!! The Mic Parts held up, fairly nice, but the ELAM is OUTSTANDING!!!!
Would love to see how well some digital emulation mics stand up to the ELAM.
great video. would love to see an 1176 comparison with analog vs other plugin companies!! :D
Excellent comparisons and descriptions from the horses....hahaha;) Man that's some squirrel you got there! Over here in Chicago they eat through garage roofs! Loved that C24 on vocals, and that MP mic was pretty damn good...the 251 was a little dark for me on the guitar, dug it for the vox though. It's so funny on these tracks I don't favor the 251 which on other's I always do! Got to do a check on a 251 vs 47 vs...I don't remember tbh. But the 251 won out and ever since then I've adored the mic because I was blown away at everything we threw at it that day! But maybe it was that particular mic, or that particular track that it was perfect for. Although I have hear the newer Telefunken AF51 and the Elektroakustik 251(which was the one I was blown out for so it's a different mic than these old ones, not as dark which I prefer, although I do not like the cheap mic brightness of the WA mics!).
Amazing comparisons The Elam 251 for me is the best one! TY.
Hi, thanks for the comment! 🙏🙏🙏
I found the same thing with a Warm Audio 47jr. I ended up going with microphone-parts sister company Roswell and getting a mini 47 and a mini 87. That was an affordable compromise but of course not much is going to compete with a vintage Telefunken or a Neumann In well-maintained condition. Thank you so much for the video
Roswell mics are nice, it’s a shame they don’t want to participate in shootouts because they don’t consider them as “clones” but as variations on the design. 😅
To my ear, the vintage one takes it. Though I really liked the C24, seems like it would be very mouldable come mix-time.
Great shootout as always, Peter. Top notch. Gut gemacht!
Goed gedaan as we say here in Belgium!
Was surprised at how thin the WA251 sounded, though a better tube might open it up. But my favorite was the Microphone Parts 12-251. Nice presence without harshness. I can see how the ELAM 251 would be good with a female vocal by taming some of the high end while rounding out the chest voice. But for a male vocal, it's a bit too woofy, would need to apply more EQ than the Mic Parts to get it to shine.
Thanks Peter. I think I'll take the MP.
Great comparison, the ELAM to me was head and shoulders above the others. Surprisingly didn't find the C24 to my liking, though maybe on a harsher or brighter sound source. Would have been interesting to hear guitar and vocals in sets to hear the cumulative differences in the mics.
I found it easier to compare the vocals, and in that shootout, the Elam-251 was my favourite - so pleasant. The Warm audio was actually the least warm, ironically, but perfectly useable. Thanks for the comparison.
You are an audio gem. Soooo much knowledge. Thankyou for making this video!!!
Thank you for the kind words! Please tell all your friends 😉
I love the WA251! It’s the best vocal mic I’ve ever had 🔥
@John Joo U87ai, Chandler TG, TLM103, Miktek, AA and the WA-251 sounds amazing. The tube warmth and transformer, it’s just sounds so good on vocals!
@John Joo TLM103 works better with Dark vocals so definitely not for me.
This could pass for a great documentary...' i hear the horses coming'😄😄great line man..hilarious..i enjoyed the video thoroughly...thanks man..
Hey thanks for the great reaction! I will post more video’s soon!
Hi Peter. First, love your channel. It is so refreshing to see someone take the time to set things up in such an intelligent way - to make the comparisons truly meaningful and to obviate the endless nattering about variables.
Edit: I answered my own question about the small screen in front of your squirrel -the TC Electronics Clarity M. You explained this in your Rig Rundown of Tack #1 video.
0:00 Unboxing
2:10 components comparison
3:07 history
11:39 Sound comparison setup
13:49 Vintage Telefunken ELAM-251
15:12 AKG C24
16:34 Micparts 12-251
17:57 Warm Audio WA-251 (reaction when it switched to this)
19:18 review
21:59 Vintage Telefunken ELAM-251
22:22 AKG C24
22:44 Vintage Telefunken ELAM-251
23:06 Micparts 12-251
23:28 Vintage Telefunken ELAM-251
23:56 Warm Audio WA-251
24:30 Vocal comparisons
25:58 Vintage Telefunken ELAM-251
26:01 AKG C24
27:03 Micparts 12-251
28:07 Warm Audio WA-251
29:12 review
31:00 Vintage Telefunken ELAM-251
31:19 AKG C24
31:38 Vintage Telefunken ELAM-251
31:58 Micparts 12-251
32:16 Vintage Telefunken ELAM-251
32:34 Warm Audio WA-251
32:54 Vintage Telefunken ELAM-251
33:15 review
The Mic Parts V 251 is supposedly the more accurate 251 clone. I wonder how it compares to your Elam. This is a great test though. And your vintage mics sound amazing. I mixed some vocals recently that were recorded on a WA251 and I felt the exact same way about the tracks: a hard midrange and harsh top. I had to roll off highs and use Soothe to soften the middle. Btw, maybe the lyrics should have mentioned a milkshake instead of a chocolate bar? 😂
Wow! I love this video! So exacting. 👏🏻❤️👏🏻
The MicParts 251 was impressively closer
to the vintage ELAM and C24 than the WA-251.
Excellent shoutout! Thanks Peter!
Many thanks for the positive feedback!! 🙏🙏🙏
Dang, the top end on the vintage one!
I know... so sweet and smooth!
The Elam definitely had that sweet open top end but the c24 just moves me more
AKG on this singer . It's resonance seemed to work for this singers register . The ELAM sounded good too, but for me it was just a little too "big"(matter of taste). The Microphone Parts wasn't bad . The WA was congested and a bit "slow". I didn't care for the guitar (just not my cup 'o tea) sonically. I listened with Sennheiser headphones. Very nice comparison ! I enjoyed it !
dat C24!!! God damn! thanx for the comparison!
I think you are very likable presenter and you've also made very tasteful decisions over the years when looking at your studio equipment. It would be great being able to see more of those switched-on and in action. Maybe it makes sense to give each significant piece of gear from your studio it's own episode. Something like, here we have the Lexicon 224, followed by a bit of history, how does it work and how does it sound, where does it has its place in context with musical styles, instruments, vocals etc. Its current place today compared with plug-ins, which one would come close . . Just an idea and it is probably a lot of work : )
Thanks! Yes I know what you mean, and that is something I will include in my upcoming video courses. The 224 is featured in my FX Masterclaes course!
It was always my dream to do what Alan Sides did. Travel the world and collect vintage mics. I once had a chance to buy 2 Elam 251's from a church in San Diego in 1978 for $800 for the pair. I begged people to loan me the money but they just didn't understand. I have 2 Chinese C12 copies that I paid 500 each for in 2009. They are passable but would never live up to a real mint AKG C12. Even the re-issue Telefunkin 251 fell short of the originals. I worked at Soundelux for awhile as a mixer / editor and their mic division made better copies than most. Thanks for your video. I subscribed
Hi, thanks for the comment! Do you also have some Soundelux mic’s in your arsenal? I have a U195 and i love it! Bit heavy though…
This actually helped me decided to set aside money for the WA 251. It doesn't sound /as good/ raw (especially on acoustic) in these examples, but it doesn't sound /bad/ in any way compared to the things in its price range that've been available to ppl on a budget historically. In fact I think it's admirable that it punches so far above and actually has similarities to these super expensive vintage mics et al. For less than a grand, having this mic in your locker and in a mix isn't going to offend you or any clients.
Hi, thanks for the message, did uou buy the WA?
@@MasterclaesVideos because of your video, I just bought it.
I felt like the Warm was just a tad more scooped and focused on the top-end. Not a million miles away, but I did prefer the 251 best. Still, all of these mics, despite their wildly varying price tags, are very useable for this track, and it's impressive that they're all relatively close to the same sound. I'm happy with my Sphere mic. Got almost everything I need there.
Which is your favorite model on the sphere?
Geweldige video! Veel dank....!! Bizar hoeveel beter de vintage microfoons klinken, dit is de eerste video die ik heb gezien waar dat zo overduidelijk te horen is. Niets ten nadele van MP of WA hoor, goede microfoons voor het geld...
Dankjewel Michiel! Wat was jouw favoriet?
@@MasterclaesVideos Telefunken ELAM 251 was mijn favoriet! Met heel dicht in de buurt de AKG als 2e.... De MicParts vond ik verrassend goed en de Warm Audio een klein beetje een teleurstelling, maar nog steeds een prachtmic voor het geld! Ik zou ze alle 4 wel willen! :-) Succes met het mooie kanaal!!
Thanks Peter, excellent job as always! As a reminder to those who may have missed this insignificant little detail; we are a comparing a $10.000 microphone to one that sells for just under $900.- With that in mind I think it's remarkable just how close Warm got with this one.
I have never had the good fortune to work with an ELA M251 but I'm perfectly happy with my WA251. (And my Tegeler Audio Manufaktur VTRC ha ha!)
Same here: WA-251 plus Tegeler VTRC - I love this couple.
Great stuff mate. Is the distance between the mic's and guitar what you would normally use in a single (or double) mic situation? Also, in your opinion, would distance affect the sound quality of each mic?
I had the mics on that distance because it sounded better than up close on all mics. I also choose to have it on that distance to avoid comments that some mics were not picking up the same source... But primarily because it sounded the best at that distance. Thanks for the reply!
Awesome video!
Hello Professor. Love the content
I like the unbiased honesty, and mentioning you really want the classic to blow the clonecopy away ....but they dont as much as one would think per the cost.
It is not about the cost, it is the honest quality that needs to be defined. If Warm says you can buy a 251 for 1k, are you getting the 251 quality? That’s what i’m trying to reveal
Nice VDO. Thank you. Would love to hear your thoughts on your GML 8200. I have one and find that it's quite noisy (hiss). What do you use it on most?
I love my gml, very clean, no hiss... have a tech look at it, i use it right after my SSL Fusion on my Master Buss
Which setup was ultimately used for this track? The guitar sounds very nice. Is it out to hear somewhere?
The original ELAM 251 is the best mic on this planet!
Love the video, and I love your style! I'm sure the Telefunken is the best. However, I don't know any humans who could afford one..... Especially musicians. I like when you mentioned "mix ready" mics. It would be great to see the cheaper mics in the setting of a song/mix. All that matters to me is the end result, not so much the solo track of a vocal or guitar. Thanks for your knowledge and experience. It's probably beyond what most people are capable of!
Nobody does better comparisons than you your subtle humor makes these so much more enjoyable to watch. 😄 I listened again with my headphones sounds a lot different than on my monitors and I have the Arc system from IK Multimedia on my monitors. Listened on my Focals, the ELAM is definitely the winner the C24 next and I like the MP the WA sounds a bit harsh but with a little EQ I think it would work. I didnt like it on the acoustic but I really think if the WA was positioned closer to the body it would be better. Again I think with eq it could be a good sounding mic. We are talking roughly an 11 thousand dollar difference .You convinced me to buy the WA67 for my vocals. They got a LOT closer with that one. But I agree, why so shiny? I'd love to hear some of your finished projects. Your have some beautiful hardware my friend. . Thanks for the info.
The Mic Parts 12-251 is the clear winner, even over the Telefunken ELAM 251 itself. There was as top end that was not present in any other mic. It also did not contain the boominess that the Warm Audio WA-251and AKG C24 mics had. For these modern times, the well rounded sound on top of the crisp top end of the MP 12-251 is the way to go, DIY or not.
Hi Phil, thanks for the comment. If you would have to rate them in a top 4, how would that look?
Peter, great video, really well done. One suggestion with the audio comparisons, I think it would be helpful to have quicker transitions, like one 3 word phrase compared, then maybe another small phrase, maybe in a different performance register or even mic proximity. Cheers!
Yes!!! We dont like sitting around for 40 minutes waiting for a verdict
That's why I included the quicker transitions, maybe you missed them??
@@MasterclaesVideos Perhaps. I watched pretty closely though. Again though, fantastic job on this and your other videos too. Really respect and appreciate your knowledge and insight. Thanks!
Thank you so much for doing this. I love the sound of your 251, as well. But I also really liked the sound of the C24. While I thought the 251 had a smoother overall tone, I thought the C24 accentuated some very pretty parts of the guitar. I bet it makes a fantastic vocal mic as well. Again, this was great.
you're a legend Peter!
Soo good! Thanks for the video!!!!!
Can't wait for your Warm Audio WA-47 shootout (pretty please?)
Hi Peter, hitting g you up to say how much I enjoyed this comparison review very much. Your innate ability to bring just enough levity to what I’d often a dry and boring subject is refreshing. Gonna check out the 251. 15 years ago tbd tech at Metropolis Studio, London offered me a matched pair of C12s for £2500 since one of the mics was constantly needing repair. This is why I didn’t purchase them. This predated Nashville’s insatiable hunger for the damn. I’ve been on sessions where 4 pairs were used. There’s good news though. In the past 18 months the C12 has depreciated in value. Down from a median pride of $33,000 to a mere $28000! Yet I don’t hear a stampede of folks rushing to stock up on a pile of them. Wonder why?
Thank you for the praising words! I think that comes from passing on my knowledge for the past 30 years through my masterclaes program. Man i wish i had known that tech! I’m still looking for a c12 but not at 28k…. What mic was your favorite?
That Elam…damn. It has the magic.
The vintage ELAM sounds ‘silky’ for lack of another word, which the WA version completely lacks. It sounds like a dip in the mids centered about 2k and it’s very flattering on the guitar. Ironically, the Warm Audio ELAM is anything but warm, kinda nasally by comparison to the vintage, a sound I’d rather not have to undo. The vintage might be a bit forward at the low end, but I find that so much easier to EQ out if it doesn’t work.
Btw, beautiful guitar playing.
To be fair it is the cheapest of them all…that said for price and wuality the Micparts 251 wins it for me
ELAM 13:50
C24 15:11
MICRO PARTS DIY 16:33
WARM 17:55
SECOND QUICKER COMPARISON BETWEEEN THE ELAM251
ELAM 22:00
C24 22:22
MICRO PART DIY 23:07
WARM 23:55
VOCAL COMPARISON
ELAM 24:57
C24 26:00
MICRO PARTS 27:04
WARM 28:07
Thank you for the time stamps!
Hey :) @Masterclaes I will be getting one of those Mic Parts 251s very soon! Do you think I need a colored preamp and will the default one of my UAD Apollo x8 be fine?
Hey sorry for the late reply: you are fine with the uad, because you can always add colour later
Okay I was inspired by this video and built my own MP mic. I noticed on this video, there is an optional capacitor that was not installed on board B (back side). According to support at MP, without the supplied cap the mic sounds like the C12, with the supplied cap it will sound more like the ELAM 251. The cap is basically a gentle low pass that will give the mic more body due to slightly attenuated top end. It would be awesome if this test can be performed again where we can compare the ELAM with MP with 150pF cap installed at C10 on board B. I would like to get the ELAM sound without spending the 10K HAHA!
Sure! Can you Paypal me 500€ so I can pay the musician? And that does not include the 3 days of editing... HAHAHA!!!
@@MasterclaesVideos AHHHH HHAAHAHA! No... I'd build another microphone for that instead. Thanks for the video Peter!
The WA 251 sounds more monophonic than the comparison mics. As far as mix ready, I can surmise it is because of the attenuation level that prevails in a low and high (near subliminal) frequency range that adds crispness to the closer proximity of the 'in your face' sound level. EQing down those hot spots should have it blend better with my personal mixing. However, it might add some work to sound close to a C24.
Considering cost, the lower priced ones could be said to have a way bigger value to cost. The Warm was poorest with the guitar but considering a used one goes for $700 USD with power supply... I think I could make it work.
thank you good job. ill ring the bell
Excellent! Have you tried the new ELAM 251E in comparison with the Vintage Telefunken ELAM 251? Would you recommend it as equal sound?
It has a different tube and it will definately sound different!
what a beautiful review what is the best clone in your opinion Flea? Golden age? any other? Thanks you
Well since I only tested the mics in the video, i can only say that the micparts comes closest. What do you think?
Hi Peter! I love your videos! The 251 is my dream microphone. What do you think of the current Telefunken 251 E version? How does it compare to the vintage ones? Thank you!
Hi Eric, It will probably sound like the C24, same capsule, same tube, I am sure the new telefunken is a fantastic mic!
@@MasterclaesVideos Thank you Peter! Looking forward to your future videos!
Have you tried the wa251 with a good nos RCA or Millard 12ay7. JJs are ok but not really in the same league. I would bet you would find it a much smoother mic. I've got a few spares if you need one
nice review
17:58 LOL I hear you, man. Kind of night and day when switching between them. That said, the Warm Audio doesn't sound bad, per se, just doesn't measure up against the rest. I have a MIc Parts V-251 kit, waiting to be built. This video is encouraging, to say the least. Thanks for the great video and insight!
Indeed, the warm does not sound bad, but a bit disappointing compared to the rest! Enjoy your V-251! What other shootout would you like to see?
Question Peter, do you know if the Microphone Parts V-251 tested was a basic build or the "Platinum Edition"? Any info would be greatly appreciated. 👍Great video btw!!!
As far as I know: it was the basic build. Thanks for liking the video!