Sennheiser Pro Audio Neumann TLM 102 Condenser Microphone, Nickel

Nice product

I am a serious audiophile. I have a great audio setup and have been hand building tube amps for audio and guitar since the 1980s. My main monitors are some amazing (and expensive) Bowers and Wilkins floor standers - stunning they are. I consider my taste on the consumption side of audio to be extremely high. However, on the creation side it is just a casual hobby of recording: spoken word, poetry, occasional music and nature/etc. For fun, not money. So while I have excellent playback gear, my creation gear in the past has just been rather OK. That is my frame of reference for you. I have been using a Behringer B2 Pro as my main condenser microphone for some time now. It is an economical and great product. However, I have always wanted a Neumann as part of my "I want the best audio experience" personality. I could never justify a 47/67/87/89 based on my needs even though my geek inside wants one. So I have been fascinated with this rather affordable TLM 102 for some time. Finally, the reviews and online audio samples got me and I bought one. First thought, '@#$% it is small'. It really is. It more of a medium size condenser compared to my B2 and other cheap condensers. On the physical enclosure and capsule size. That is cool though, as it is super portable and flexible on location. On comparing the audio quality: the lack of the upper treble boost is immediately evident. You cannot miss it. I think if you want a truly general purpose mic, this will be immediately invaluable. If you just want a vocal mic, you may prefer the bump (look at the 103). Audio quality vs. the cheap condenser mics: OK this one is hard... there is less of difference than I had expected, yet the ball is clearly in the Neumann camp for being the best. No matter what I record, it's just slightly less sibilant, slightly less vampire drained in the mids with the false bass and treble boost. It's just better in every way your brain can come up with. The gotcha is, it is really rather minor, and it also proves that the reputable, economical mics present an enormous value for the casual/beginner audio enthusiast. As such, I can only rate this mic as truly 5 stars; delivering everything it promises. But I really want to tell the readers, if your budget is indeed limited, some of the cheap condensers offer you 90% of the experience at a fraction, *literally* a fraction of the cost. Either way you go to me is a win; based on your own needs. It's remarkable we do have this much choice in gear. Happy recording.

Este micrófono es una maravilla. De entrada es Neumann y con eso ya es garantía de calidad. Una excelente respuesta de frecuencia y lo más importante, buena versatilidad para aplicar en el estudio. Si lo combinas con una buena interface y un buen pre amp puedes llevar el micrófono a un nivel premium. Excelente micrófono!

Best best varry nice good microphone

Excellent value for money

I just love the mic