TELEFUNKEN Mics at a Glance

TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik™ produces the world's finest microphones, from meticulously manufactured historic reproductions of classic vintage microphones that are handcrafted in the USA, to the R-F-T series of microphones that take advantage of the globalization of technology. TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik™ has developed a unique revolutionary new diaphragm material called Alloy 2213™ for our CK-13™ capsule and an exceptional dynamic microphone for live and studio vocal performance. TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik™ offers a wide range of accessories and restoration parts, including a vacuum tube replacement for the original TELEFUNKEN VF14. The TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik™ TEC Award winning line includes the ELA M251, U47, U48, C12, AK47 MkII, AR-51, CU-29 "Copperhead", ELA M260, ELA M270, ELA M250, and M80 dynamic mic, as well as cables, large diaphragm and small diaphragm mics, and vintage microphones. TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik™ microphones are built to a standard, not to a price.

Company Biography

April 2011

TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik of South Windsor, Connecticut has been following the tradition of excellence and innovation set by the original German TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, GmbH that began over 100 years ago.

While TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik was widely regarded as Europe's finest tube and audio equipment manufacturer, their foray into microphones began in earnest in 1947, with the distribution of the world renown "U-47", and the release of arguably the world's most sought after microphone, the ELA M 251 in 1960.

Production of the original ELA M 251 ceased in 1963, but was reborn in 2000 when owner Toni Fishman needed to recreate the switch assembly for the 251s in his extensive vintage microphone collection. Having made the molds for the revival or these historic microphones, the next logical step was to faithfully recreate the entire microphone in their original, historically accurate glory.

As the years passed, historic blueprints for capsules, circuits, and systems were obtained. Transformers were recreated; often by their original manufacturer from 50 years ago. This meticulous historic research has led to the creation of TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik's "Diamond Series," which includes historically accurate reproductions of the U-47, U-48, C-12, and 4 different versions of the ELA M 25x which all embody precise historic detail.

In 2009, not satisfied to rest of the laurels of historically accurate recreations, the "CK-13" capsule was released. This capsule features a diaphragm membrane material made from "Alloy 2213"™, a Titanium and Aluminum alloy which was originally developed for the aerospace industry. The material has better rigidity than the gold that is traditionally employed for microphone diaphragms, with a lighter mass in order to achieve a greater level of detail and nuance captured by the microphone system.

Simultaneous to the continued development and refinement of TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik's "Diamond Series" has been the development and refinement of the affordably priced "R-F-T Series".

The R-F-T brand name is a nod to TELEFUNKEN's former East German rival "R-F-T"; a company that was also producing fine microphones during the 50's and 60's, but were more affordably priced than their TELEFUNKEN counterparts.

The modern "R-F-T Series" takes only its name from the historic R-F-T Company. The microphones within this series feature newly developed amplifiers; which take advantage of modern manufacturing processes while keeping the eye for quality and depth of tone firmly entrenched in the TELEFUNKEN tradition of excellence.

The "R-F-T" AR-51 microphone employs the same output transformer as the historic C-12 and ELA M 251 E (made by the original manufacturer), and a very similar amplifier design which is built on a printed circuit board instead of the very costly implementation of "point to point wiring" found in the historic "Diamond Series", and feature 6 selectable polar pickup pattern options.

The TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik "R-F-T" AK-47 received a bit of an internal face-lift this year, and the AK-47 mkII was born. The AK-47 features a New Old Stock [NOS] TELEFUNKEN EF-732 tube, which is very similar is size and function to the TELEFUNKEN AC-701 tube found in historic M-49 / 50 / 269c, KM-54 / 56, SM-2, M-221b microphones as well as many others that were built by various manufacturers during the 50's and 60's. The properties of this tube exemplify the "air", "clarity", and sexy depth of tone associated with these historic classics.

In 2010, it was found that with a couple of amplifier modifications, the noise floor could be lowered, and increase the microphone's internal current handling capability for better transient and bass response. These modifications made it possible to add the historic BV8 transformer found in the ubiquitous U-47 / U-48 microphones of yesteryear for what has become the AK-47 mkII. The BV8 assists the transfer of low frequency detail that the newly designed amplifier affords, leading to a higher degree of reality and detail necessary for the recording of music, voice, and ambient sources.

Also included in the "R-F-T Series" is the ELA M 260 small diaphragm "pencil mic", which provides nearly unparalleled flexibility in its design. 3 interchangeable capsules are provided with the system permitting the user to decide if Cardioid, Omni-directional, or "Hyper-Cardioid" will best suit their recordings. The ELA M 260 also features the NOS TELEFUNKEN EF-732 tube, and a proprietary output transformer that permits the detail of the audio to be translated for the best possible result and highest quality recording.

In order to round out TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik's product offerings, a dynamic microphone called the M80 was developed. In the TELEFUNKEN tradition of innovation, a low mass / high output diaphragm system was developed, along with a proprietary head grille assembly and output transformer. The head grille assembly helps the M80 achieve a greatly reduced proximity effect, which assists with the mitigation of the "mud" found in the "industry standard" hand-held vocal microphone.

Like the "industry standard", the M80 has found its way onto countless tours. The M80 has many more applications than just vocal duties, it is being used by countless artists and recordists for snare, guitars, percussion, and a myriad of other applications. It has found a home on the road with users as varied as Phish and Cee-Lo; The Dixie Chix, and Green Day, not to mention applications in recording studios the world over.

In 2009 TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik was presented with a very interesting situation. The production crew for Green Day's current world tour; in support of their multi-platinum album "21st Century Breakdown" (which employed many TELEFUNKEN microphones in recording) liked the M80 so much during rehearsals they wanted to use it on the tour. However, Green Day plays stadiums and arenas where a wireless vocal microphone is pretty much mandatory.

The engineering staff at TELEFUNKEN was able to modify the band's current wireless microphone systems to work with the M80 capsule and output transformer. The band and crew liked the system so much that over 40 microphones have been modified to date. Other artists have liked the clarity of the vocals on the Green Day tour so much that they too have requested their wireless microphone systems also be modified, so this modification is now a standard product, which is available "factory direct".

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