Pictured at London's Sphere Studios is Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon with the TELEFUNKEN USA Ela M251. In the rear is TELEFUNKEN USA's new U47AE with VF14k vacuum tube. Photo by James Cumsty for Future Music magazine.

London, UK, February, 2009 — Duran Duran, one of the most succesful bands of the last three decades, has purchased a TELEFUNKEN USA Ela M251 large diaphragm tube microphone system. This faithful recreation of the classic microphone manufactured in the 50s is considered to be one of the most desirable of the enduring condenser tube microphones. Kevin Walker of London's Unity Audio provided technical support as TELEFUNKEN USA's director of distribution in the United Kingdom. Duran Duran records often at Sphere Studios, where they discovered a sizeable collection of new TELEFUNKEN USA microphones, including the U47V, Ela M 251AC, and Ela M 12.

Duran Duran was originally created by Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Stephen Duffy, with the later addition of Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor, and Simon Le Bon. The band is recognized as a leader in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States. Since the 1980s they have placed 21 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 and 14 in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, and have sold more than 70 million records. The band's hit singles from the 1980s include, "Girls on Film," "Rio," "Hungry Like the Wolf," and the James Bond theme "A View to a Kill." In the early 1990s, the band released "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone," followed by "Sunrise" and "What Happens Tomorrow" in the 2000s. "Falling Down" was released from their 2007 album, "Red Carpet Massacre."

ABOUT TELEFUNKEN ELEKTROAKUSTIK

TELEFUNKEN | USA acquired the TELEFUNKEN Trademark for North America in 2001, and in 2009 the company was named the Elektroakustik (translation: Electrical Acoustics) arm of TELEFUNKEN and awarded the exclusive rights to manufacture a wide variety of professional audio products and vacuum tubes bearing the TELEFUNKEN name, in over 27 countries worldwide. Recreating the classic TELEFUNKEN microphones has been a labor of love for the company CEO, Toni Fishman and the pursuit of that dream has culminated in the manufacture of what we at TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik believe are the finest microphones currently available in the world today.

Along with meticulously manufacturing historic replicas of classic microphones by hand in the USA, TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik is now marketing the R-F-T series of microphones that take advantage of the globalization of technology, in order to offer recording microphones with professional sonic performance at reasonable prices.

Our latest additions to the TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik product line include a revolutionary new capsule design based on Alloy 2213™, an exceptional dynamic microphone [the M80], and a vacuum tube replacement for the original TELEFUNKEN VF14 which offers comparable performance in our U47 and new U48 microphones.

TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik continues to expand, and research and development of new products is an ongoing process. Although based firmly on classic designs, TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik is continuously looking forward. Important changes in our company and further expansion of our product line are slated for the immediate future.

For more information about TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, call 860.882.5919 or e-mail info@t-funk.com.