Neumann U87 vs. TLM 103

[ISedlacek]

I often notice posts praising a lot TLM 103 and sometimes even putting its quality above U 87. As I own both of these mics, I am always sincerely surprised. So many times I made a direct comparison between these two mics and there was not a single application where U 87 would not sound substantially better, more rich, more present, be it spoken word, vocal, string instruments, wind instruments, drums etc. U 87 has as if some “magic” in it, everything sounds “bigger”, more pleasant, brilliant and present. TLM 103 sounds OK as itself, but a bit flat and tiny boring comparing to U87, just in relation to the price, kind of cheaper brother ... These are my observations (made on high-end preamp and AD convertor), I wonder whether those putting TLM 103 above U87 have a U87 nearby .. Or I may have some different type of TLM 103 ?

Ivo

[jic3]

I have an M149. I've thought about adding a U87 or a TLM 103 to my collection. I'm curious to see what kind of feedback you get.

J

[joestudio]

loud gospel singers distort my U87, not the TLM. The mics really aren't comparable. The '87 is a different class.

[audiaudio]

I think of the TLM-103 and the U87 as very different mics, not really comparable to each other.

I like the 103 for pop vocals, male and female. I use it with both Averill 1272 (Neve) and Avalon 737 mic pres.

Great sound.