Originally posted by coldsnow:
I was listening to this 3daudio cd and before looking at any of the names of mics I picked out this $800 Michrotech-Gefell M-930 as the best sounding. I've never heard of the company. Does anyone know anything about them? On the CD I liked it better than the Neuman's, Soundelux, etc. Do I just have a bad ear?

Nope. I had the luck to have a Microtech gefell tube mike for awhile. It was one of the best sounding Mikes I used.

I've been told that Microtech-Gefell started as the part of Neumann that ended up on the East German side of the border. One of the gurus here can correct me if that is a misconception. Anyway, I've had a UM70s and a UMT800 for a while. Nice mics, but a little too hyped on the high end for some applications (OH's, female vocals). I find they shine on sources with a lot of low end that can use a little high freq push. I like the UM70s a lot on string bass - the high end adds in a lot the finger and string articulations very well. And the small "footprint" stays out of the player's way. Similarly, I've used the UMT800 on bari sax with some success.

They seem very solidly built, at least from the outside. I've also been very curious about their tube mic that runs off of phantom power. Stephen Paul said he was going to get the real scoop on it for me, but he's been a little busy lately.

Aye, that I have... yes, Gefell is what was the East german Neumann plant. We can actually do a lot of neat things to make them sound even better...

I'll visit again and explain what makes them a bit unique in today's glut of mass production, I appreciate your patience as I'm trying to tie up a shitload of loose ends and get to Nashville for the holidays with Wendy middle December...

And I gotta LOT o' loose ends here! Ahhhhhhh!

But they are a great platform, and every now and then you do get a great one... it is essentially the original handmade smaller size KK47 capsule from the original U47 and the diaphragms are still made out of PVC and glued directly to the backplate...

A real Time Machine...

Also, though there really isn't adequate current in most phantom buses, I believe that mike you asked about has a DC-to-DC converter in it to power the tube... I still need to see what they're doing to hit the heater, but I'm fairly sure about the plate V (B+) at this point...