Neumann M 149 Tube Microphone
An awful lot of top engineers and artists prize the M149 for it’s full-bodied sound and high output, capable of driving almost line level if required (and too hot for some mic preamps such as the DW Fern, so take care). Generally overlooked by Gearsnobz these days, the M 149 is actually a very serious contender for the highest quality vocals and well worth the price tag.
Now, this is nothing like the original, classic, Neumann M49 but (unlike the peculiar M147) it’s a great mic and has become well regarded for vocals and strings.
Well made, well packaged and complete with a sturdy, typlically Neumann suspension, this mic has both sparkle and depth, enabling vocals to stand out in a mix without having to push the fader. It has an unusually high output, and rumour has it that it can drive line level inputs on units such as an 1176, negating the mic pre. Indeed, it can be too ‘hot’ for some pre’s, hence manufacturers such as DW Fern making option pad stages for their preamps specifically for the M149.
What’s in the box
- M 149 Tube Microphone
- N 149 A Power Supply incl. Power Cable
- KT 8 Connecting Cable
- EA 170 Shock Mount
- Dust Cover
- Aluminium Case
Specifications
- Acoustical operating principle Pressure gradient transducer
- Directional pattern Omnidirectional, wide angle cardioid, cardioid, hypercardioid, figure-8 plus one intermediate position each
- Frequency range 20 Hz … 20 kHz
- Sensitivity at 1 kHz into 1 kohm 34/47/62 mV/Pa1)
- Rated impedance 50 ohms
- Rated load impedance 1 kohms
- Equivalent noise level, CCIR2) 28/25/23 dB1)
- Equivalent noise level, A-weighted2) 16/13/11 dB-A1)
- Signal-to-noise ratio, CCIR2) (rel. 94 dB SPL) 66/69/71 dB1)
- Signal-to-noise ratio, A-weighted2) (rel. 94 dB SPL) 78/81/83 dB1)
- Typical SPL (tube characteristic)3) K < 0,5 %: 120 dB, K < 5 %: 136 dB
- Maximum output voltage 18 dBu
- Powering Power supply N 149 A
- Matching connectors Microphone DIN8F, Power supply XLR3F
- Weight 730 g
- Diameter 70 mm
- Length 201 mm