That "clarity" is often referred to as "hyped high end" by those who have used really good microphones. It can be OK on instruments or the right singer, but it can really stand out as a flaw on sibilant singers or layered vocals and instruments. The reason the U47 is one of the most coveted microphones in the world is because of its midrange, which is where the music happens. Not in the extreme high and low registers.
Update: the WAVs confirmed the opinion I formed from the vid: Gemini first and U47 last. On the WAV the U47 was brighter and more open than before, and the the others no longer had nasty-sounding sibilants. I preferred the Gemini because the sound was more vivid, crisp and colourful. (I could discern no difference in expressiveness between the three mics - maybe a music recording would have helped in this respect).
The Gemini sounds scooped in the mids. Both the MXL and the Gemini have that bright high end ringing sizzle that all K67 capsule based mics have, which most people confuse for "clarity". The U47 has the nice soft but clear high and and that thick, warm, chewy midrange that is the classic sound we've all come to love. The Revelation and Gemini have tube warmth, but tone-wise they just don't come close.
@Fos3tex Interesting. On the strength of the YouTube vid I'm afraid I'm one of those who thinks the MXL and Gemini have greater clarity. I can hear what you mean about the ringing sizzle, even though I can't hear anything above 14 kHz, but to my ears they are better despite sounded less refined. I'll download the WAVs, later, and see if I change my mind.
My vote is for the MXL Revelation. I thought it had the best overall clean, clear, crisp sound. Very natural reproduction and so smooth. Love it. Wish I had the $1200 to buy one.
MXL wins it for me. The U47 sounds slightly compressed and boxy, the MXL was a nice balance of the best characteristics of the other two mics -- warm, full, nice top end -- but without their negative characteristics.
the U-47 comes across as an excellent broadcasting mic...one of its main sonic characteristics is that nice mid bite which brings out the texture of his voice more so then the others, I'm sure the others may be flatter however the 'by design' mid bump is quite desirable for these type of vocals and would probably work well on snare, bass guitar, floor tom etc.
I Iove the U47 as much as anyone, but I'm gonna have to give it to the Revelation as a standalone, that subtle EQ "scoop" really spoke to me. It wasn't overly sibilant like the Gemini or midrange-y like the U47. I bet you the U47 is gonna sit better in tracks though; vintage-y, middy mics tend to be the easiest to mix imo.
I still prefer the CV12 (AKG C12 copy, almost dead on), Fathead II and AT4050 though. Those are my desert island mics
liked the u47 the most as the lows suited his voice and the character the ad needed ,then the mxl and finally the se came in last in this instance. It tended towards sibilance might be just the right mic though in another situation.
Listening to this again, the SE is a bit harsh, the U47 is a little dull, and the MXL is actually really neutral, with just enough excitement. I like the MXL...
@MikeRogersMusic I was using it wrong for a wile and i find my self so stupid and shamed..But thanks to you. You opened my eyes . I actuely thought that the red sign is forward and it sounds pretty good wile by the most michrophones cardiode, the other side is totaly without use and gemini is like bi polar..:((( Thanks again Man
a litlle to much bass end and i notice that on a 3 th mic u are allready fatique sow you recite that text in a breath mseems to be more or less like gemini.ALL ARE GOOD MICS !for your voice maybe gemini it is a balanced good mic and u47 also ,the last one maybe for vocal efects etc ,it is up to ,i sugest used all in diferent aplication combine your creativity!Good loock1
sow the Telefunken u47 seems to have a mid hi end pretty brayght and tight low end,he seems to be pretty sensitiv to loud incoming proximity,loud u speak more mids u get capture throw him,gemini 2 studio electronic seems to have a large frecv then u47 but seems to have a predefinit courve tight bright hiss ,some empty mids and a bust bas frecv,and seems to have not sow much atac ,more calm and subtile then u47,mxl relevation seems to have more frec on the bas end but to me a litle ...part2
I don't think you can say one mic is better than the other, is like saying an apple is better than a pear. For different applications you need different mics. On a budget i have found the SE2200a being fantastic for steel string acoustics however it's awful for nylon classical guitars. Altrernative you can hear every string vibrating on SE Z5600a MKII mic but it can be a bit bland. Sometime for nylon i use a RODE NT2a which colours the sound a bit. It all depends on the application.
@Michael55443 Interesting you should say this, since the U47 has some very definite high end roll-off, which is not only documented on paper, but immediately evident in the video as well. I think the "air" you're referring to is the added presence from the high-mid hump U47s are famous for. The most open and sparkly in this vid was definitely the Gemini. It also picked up more of the room and more sibilance.
After listening over and over, till I could hit "The first exterior frame" section on all three mics (by noting where they are in the time ruler)... I clicked from one to another.. to that phrase.. again and again and while they all sound similar and if they were mot side by side would all sound marvelous... the U47 has an extra bit of clarity and natural open sound that puts it a slight step above... and that is objective-subjective opinion, if you will.
@fisheramp Actually the U47 is the most colored of the three. Definite mid-hump and high end roll off. That's not a bad thing though -- the U47s coloration is exactly what has made it so popular.
u 47 is the nearest to the real voice sounding, what you hear in everyday conversation, gemini is too harsh, too many high freq. mxl is maybe the best for the money. If you have too many highs and not enough lows, you have a problem, if you have too many lows, you can eq them, but if you don't have them, there's no magical way to find them.
El U47 suena más cálido para mi (o "warm" como dicen los gringos), los otros llegan a tener un sonido más incisivo en la zona de 3 a 5khz, sobre todo el Gemini II, sin embargo el MXL es el que mejor se aproxima al U47. La diferencia entre un micrófono de 8,000 dolares y unos de $400 - 1000 está en la calidad de transducción, no tanto en la "claridad" ni en el "color", en los más caros se escuchan detalles que en los otros no, sin resaltar siseos o problemas de consonantes.
El sE es el que me gustó mas... tanto con la guitarra como con la voz el u47 no fue el mejor, literalmente el no preferido, aunque son los 3 unos micros de primera. Me gustaría tenerlos a los 3... el sE para las voces parece fantástico...
if the video did not indicate which mic was which yo all would have picked the gemini. it had more gain and was much clearer. they were all good and they should be for what they cost. get a good $399 mic and a good compressor and you can match any of those mics. so why pay all of that money?
@Bonis62, you can download the original 16-bit, 44.1k WAV audio files for each mic from the URL in the description (immediately below the video window).
Sadly it was the U47 and not the Telefunken U48. That one is a more recent and i never got the chance to hear it so far, but it is a pretty nice test. The U47 sound more natural to me, but I've been impressed by the MXL. The Gemini II is just to bright and I think that a soprano would just sound annoying with it.
@ultrakink31 naw b that thing would be bad for vocals unless you are a deep singer and even then it would prolly be to over powering. bass drums like toms deep kicks a few snares maybe before anything else other then radio talking that shit would be annoying. the clean crisp flavor of the G2 is efficiently the best for vocals an some instruments. that and the 47. the revelation has got to be the least versatile mic there
3 great mic´s...but the u47 project have more than 40 year´s and still uniq (NOT BEST, JUST UNIQ) still the standard. I have 7 mxl(not the revelation ) and they sound PERFECT TO ME...but a U47 german project of the 50 decade IT´S LIKE A 1959 ELDORADO CADILLAC
Wow, the high end is so sweet on the U47, worth it just for that alone! The sE has a nice mid response, the MXL is nice, but totally sounds like a cheap chinese mic trying to sound like the other two. I record a lot of female vocals, so the U47 is still king!
I totally didn't expect this, but the U47 was my least favorite by far. It's probably more honest, but for this type of sound, the richer and rounder tones of the other two really shine.
U47 ftw
rrgert4 1 day ago
i love the warmth and smooth low end of that MXL i was suprised and thought id like the gemini more but no, i dont think the telefunken is all that
ibanezman04 1 week ago
1. Gemini II
2. Revelation
3. U47
SABONDSOUNDS 4 weeks ago
That "clarity" is often referred to as "hyped high end" by those who have used really good microphones. It can be OK on instruments or the right singer, but it can really stand out as a flaw on sibilant singers or layered vocals and instruments. The reason the U47 is one of the most coveted microphones in the world is because of its midrange, which is where the music happens. Not in the extreme high and low registers.
Fos3tex 1 month ago 3
Update: the WAVs confirmed the opinion I formed from the vid: Gemini first and U47 last. On the WAV the U47 was brighter and more open than before, and the the others no longer had nasty-sounding sibilants. I preferred the Gemini because the sound was more vivid, crisp and colourful. (I could discern no difference in expressiveness between the three mics - maybe a music recording would have helped in this respect).
CaptainThrice 1 month ago
The Gemini sounds scooped in the mids. Both the MXL and the Gemini have that bright high end ringing sizzle that all K67 capsule based mics have, which most people confuse for "clarity". The U47 has the nice soft but clear high and and that thick, warm, chewy midrange that is the classic sound we've all come to love. The Revelation and Gemini have tube warmth, but tone-wise they just don't come close.
Fos3tex 1 month ago
@Fos3tex Interesting. On the strength of the YouTube vid I'm afraid I'm one of those who thinks the MXL and Gemini have greater clarity. I can hear what you mean about the ringing sizzle, even though I can't hear anything above 14 kHz, but to my ears they are better despite sounded less refined. I'll download the WAVs, later, and see if I change my mind.
CaptainThrice 1 month ago
PS sorry about the typos.
CaptainThrice 1 month ago
The telefunken was natural, but there is some extra noise in there somewhere, I can't quiet describe it,but it's only noticable during speach.
The Se influences the way he talks, right off the bat it's like the mic forces the reader to act, unnaturally.
I'm suprised by the MXL,sounds very nice,good bottom and briliant too. Would be my choice of the three. On guitar I liked the U47 best.
richbrutus 1 month ago
My vote is for the MXL Revelation. I thought it had the best overall clean, clear, crisp sound. Very natural reproduction and so smooth. Love it. Wish I had the $1200 to buy one.
bsullivan7 2 months ago
el telefunken es hermoso, pero algo opaco respecto a los otros dos, me quedo con el sE... y si pudiera con los tres...
lujoguitar 2 months ago
2nd one is great
barzoman2 2 months ago
Based on what my ears tell me the best sound to my liking was the middle one.
darksith36 2 months ago
Actually i think the u47 sounds to dark.. the Mxl wins it for me, but i really like neither of these mics..
DjBeowolf88 2 months ago
MXL wins it for me. The U47 sounds slightly compressed and boxy, the MXL was a nice balance of the best characteristics of the other two mics -- warm, full, nice top end -- but without their negative characteristics.
hisroyalsucculence 3 months ago
MXL...poor
modelsdreamcom 3 months ago
the U-47 comes across as an excellent broadcasting mic...one of its main sonic characteristics is that nice mid bite which brings out the texture of his voice more so then the others, I'm sure the others may be flatter however the 'by design' mid bump is quite desirable for these type of vocals and would probably work well on snare, bass guitar, floor tom etc.
MightySaturn5 3 months ago 2
MXL. :)
ArhiCO 3 months ago
@stanzamatic K2!
pianomatteo 3 months ago
I Iove the U47 as much as anyone, but I'm gonna have to give it to the Revelation as a standalone, that subtle EQ "scoop" really spoke to me. It wasn't overly sibilant like the Gemini or midrange-y like the U47. I bet you the U47 is gonna sit better in tracks though; vintage-y, middy mics tend to be the easiest to mix imo.
I still prefer the CV12 (AKG C12 copy, almost dead on), Fathead II and AT4050 though. Those are my desert island mics
ShivaTheAuspicious 4 months ago
Telefunken U47!
redcarsarasota 4 months ago
great video!!! keep it up!!!!
TubeTestsShow 4 months ago
The u47 ruled.
whatsbelowyou 4 months ago
liked the u47 the most as the lows suited his voice and the character the ad needed ,then the mxl and finally the se came in last in this instance. It tended towards sibilance might be just the right mic though in another situation.
jetblackdovemusic 4 months ago
Listening to this again, the SE is a bit harsh, the U47 is a little dull, and the MXL is actually really neutral, with just enough excitement. I like the MXL...
MikeRogersMusic 4 months ago
MXL rockz
anishmohanthu 5 months ago
Those High frequencies for me are not so good to hear. So, Neumann!
redspre 5 months ago
The SE was the best...
MikeRogersMusic 5 months ago
@MikeRogersMusic Did he speak on the other side of the gemini hm...???
studiogoly 4 months ago
@studiogoly What are you talking about?
MikeRogersMusic 4 months ago
@MikeRogersMusic I was using it wrong for a wile and i find my self so stupid and shamed..But thanks to you. You opened my eyes . I actuely thought that the red sign is forward and it sounds pretty good wile by the most michrophones cardiode, the other side is totaly without use and gemini is like bi polar..:((( Thanks again Man
studiogoly 4 months ago
the first ones low the other 2 sound the same
BigDtheFreestyleMC 6 months ago
1 mxl
2. neumann
3.se gemini
andreicamataru 6 months ago
I can listen to the U47 over and over without fatigue or headache. The other two not so much. I don't like headaches, so the U47 is the winner.
famousPhotog 6 months ago
This is what we need more of , Kick ass videos like this!
soundeng1 7 months ago 2
I love the open sound of Gemini II, thank you recordinghacks for posting these videos.
domainzz 7 months ago
which preamp did you use ?
brazilstudios 7 months ago
a litlle to much bass end and i notice that on a 3 th mic u are allready fatique sow you recite that text in a breath mseems to be more or less like gemini.ALL ARE GOOD MICS !for your voice maybe gemini it is a balanced good mic and u47 also ,the last one maybe for vocal efects etc ,it is up to ,i sugest used all in diferent aplication combine your creativity!Good loock1
soulessdelu 8 months ago
sow the Telefunken u47 seems to have a mid hi end pretty brayght and tight low end,he seems to be pretty sensitiv to loud incoming proximity,loud u speak more mids u get capture throw him,gemini 2 studio electronic seems to have a large frecv then u47 but seems to have a predefinit courve tight bright hiss ,some empty mids and a bust bas frecv,and seems to have not sow much atac ,more calm and subtile then u47,mxl relevation seems to have more frec on the bas end but to me a litle ...part2
soulessdelu 8 months ago
I don't think you can say one mic is better than the other, is like saying an apple is better than a pear. For different applications you need different mics. On a budget i have found the SE2200a being fantastic for steel string acoustics however it's awful for nylon classical guitars. Altrernative you can hear every string vibrating on SE Z5600a MKII mic but it can be a bit bland. Sometime for nylon i use a RODE NT2a which colours the sound a bit. It all depends on the application.
snipperacoustics 8 months ago
The U47 has an "air" about it the other two lack.
Michael55443 8 months ago
@Michael55443 Interesting you should say this, since the U47 has some very definite high end roll-off, which is not only documented on paper, but immediately evident in the video as well. I think the "air" you're referring to is the added presence from the high-mid hump U47s are famous for. The most open and sparkly in this vid was definitely the Gemini. It also picked up more of the room and more sibilance.
danakerman 7 months ago
@danakerman It's sort of hard to tell with these severely compressed videos and their poor audio.
Michael55443 7 months ago
After listening over and over, till I could hit "The first exterior frame" section on all three mics (by noting where they are in the time ruler)... I clicked from one to another.. to that phrase.. again and again and while they all sound similar and if they were mot side by side would all sound marvelous... the U47 has an extra bit of clarity and natural open sound that puts it a slight step above... and that is objective-subjective opinion, if you will.
jbow 8 months ago
My vote go to U47...! Close to real voice sounding...!
fisheramp 8 months ago
@fisheramp Actually the U47 is the most colored of the three. Definite mid-hump and high end roll off. That's not a bad thing though -- the U47s coloration is exactly what has made it so popular.
danakerman 7 months ago
Gemini sound cheap
MXL better but cheap also
Marakuja77 8 months ago
Gemini II sounds the best for voice over in my opinion.
ItsInTheVoice 8 months ago
u 47 is the nearest to the real voice sounding, what you hear in everyday conversation, gemini is too harsh, too many high freq. mxl is maybe the best for the money. If you have too many highs and not enough lows, you have a problem, if you have too many lows, you can eq them, but if you don't have them, there's no magical way to find them.
mistara1 8 months ago
gemini most definitely
onlyseanmeier 8 months ago
El U47 suena más cálido para mi (o "warm" como dicen los gringos), los otros llegan a tener un sonido más incisivo en la zona de 3 a 5khz, sobre todo el Gemini II, sin embargo el MXL es el que mejor se aproxima al U47. La diferencia entre un micrófono de 8,000 dolares y unos de $400 - 1000 está en la calidad de transducción, no tanto en la "claridad" ni en el "color", en los más caros se escuchan detalles que en los otros no, sin resaltar siseos o problemas de consonantes.
saulosmash 10 months ago
for voiceover. the gemini 2 for sure
therosscompton 10 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
0:07 = u47
0:35 = Gemini II
0:56 = Mxl Revelation
Vote this up so people can have easy access.
Onetruthrgv 10 months ago
El sE es el que me gustó mas... tanto con la guitarra como con la voz el u47 no fue el mejor, literalmente el no preferido, aunque son los 3 unos micros de primera. Me gustaría tenerlos a los 3... el sE para las voces parece fantástico...
chitarradell800 11 months ago
gemini 2 all the way
ecstasy1982original 1 year ago 2
shit you got me thinkin about buyin a harley
Equestional 1 year ago 6
if the video did not indicate which mic was which yo all would have picked the gemini. it had more gain and was much clearer. they were all good and they should be for what they cost. get a good $399 mic and a good compressor and you can match any of those mics. so why pay all of that money?
nublackmusic 1 year ago
only one mic can win...yes the neumann u47...very sweet in treble....
viceadmiraal61 1 year ago
@Bonis62, you can download the original 16-bit, 44.1k WAV audio files for each mic from the URL in the description (immediately below the video window).
recordinghacks 1 year ago 2
I've grabbed the audio of this video and i've analized with spectrum analizer,
i see a complete different level of recording tracks for these mics , it's a lack of recordings or these mics have completely different level output ?
(sorry for my poor english.)
Bonis62 1 year ago
The 47 is creamier in every area! The SE sounds hard. The MXL is too bright.
LODATO1 1 year ago
Sadly it was the U47 and not the Telefunken U48. That one is a more recent and i never got the chance to hear it so far, but it is a pretty nice test. The U47 sound more natural to me, but I've been impressed by the MXL. The Gemini II is just to bright and I think that a soprano would just sound annoying with it.
Korane0 1 year ago
liked U47 the best, really smooth and overall spectrum sound so well balanced.
Gemini my least fav, sound kinda thin on high mid region but it has better low end picked up than U47, probably good for some instrumentals tho
MXL sound better than Gemini for VO work but it has some harshness at high end/high mid area, don't really like it.
for VO work in this shootout, definitely U47 the winner
Darkinners 1 year ago
@Darkinners Good ear, I heard exactly the same before even reading your comment
madgame1000 11 months ago
fuck the u47 >>>> MXL revelation<<<< real warmth of a tube with no mid hump... end of debate.
ultrakink31 1 year ago 13
i agree !
virgogreg 1 year ago
@ultrakink31 naw b that thing would be bad for vocals unless you are a deep singer and even then it would prolly be to over powering. bass drums like toms deep kicks a few snares maybe before anything else other then radio talking that shit would be annoying. the clean crisp flavor of the G2 is efficiently the best for vocals an some instruments. that and the 47. the revelation has got to be the least versatile mic there
Einzenheim 9 months ago
@ultrakink31 No mid hump? Are you deaf?
barendjasper 3 months ago
3 great mic´s...but the u47 project have more than 40 year´s and still uniq (NOT BEST, JUST UNIQ) still the standard. I have 7 mxl(not the revelation ) and they sound PERFECT TO ME...but a U47 german project of the 50 decade IT´S LIKE A 1959 ELDORADO CADILLAC
NOT BEST,NOT WORST...JUST A LEGEND
azzella 1 year ago
Telefunken U 47
HakerzTM 1 year ago
@HakerzTM nope....
ultrakink31 1 year ago
1: u47 : really smooth, I love it.
2: Gemini II : not as good as u47 but really better than the MXL.
3: It has really annoying character on mid high also a lot of ess sound.
mghdesigner 1 year ago
i think the gemini is a very good vocalist mic it has character and warmth yes alot of highs but it clean and transparent.
gerardlake 1 year ago
I feel like the u47 isn't as great for voiceovers but its so damn smooth across the spectrum that it shows how much nicer it is than the other two.
The gemini sounds like a way too unnaturally hyped high end for me. I don't feel any vocals recorded with it would sit in a mix as well.
The MXL has that hyped high end but its not as hyped. It might work better in more situations than the gemini.
reggimaksthscene 1 year ago
Comment removed
reggimaksthscene 1 year ago
They're all nice.
Give them to me.
Zebonka 1 year ago 28
Wow, the high end is so sweet on the U47, worth it just for that alone! The sE has a nice mid response, the MXL is nice, but totally sounds like a cheap chinese mic trying to sound like the other two. I record a lot of female vocals, so the U47 is still king!
BootyStackr 1 year ago
I totally didn't expect this, but the U47 was my least favorite by far. It's probably more honest, but for this type of sound, the richer and rounder tones of the other two really shine.
joshwoodward 1 year ago