the Telefunken 251 early 2000 is simply superlative. Listening to the acoustic guitar the differences between these mics are stark. That 251 sounds so effortless and open without any mechanical glare
Big Probs to the singer and his incredible consistency. It just makes a mic shootout so much more pleasurable and useful when the use a singer that has so much skill and character
Crazy how different they sound, specially on acoustic, and drums. I just picked up a Roswell Aztec. 251 style inspired, but not a clone. I'm really digging it.
if i remember well, the early 2000 Tele 251 (without E) it's the last model that used to have the AC701 microtube, and THAT is the closest thing to the vintage Elam 251 magic. The controlled clarity of the 2000's 251 is still a span over the other albeit super good mics
Listening on a pair of Pulsars, incredible listening.. and the 2000 seriously blew my mind.... the Upton and flea almost sounded like the compressor was working more, definetly sounded louder than the new made Elam, also they seem to have more energy in the low mids compared to both the new and the 2000 Elam, mix wise I guess that might add a bit more work.. Interestingly the low mids are closer on the warm to the latest revision than the Upton and Flea- Although the warm sounded quite horrible on the acoustic guitar takes... The GA is a lot closer to the 2000 revision in the high end for sure, more precence .. I did find it slightly harder to tell the differences in the male vocal.... Seriously blown away by the the warm considering the price difference.. I could go on! ... The acoustic guitar test I found the most revealing, although I'm wondering how much the placements affects this, cos here you could truly hear the difference between the mics.... All and all I really think the heiserman sounds the closest to the new revision, This is in the same price range as both the flea and Upton which sounded great, but to me they weren't as close!! And if you even bothered to read this, I wish you an amazing day and all the best microphones in the world!
I've heard a lot of 251s over 30 years and they vary a bit, some airier or fuller than others. In this shootout the Warm, Heiserman and UA sounded the FURTHEST from what I'm used to. The Upton, Flea, Golden Age and Telefunken USA sounded CLOSEST to what I'm used to. I usually pick 251 style mics to turn harsh sources into gooey airy goodness (nasal singers, strident clean amps). I also like them for their "closeness". They are a tool for me in this way. Heiserman, UA and Warm (based off this example), would not seem to function for me in these ways.
For me, the Golden Age was great, albeit not necessarily the best, but at half the cost of its true competition would be my choice. I’d rather spend the difference on something else. I expected more from the WA as I really like their 47, even more surprises at the UA/Bock which to me was disappointing.
The Heiserman shines so bright along with the real deal telefunkens! damn. Just enough weight in the low mids without sounding cloudy like some of the others. Also I don't like any of them on the male voice haha!
You can tell the Warm is the cheapest, kinda peaky and harsh especially on vocals. Golden Age 251 was surprisingly nice! The Bock sounded the best to me, better than the originals.
Yes props to the demo-ers. The current production is very good, I’d buy it, but I have to nod to the 2000 era as the one. I’d love to hear a vintage 251 of course. The FLEA was very good, and the Golden Age too. Both of these are very musical. The others.. I don’t want to think of the hours tweaking in FabFilter to get rid of the blooms and hollow areas. Thank you VK ,again.
I have an early V version Tele US with Ac701 and original Ck12 AKG brass capsule. Curious as to what components are in the early 2000s unit in the video has. Sounds thinner than mine. I also want to give thumbs up to the Heiserman.
fantastic comparison - I own a modern Telefunken ELAM 251E and love it to death but the Heisenberg rocked my socks off -super smooth in the highs, great low-end transparency. Always also loved the Bock, but it’s missing the vintage body style…. Very cool work you guys do everyday, Keep it up!
I have the current Telefunken one and to be honest any of these could be comped into one take in a mix and you won't here the difference. It comes down to how you feel inside when you own a replica and an original.
Telefunken or the flea wins ! Wow there is huge difference between them I was getting a little thin + harshness from the Warm Audio I guess I'll save up for the Telefunken
1 - TF 251 OG 2000s 2 - TF 251 current 2 - Heiserman 251 3 - Flea 251 Heiserman and current Telefunken sounds too close - I wouldn't tell a difference. Telefunken 251 2000's kills theme all for me.
although most people might like the top end of others, I believe the Upton and the Flea are the only ones which carry the low mids of the original, which made female vocals lush and unique.
So, in all shootouts through the years i always chose the Soundeluxe/Bock 251 prior to the UA partnership, but it wasn't my favorite here. I think the Flea and 2000 Tele 251 was the best. Heiserman and Upton also killa.
Telefunken ELA M 251 (2000s) >> Heiserman Audio H251 > FLEA Microphones ELA M 251 > The rest (they all have something off.. Upton and UA aren't bright enough, Warm sounds cheap in the mids, and Golden Age doesn't have the extended bottom). Great shootout video!
Heiserman has something in top end that's nice. Warm also holds up. WA gets close to the real deals for so cheap it's insane. Great time to be a broke musician. Lol
The Upton was the smoothest and I loved the early 2000's tele a lot. If I hit the lottery I'll be stopping in till then hoping there's a 251 giveaway so I can dream of winning one. Ah yes perchance to dream...
After a second listen I think I like the Heiserman best on almost everything. The 2000’s tele has the most vibe but the Heiserman seems more open an accurate. Still like the smoothness of the Upton but the Heiserman is more exciting
Flea, Bock/UA and Upton are not my case. The old Tele is really excellent, great balance, more vintage, the best imo. The new Tele is not as good. Heiserman is a little bit sweeter, more forgiving than all others, more detail. I would buy this one. GA choise would be also great ..
I don’t understand why you wouldn’t set the 251s in a clockwork pattern and do one pass and then you could A/B around- in an actual session you could have a guy player pass six times and it would sound different from 1 to 6🤷♀️ I do like the brightness of the Heiserman seems that has a lot of presents without sacrificing body
Grills can actually impact sound waves and create resonance. Your suggestion is what most people do, but there are drawbacks. One mic at a time with ample space around it is best.
I really like the UA but the Golden Age Projects comes close for less than half the price. I was hoping to like the Warm as the price is a fraction of the GA again but it didn't quite stand up
Id probably swap a telefunken or rca tube or GE in that Warm i think it would be great after that it dows have the flavor but the cheap tube inside is the bottle neck.
especially on dudes vox, the upton smoked all of them, it's got the chest and 3 dimensional quality the old elam is famous for, not a single other mic had it, i swear people are deaf or using horrible monitoring
New t funk sounded waaay best on drums. But on female voc the 2000s telefunken sounded best. Also liked the heiserman on everything but seemed just way too agressive on the high mids, and lacked depth, but tone was good. Flea just sounds weird dip/hole in highmids. Would have been cool with an original in there as well.
Ok, wow; the current ELAM-E takes the cake for me, the Flea is a close second, however, holy Heiserman, I actually preferred it on the instruments, guitars especially. Also, the Warm is crazy value for what you’re getting...
@@vintagekingproaudio I’ll be spending time checking it out. I’m in the market for 251 type mic so this comes out at a good time. You guys are the best ! I played with Jeff Buckley a couple times in my NYC days and we used to hang pretty often. He sang the shit out that song ! Your singer is great though and it is a great way to hear the mics regardless of the blown narrative. Thanks again, Bob
... this singer! pipes! that Heiserman is pretty wild.
Oh man, idk there's just something about that early 2000s telefunken I really like
Maybe it's the real AKG components?
Top end really shines on the Heiseman.
Amazing how different they sound. Loved the UAD Bock on the male voice.
SHould've included the TF51 but this is really cool. Thanks for all the work you all put into it.
Thanks! Would have been great to include Mojave Audio MA-1000 too.
the Telefunken 251 early 2000 is simply superlative. Listening to the acoustic guitar the differences between these mics are stark. That 251 sounds so effortless and open without any mechanical glare
As a 251 owner , you just know the silky highs of the real thing. It's so forgiving and beautiful. None of the replicas have that sparkle
Big Probs to the singer and his incredible consistency. It just makes a mic shootout so much more pleasurable and useful when the use a singer that has so much skill and character
The 2000's TFunk is really special and the Golden Age could really hang with all the more expensive mics. Great shoot out!
I own a Warm Audio WA-251 and people are often surprised how good it is, not harsh sounding at all - great value for the money!
WOW. The 251 (Early 2000's) the NON E version shines the best. That mic is also very rare.
Crazy how different they sound, specially on acoustic, and drums. I just picked up a Roswell Aztec. 251 style inspired, but not a clone. I'm really digging it.
Amazing comparison shootout! Thank you so much for putting this together!
if i remember well, the early 2000 Tele 251 (without E) it's the last model that used to have the AC701 microtube, and THAT is the closest thing to the vintage Elam 251 magic. The controlled clarity of the 2000's 251 is still a span over the other albeit super good mics
liked the Telefunken current model the most, many others have a voicing that is too far away of a typical Elam 251 sound imo , interesting and thanks!
Listening on a pair of Pulsars, incredible listening.. and the 2000 seriously blew my mind.... the Upton and flea almost sounded like the compressor was working more, definetly sounded louder than the new made Elam, also they seem to have more energy in the low mids compared to both the new and the 2000 Elam, mix wise I guess that might add a bit more work.. Interestingly the low mids are closer on the warm to the latest revision than the Upton and Flea- Although the warm sounded quite horrible on the acoustic guitar takes... The GA is a lot closer to the 2000 revision in the high end for sure, more precence .. I did find it slightly harder to tell the differences in the male vocal.... Seriously blown away by the the warm considering the price difference.. I could go on! ... The acoustic guitar test I found the most revealing, although I'm wondering how much the placements affects this, cos here you could truly hear the difference between the mics.... All and all I really think the heiserman sounds the closest to the new revision, This is in the same price range as both the flea and Upton which sounded great, but to me they weren't as close!!
And if you even bothered to read this, I wish you an amazing day and all the best microphones in the world!
I’ll take the Golden Age 251E. The high-end sounds the most forgiving, just add 1 db 10k, and there you go
That's what I call a review. Vintage king you are KING. David Bahar Edinburgh x
That Bock and the Vintage one is 🔥🔥🔥 I would honestly take the GA🙏🏼 Happily 🙌🏼
I've heard a lot of 251s over 30 years and they vary a bit, some airier or fuller than others. In this shootout the Warm, Heiserman and UA sounded the FURTHEST from what I'm used to. The Upton, Flea, Golden Age and Telefunken USA sounded CLOSEST to what I'm used to. I usually pick 251 style mics to turn harsh sources into gooey airy goodness (nasal singers, strident clean amps). I also like them for their "closeness". They are a tool for me in this way. Heiserman, UA and Warm (based off this example), would not seem to function for me in these ways.
For me, the Golden Age was great, albeit not necessarily the best, but at half the cost of its true competition would be my choice. I’d rather spend the difference on something else. I expected more from the WA as I really like their 47, even more surprises at the UA/Bock which to me was disappointing.
The Heiserman shines so bright along with the real deal telefunkens! damn. Just enough weight in the low mids without sounding cloudy like some of the others. Also I don't like any of them on the male voice haha!
Liked the Upton quite a lot!
The Telefunken 251E is also excellent with that lush and open top end.
You can tell the Warm is the cheapest, kinda peaky and harsh especially on vocals. Golden Age 251 was surprisingly nice! The Bock sounded the best to me, better than the originals.
I have an ADK Z-Mod 251 and that thing slays. I think the Upton and Bock are my favorites apart from the og 251.
Yes props to the demo-ers. The current production is very good, I’d buy it, but I have to nod to the 2000 era as the one. I’d love to hear a vintage 251 of course. The FLEA was very good, and the Golden Age too. Both of these are very musical. The others.. I don’t want to think of the hours tweaking in FabFilter to get rid of the blooms and hollow areas. Thank you VK ,again.
I have an early V version Tele US with Ac701 and original Ck12 AKG brass capsule. Curious as to what components are in the early 2000s unit in the video has. Sounds thinner than mine. I also want to give thumbs up to the Heiserman.
fantastic comparison - I own a modern Telefunken ELAM 251E and love it to death but the Heisenberg rocked my socks off -super smooth in the highs, great low-end transparency. Always also loved the Bock, but it’s missing the vintage body style…. Very cool work you guys do everyday, Keep it up!
The early 2000's. Holy damn
I think new telefunken is better and Heiserman is awsome as well))
Great shoot out!!!!.,... I think the Upton 251 sounds the closest to the current production of the Telefunken ELA M 251E......
Heiserman is the best in my opinion. Those highs are from another planet
I have the current Telefunken one and to be honest any of these could be comped into one take in a mix and you won't here the difference. It comes down to how you feel inside when you own a replica and an original.
Telefunken or the flea wins ! Wow there is huge difference between them I was getting a little thin + harshness from the Warm Audio I guess I'll save up for the Telefunken
Upton FTW!
Wow! I liked several on the female vocal, maybe a teensy better then the new production 251E but on the male vocal the 2000 251E was by far my fav!
1 - TF 251 OG 2000s
2 - TF 251 current
2 - Heiserman 251
3 - Flea 251
Heiserman and current Telefunken sounds too close - I wouldn't tell a difference.
Telefunken 251 2000's kills theme all for me.
although most people might like the top end of others, I believe the Upton and the Flea are the only ones which carry the low mids of the original, which made female vocals lush and unique.
if I had to make a choice it would be this one:
Upton for vocals, Telefunken (curent version) for guitares and the Heiserman for the drums
So, in all shootouts through the years i always chose the Soundeluxe/Bock 251 prior to the UA partnership, but it wasn't my favorite here. I think the Flea and 2000 Tele 251 was the best. Heiserman and Upton also killa.
Telefunken ELA M 251 (2000s) >> Heiserman Audio H251 > FLEA Microphones ELA M 251 > The rest (they all have something off.. Upton and UA aren't bright enough, Warm sounds cheap in the mids, and Golden Age doesn't have the extended bottom).
Great shootout video!
I have and like my Golden Age 251 MK2
I love my Upton! closest IMO- and is hand point to point wired !
Upton,flea and golden age are the most similar to the original which has the mid forward sound.
Love the top end of the Heisman, but the mid focus of the Upton.
Great video
Heiserman has something in top end that's nice. Warm also holds up. WA gets close to the real deals for so cheap it's insane. Great time to be a broke musician. Lol
The Upton was the smoothest and I loved the early 2000's tele a lot. If I hit the lottery I'll be stopping in till then hoping there's a 251 giveaway so I can dream of winning one. Ah yes perchance to dream...
The upton sounds smoothest and fullest on drums to me. Like the Heiserman and 2000’s tele on vocals best
After a second listen I think I like the Heiserman best on almost everything. The 2000’s tele has the most vibe but the Heiserman seems more open an accurate. Still like the smoothness of the Upton but the Heiserman is more exciting
Flea, Bock/UA and Upton are not my case. The old Tele is really excellent, great balance, more vintage, the best imo. The new Tele is not as good. Heiserman is a little bit sweeter, more forgiving than all others, more detail. I would buy this one. GA choise would be also great ..
I’ve got a current production Elam 251 e , changing the tube to a NoS 5 star GE from the factory tube was huge for me … ymmv
That Heiserman is nuts
I don’t understand why you wouldn’t set the 251s in a clockwork pattern and do one pass and then you could A/B around- in an actual session you could have a guy player pass six times and it would sound different from 1 to 6🤷♀️
I do like the brightness of the Heiserman seems that has a lot of presents without sacrificing body
We use this method because it accounts for each microphone being in the same exact spot of the room and the singer singing in the same position.
Grills can actually impact sound waves and create resonance. Your suggestion is what most people do, but there are drawbacks. One mic at a time with ample space around it is best.
I really like the UA but the Golden Age Projects comes close for less than half the price. I was hoping to like the Warm as the price is a fraction of the GA again but it didn't quite stand up
The most forgiving was the Golden age, I would chose this if I could not afford the real thing
Would love a comparison with the 3uAudio GZ251, which is a FET mic 251 sound signature
The bock 251 has a u67 sound to it, due to the rounded capsule
the UAD sounds like its already doing some compression
Id probably swap a telefunken or rca tube or GE in that Warm i think it would be great after that it dows have the flavor but the cheap tube inside is the bottle neck.
especially on dudes vox, the upton smoked all of them, it's got the chest and 3 dimensional quality the old elam is famous for, not a single other mic had it, i swear people are deaf or using horrible monitoring
golden age.....
Boy that Flea sounds close to the 2000's on drums.. (Using Adam monitors for those saying ''what the hell is he even using?!'')
Would have been nice to have included Golden Age’s new Elam 251e
Golden Age GA-251 MKII | Female Vocals: 6:57 - 7:39
My thoughts too.
New t funk sounded waaay best on drums. But on female voc the 2000s telefunken sounded best. Also liked the heiserman on everything but seemed just way too agressive on the high mids, and lacked depth, but tone was good. Flea just sounds weird dip/hole in highmids. Would have been cool with an original in there as well.
1. Current production
2. Upton
3. 2000s
4. Bock
5. GA
The Bock 100 %
Heiserman Audio H251 and FLEA Microphones ELA M 251 are the closest i prefer the Heiserman
Ok, wow; the current ELAM-E takes the cake for me, the Flea is a close second, however, holy Heiserman, I actually preferred it on the instruments, guitars especially. Also, the Warm is crazy value for what you’re getting...
It’s hard to get past the wrong lyrics to hallelujah.
Start the video at 7:40. There are lots of examples to explore here.
It’s hard for you cause you’re an …😮
@@vintagekingproaudio I’ll be spending time checking it out. I’m in the market for 251 type mic so this comes out at a good time. You guys are the best ! I played with Jeff Buckley a couple times in my NYC days and we used to hang pretty often. He sang the shit out that song ! Your singer is great though and it is a great way to hear the mics regardless of the blown narrative. Thanks again, Bob
warm audio sounds bad compared to the rest
Horses for courses
Flea wins