Recording - December 2020 - 30

REVIEW

TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik
Alchemy Series TF11 FET
A petite FET microphone with a huge, clear sound
REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.

T

he TF11 FET is the latest entry in the TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik
Alchemy Series of large diaphragm condensers mics. This time
around, the T-Funk wizards have conjured up their smallest and most
affordable model yet. The TF11 FET also happens to be the very first
large diaphragm solid state model in the TELEFUNKEN line.

The tale of Alchemy

Bringing Telefunken sound and quality down to a budget-conscious price
point, the Alchemy Series is an evolution
of the TELEFUNKEN R-F-T line launched
in 2005. The Alchemy Series combines
globally sourced components with US design, assembly and testing at the company headquarters in South Windsor, CT.
There are four tube mics in the Alchemy
series; three are multi-patterned models:
the ELA M 251-inspired TF51, the U 47inspired TF47 and the TF39, an original
design dubbed the Copperhead. The
fourth tube mic is the cardioid pattern
TF29 Copperhead. We looked at the TF51
and TF47 in February and the TF29 and
TF39 in April of 2020. The above models all feature matching 7.87" x 1.81"
brass bodies, and head baskets made
30 RECORDING December 2020

with a single-construction steel frame grille
fronting two mesh screening layers.

Eleven makes five

The TF11 FET is now the fifth member
of the group. Like the others, it features a
heavy brass body and dual-mesh head
grill. It's finished in a gorgeous dark blue
with gold etched accents and measures
about an inch shorter in overall length.
The TF11 is a cardioid pattern mic
built around a TK51S edge-terminated
capsule. This is a single-sided version
of the C12-inspired TK51 capsule found
in the TF51. As mentioned, rather than
a tube, the TF11 uses a FET-based amplifier similar to the one used in the
M60 small diaphragm FET condenser.
The output transformer is an OEP/
Carnhill T218, custom made in the UK.

Additionally, the TF11 uses premium
through-hole components such as UK-made
polystyrene film capacitors and Nichicon
fine gold electrolytic capacitors. The internals are rounded out with a high-performance, ultra-low-noise JFET amplifier.
The mic comes in a kit with a ring
mount, an open-faced shock mount, a
microphone dust cover, and a rigid vinyl
microphone storage box.

The numbers

The TF11 has a gently sloping low
end starting at 98 Hz and dipping down
to -5 dB at 20 Hz. The low midrange is
gently boosted by about 1db from 98
Hz to 60 Hz. The upper mids come forward with a broad 3dB rise centered at
4.5 kHz, followed by a similar 3dB high
end push centered on 10 kHz, followed
by a sharp rolloff at around 18 kHz.

The sonics

Despite the low-end rolloff, the TF11 does
not present as bass shy, but rather as nicely
controlled and free from mud and excessive
boom. The slight low-mid boost adds a gentle weight while the top end is precise and
detailed but sufficiently controlled.
Recording - December 2020

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