Recording - February 2021 - 38

REVIEW

Warm Audio WA-67
Tube Condenser Microphone
Classic vintage tones at a great modern price
REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.

n the December 2020 issue, Alex Hawley took a look at the second
generation WA-87 R2 from Warm Audio, a FET condenser that pays
tribute to the classic Neumann U 87. This month we cast our ears upon
the Warm Audio WA-67, a large diaphragm tube condenser mic that, as
you might guess from the name, is the Warm take on the Neumann U 67.

History lesson

The history of the U 67 is an oft-told
tale-check out my review of the Neumann U 67 reissue in the May 2019
issue of RECORDING. In brief: the
original Neumann U 67 was released
in 1960 as a replacement for the discontinued U 47. The U 67 remained in
production until 1971, when it was superseded by the solid-state U 87. There
was a short run of NOS U 67 models
made in the early 1990s, followed by
the latest Neumann reissue in 2019. The
current reissue sells for $6,995 while
originals fetch even more.

Overview

Like the WA-87, the WA-67 draws
its inspiration from classic 60s-era U 67
models. As the U 67 is to the U 87, it's
easy to assume that the WA-67 is a tubelaced WA-87 R2-but is it? Yes, and no.
38 RECORDING February 2021

The two mics share the same robust 9.25 "
x 2.25 " nickel-plated brass body and
head grille, with the WA-67 differentiated
by a slight shine and chrome accents.
Inside, the WA-67 features a new
custom-made K67-style capsule crafted
entirely of brass, including the mounting
rings, with a 6-micron thick gold-sputtered mylar diaphragm. Like the original,
the center of attention is an EF-86 tube
(this one made by Electro-Harmonix). The
vintage-style circuit board is populated
by high-bandwidth polystyrene capacitors, Wima polypropylene caps and a
large Solen output capacitor. The mic is
rounded out by an exclusive large-core
transformer from Lundahl in Sweden.
The WA-67 provides three switches
on its body: polar pattern selector (omni,
cardioid, fig-8), an 80 Hz highpass filter,
and a -10dB pad, all taking cues from
the original.

The WA-67 comes with an assortment
of accessories, including an external
power supply, elastic shock mount, hard
mount, a premium-grade 7-pin Gotham
audio cable, and a wood storage box.

Some specs

The mic has a 20 Hz - 20 kHz frequency response, 138dB SPL, 200 ohms output impedance, a 78dB signal to noise
ratio, and 17 dBA of self noise. Its plot
is relatively smooth and even across the
spectrum in each polar pattern, with a
fast 40 Hz rolloff. There's a 500 to 1000
Hz bump and a 5 to 12 kHz rise in cardioid mode, both of which are quite gentle
at about 5dB. Omni pushes the upper
end to a sharp 12 kHz peak, while Fig-8
surprisingly dips the low-end by 2dB from
600 Hz down.

The sound

The WA-67 presents as a rich and (dare
I say) warm mic, with an even presence
and slightly rolled off top-end tone. It has
a full proximity effect and a smooth rather
than tight off-axis rejection. Its grille design
allows it to ward off plosives nicely, making it a mic that a well-trained singer can
get right up on for a detailed, intimate performance. I noticed that the tone of the mic
brightened a touch, and plosives became
more persistent when I positioned the singer toward the top of the capsule near the
tilt of the grille. The WA-67 is an excellent anti-sibilance tool that naturally tames
harsh esses and sizzly cymbals. The pad is
handy, and the highpass filter works well
to gently thin the mic's boom and thickness.

Recording - February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - February 2021