RECORDING October 2022 - 48
REVIEW
Heiserman Audio H251
Tube Microphone
The latest homage to the 251 showcases
stunning attention to detail
REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.
H
eiserman Audio is a partnership of Dave Wheeler, Matt Mitchell,
and namesake Eric Heiserman (one of the premier capsule
builders in the USA since 2012). We first met this Chapel Hill,
NC-based trio in our May 2020 issue when we looked at the Neumann
U 47-inspired Heiserman H47tube Microphone. This month we check out
their latest high-end creation, the H251.
The ELA M Then
The Telefunken ELA M 251 sits alongside
the U 47 and the AKG C12 as one
of the most iconic mics in history, and the
ELA M 251 owes its existence to both.
Released in 1959, the ELA M 251
was designed by Austria's AKG for
the US distribution arm of Germany's
Telefunken, which needed an alternative
mic to distribute when Berlin-based
Neumann decided to cut out the middle
man and export its popular U 47 directly.
According to lore, the goal was a
microphone with the weight and presence
of a U 47 but with the clarity and
dimension of the C12. Thus the ELA M
250 and 251 mics come to be. Production
ceased in 1962 with an estimated
2000+ units made. This makes functioning
originals ultra-rare, and they regularly
top the $20,000 mark.
The ELA M Now
In the early 2000s, US-based TELEFUNKEN
Elektroakustik relaunched a spot-on,
part-for-part interchangeable recreation of
this classic ELA M 251 (reviewed October
2020) that currently retails for $11,000.
While I can personally attest to its sonic
beauty, the price is considerable.
We still crave the classic sound, and
as such, second only to the U 47, the
sonic signature of ELA M 251 is possibly
the most copied microphone in the
48 RECORDING October 2022
past decade. Typically as with most
" inspired " mics, this sonic signature is
achieved through modern circuit tweaks,
reproduction style capsules, baked-in
equalization and tuning tricks--all valid
ways to grant us access to the familial
sound at both entry and boutique levels.
Enter Heiserman Audio
Over the years, I have heard, used and
reviewed some great entries in the ELA
M-inspired universe. Some even get close
to the outward appearance of the real
deal. Still, except for the TELEFUNKEN
Elektroakustik ELA M 251, none of
these has gone so far as to recreate the
internal plastic sheath, pattern switch
and component layout, and few have
attempted the screw-on mic-mount
connector. While one could argue those
have no direct correlation to the sound,
when a company is willing to go that extra
mile, you definitely have my attention.
The H251
In reviews, I am reluctant to utter the
word " clone " because when you change
one thing in a design, it's not a clone!
That said, designer Dave Wheeler's attention
to detail in this mic is scary. In his
past life as a Nashville-based tech repairing
and reviving vintage microphones,
Dave told me he took the opportunity to
" reverse engineer all the plastic parts,
the small metal pieces used in the head
assembly for pattern switching and the
solder points for passive components. "
He then drew up every part in SOLIDWORKS
and made CAD files and 2D
prints to send to manufacturing for injection
molding, metal stamping, etc. All bodywork
is done here in the US by the same
machinist responsible for the Heiserman
H47tube, H47(fet) and Type-19 mics.
Not Necessarily NOS
Down to tube choice, there are
very few new old stock (NOS) parts
in the H251. The mic starts
with a
fourth-generation Heiserman HK12
capsule, which I am told is an accurate
recreation of the famed brass and acrylic
chambered CK12 capsule four years in
the making. The T14/1 output transform
is custom-made for the Heiserman rather
than using a current Haufe T14/1
transformer. Beyond that, the H251 uses
freshly minted TAD Premium High Grade
6072 tubes, which the team also favored
over NOS options. Finally, the mic uses
RECORDING October 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of RECORDING October 2022
Fade In
Fast Forward
Warm Audio WA-47F & WA-CX12X
The Nostalgic, Futurist Piano Man: Daniel Lanois Player, Piano
Focusrite Clarett+ OctoPre
Session Log: Ribbon Microphones
ADK Microphones: Munich-7-T T-FET
Moog Music Mavis
Inside The Studio With Mark Hornsby: Cool Mics by Non-Mic Companies
Heiserman Audio H251
Plugin Outlet: sonible smart:comp 2
AEA TRP500
Inside The Box with Joe Albano: Virtual Preamps
Pearlman Microphones TM-12A
MasterWriter
Sequential Take 5
Mojave MA-D
TIERRA Audio New Twenties
RECORDING October 2022 - Intro
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover1
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover2
RECORDING October 2022 - 1
RECORDING October 2022 - 2
RECORDING October 2022 - 3
RECORDING October 2022 - Fade In
RECORDING October 2022 - 5
RECORDING October 2022 - 6
RECORDING October 2022 - 7
RECORDING October 2022 - Fast Forward
RECORDING October 2022 - 9
RECORDING October 2022 - Warm Audio WA-47F & WA-CX12X
RECORDING October 2022 - 11
RECORDING October 2022 - 12
RECORDING October 2022 - 13
RECORDING October 2022 - 14
RECORDING October 2022 - 15
RECORDING October 2022 - The Nostalgic, Futurist Piano Man: Daniel Lanois Player, Piano
RECORDING October 2022 - 17
RECORDING October 2022 - 18
RECORDING October 2022 - 19
RECORDING October 2022 - 20
RECORDING October 2022 - 21
RECORDING October 2022 - 22
RECORDING October 2022 - 23
RECORDING October 2022 - 24
RECORDING October 2022 - 25
RECORDING October 2022 - Focusrite Clarett+ OctoPre
RECORDING October 2022 - 27
RECORDING October 2022 - 28
RECORDING October 2022 - 29
RECORDING October 2022 - Session Log: Ribbon Microphones
RECORDING October 2022 - 31
RECORDING October 2022 - 32
RECORDING October 2022 - 33
RECORDING October 2022 - 34
RECORDING October 2022 - 35
RECORDING October 2022 - 36
RECORDING October 2022 - 37
RECORDING October 2022 - 38
RECORDING October 2022 - 39
RECORDING October 2022 - ADK Microphones: Munich-7-T T-FET
RECORDING October 2022 - 41
RECORDING October 2022 - Moog Music Mavis
RECORDING October 2022 - 43
RECORDING October 2022 - Inside The Studio With Mark Hornsby: Cool Mics by Non-Mic Companies
RECORDING October 2022 - 45
RECORDING October 2022 - 46
RECORDING October 2022 - 47
RECORDING October 2022 - Heiserman Audio H251
RECORDING October 2022 - 49
RECORDING October 2022 - Plugin Outlet: sonible smart:comp 2
RECORDING October 2022 - 51
RECORDING October 2022 - AEA TRP500
RECORDING October 2022 - 53
RECORDING October 2022 - Inside The Box with Joe Albano: Virtual Preamps
RECORDING October 2022 - 55
RECORDING October 2022 - 56
RECORDING October 2022 - 57
RECORDING October 2022 - Pearlman Microphones TM-12A
RECORDING October 2022 - 59
RECORDING October 2022 - MasterWriter
RECORDING October 2022 - 61
RECORDING October 2022 - Sequential Take 5
RECORDING October 2022 - 63
RECORDING October 2022 - Mojave MA-D
RECORDING October 2022 - 65
RECORDING October 2022 - 66
RECORDING October 2022 - 67
RECORDING October 2022 - 68
RECORDING October 2022 - 69
RECORDING October 2022 - 70
RECORDING October 2022 - 71
RECORDING October 2022 - TIERRA Audio New Twenties
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover3
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover4
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