Recording - January 2016 - 22

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

Telefunken Elektroakustik is a Connecticut-based
microphone manufacturer that relaunched the
Telefunken brand in 2002. The firm offers a wide range
of mic choices. There's the historically accurate
Diamond Series ELA M 250 and 251, the more affordable US made/globally sourced R-F-T Series, and
dynamic mics like the M80, M81, and M82 which we
have reviewed separately and together as part of the
DD5 Drum Mic Kit (January 2014).
For this year's drum issue, we will be looking at the company's latest creation, the M60 FET pencil condenser. The
M60 is the second small-diaphragm pencil condenser mic in the line, the first being the tube-based
ELA M 260. Both models make use of the same bodies and interchangeable capsule system, which we
will look at below. More significant is that the new
M60 is Telefunken's very first solid-state FET design!
Meet the M60 and family
The M60 amplifier body measures 51/2" long
13
x /16" in diameter. It is finished in a textured
black with a classic pewter Tele-Fun-Ken diamond
logo. Internally the mic features a newly
designed true Class-A discrete amplifier and a
USA-made custom output transformer.
It has a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, a
8.6mV/Pa ±1 dB sensitivity, total harmonic distortion
(THD) <0.01% at 1 kHz at 1Pa, a self-noise <5 dBA,
and a Maximum SPL of 130 dBL (1%THD). The M60
was designed with cleanliness and linearity in mind
and is a very flat-response microphone.
Options galore
You can purchase the mic in one of three variations: M60
cardioid, M61 omnidirectional, or M62 hypercardioid.
There is also a master set which includes the M60 amplifier

The TK62 hypercardioid capsule is sonically similar to
the TK60 cardioid in almost every way, with the exception of a slight 6 kHz dip just before the 8 kHz peak. The
TK61 Omni capsule is the only one of the three to offer a
flat response from 20 Hz up to 5 kHz, where it has a similar 8 kHz presence peak to the TK60, only a touch
smoother. I really appreciate the sonic consistency
between the TK6x capsules, which isn't often found in
other multiple-capsule condenser mic sets.
Sound
I was sent a Stereo Master Set, and its first application was as a spaced pair of drum overheads
with the cardioid capsules. This was one of those
"pull up the faders, big goofy smile" moments.
These definitely fall into the "clean, natural, and
captures the source honestly" category, but the
M60 also has a full richness to it that keeps it from
being a modern clinical reference-style mic.
The biggest comparison the M60 will face is
against the classic Neumann KM84 and its modern equivalent, the KM184 which is known to be
brighter and more aggressive. The M60 is, for my
tastes, thankfully on the classic KM84 side of the
scale... and here is where things get interesting.
The M60 was never designed to be a KM84 clone,
and yet when I tracked a whole song of multiple acoustic
guitars, vocals, shaker, tambourine, and cajon with both
mics side by side, on playback the two were all but indistinguishable. If I had to nitpick I would say the M60 was
slightly cleaner and less weighted than the KM84, especially when it comes to proximity effect, and I would
also say the M60 responds a touch faster to transients,
but we are in the less-than-10% realm here.
My blind guess for their similarity is that both mics
were designed with the same sonic goals in mind. If

Telefunken Elektroakustik M60 FET Condenser Mic
An entirely original design that matches well with the classics
body and all three interchangeable TK6x series capsules. All of the
above can also be purchased in factory-matched stereo sets.
Each set comes in a soft sided FC61 flight case that houses
your choice of mics and capsules. Also included are M 761
elastic shock mounts, foam windscreens, and Telefunken's own
SGMC-5R-XLR 5-meter right-angle XLR cables. Each TK6x capsule comes housed in its own protective plastic canister.
TK capsule choices
The TK6x capsules made their debut with the ELA M 260
microphone and are interchangeable between either series mic
body. Coupled with the M60 body, the TK60 Cardioid capsule
is flat from 150 Hz to 7 kHz and rolls off steeply in the low end
below 150 Hz, settling at -8 dB around 20 Hz. On the upper
end there is a 2 dB presence peak around 8 kHz.
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RECORDING January 2016

you look at a vintage frequency graph of a KM84, it is similar
to the M60, only slightly smoother over all.
Uses
The M60 excels anywhere a classic pencil condenser
would, from drums to acoustic instruments, orchestral ensemble
recordings, and more.
I already mentioned the M60 excelled on drum overheads,
and I also liked it about a foot away from the front of a cajon.
Switching to the hypercardioid capsule, the M60 makes a great
mic for tight up-close drum and percussion duties, from spot cymbal miking to toms, snare, congas, and-if East Indian music is
in your wheelhouse-a pair of M60s with the TK62 capsule are
excellent on tablas, offering great depth married to super-tight
separation.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2016