It was the microphone that defined the sound of the sixties: The U 67 tube microphone, introduced in 1960, was the quintessential studio workhorse throughout the formative years of modern music and has since acquired legendary status.

For the first time in decades the iconic tube microphone will be back in production and built to original specifications for the Middle Eastern market, following an overwhelmingly positive reception at its official re-launch at NAMM.

“Our customers in the Middle East now have a chance to adopt a microphone that set the studio standard when it was first introduced in 1960. The U 67 retains its pre-eminence and with the re-issue, which meticulously reproduces the sound and technical specifications of the original, a new generation of musicians will now enjoy the versatility, reliability and unique sound profile of this microphone,” said Mig Cardamone, director of sales and marketing at Sennheiser Middle East.

With three selectable polar patterns – omni-directional, cardioid, and figure-of-8 – and advanced tube circuitry, including low-cut and pad switches, the Neumann U 67 is well-equipped for virtually any recording task.

The U 67 was the first microphone equipped with the famous K 67 capsule, which has since become associated with “the Neumann sound” and continues to be used in its successor, the U 87 A.

The U 67’s tube circuit features a clever pre-emphasis/de-emphasis scheme to minimise tube hiss.

The U 67 was also the first microphone to address modern recording techniques such as close miking, with its switchable low-cut filter compensating for the proximity effect occurring at short recording distances. Using its pre-attenuation, the U 67 can handle high sound pressure levels of up to 124 dB without distortion.

Sonically, the current re-issue is identical to the U 67 made from 1960–1971. It uses the same capsule and electronic design. Key parts, such as the BV 12 output transformer, have been meticulously reproduced according to original documentation. Its EF86 tubes have been carefully selected in a dedicated measurement facility for optimal characteristics and lowest noise.

The U 67 comes in a vintage case that is hand-made in Germany.

Besides the microphone, it includes an elastic suspension, a microphone cable and the NU 67 V power supply. The power supply was redesigned to meet today’s strict safety requirements and to accommodate the slightly higher filament current of newer premium-grade tubes. The new NU 67 V is fully compatible with older U 67 microphones, and automatically adapts to the local mains voltage.