Telefunken ELA M 251

Debatably the most gorgeous sounding mic ever generated, the TELEFUNKEN ELA M 250 / 251 was actually sold in 2 variants: the “ELA M 250E / 251E” version took advantage of a 6072a tube, while the “ELA M 250 / 251” version included a TELEFUNKEN AC-701 tube. The “no-suffix” mics were developed to please the standardized demands of the German and Austrian national broadcast systems. While both variations of these mics have accomplished fabled stature in the contemporary audio field, the road to achieving this legendary standing was far from immediate.

In 1947 Neumann GmbH to begin with developed the U-47 microphone. From 1947 to 1958 TELEFUNKEN GmbH used their developed global circulation network for the items generated by Neumann GmbH, which were sold under the TELEFUNKEN label with a TELEFUNKEN company logo badge.

In 1958 when Neumann GmbH tipped off TELEFUNKEN GmbH that they had determined to not renew their circulation contract, TELEFUNKEN communicated to AKG Acoustics pertaining to the option of AKG creating a “U-47 like” design for TELEFUNKEN to plug into their global circulation network.

This U-47-esque microphone was to be known as the ELA M 250. Like the U-47 this new mic featured the design choice (cardioid as well as omni-directional) switch on the head of the mic. Around 1958 Neumann GmbH additionally released their U-48 mic which featured cardioid and “figure 8” pattern selection. The TELEFUNKEN ELA M 251 was an amalgam of the two as it presented 3 pattern (cardioid, figure 8 as well as omni-directional) option capability.The switch housing at the base of the cap assembly is where the similarity in between the Neumann GmbH U-47 / U-48 and also the ELA M 250 / 251 microphone series finishes.

The TELEFUNKEN ELA M 250 / 251 components an edge terminated, twin backplate CK-12 cap (as found in the AKG Acoustics GmbH C-12). The amp was the same circuit found in the C-12 that included a GE 6072 tube as well as a Haufe 14:1 percentage outcome transformer. As previously stated, a system that included a TELEFUNKEN AC-701 tube was additionally produced to satisfy the technical specs of German and also Austrian program in the course of the period when these microphones were originally constructed.

While the C-12 accomplished pattern variety with an outboard changing gadget that was connected to the power supply, the ELA M 250 / 251 gotten rid of that addition to the system and also lessened both the amount of cords that had to go to the mic in addition to the expenditure of the outside pattern choice box.

The style designers at AKG Acoustics also thought of yet another extremely handy component, which was the ability to minimize the amount of time required to accomplish “industry replacements” of the mic. Both the C-12 and also U-47 / 48 microphones call for a reasonable bit of know-how, a constant hand, along with a couple of screwdrivers to get to the inner workings of the mic.All that was needed to “area repair work” the ELA M 251E was the elimination of the ring on the bottom of the body and also the metal body tube would definitely slide quickly (no resources necessary !!). When the body tube was removed either the capsule or the amp could be changed in under a min conserving precious time when under the gun in a program or orchestral recording environment.The amplifier in the ELA M 250 / 251 series is housed in a molded plastic enclosure. The cap is held in place by 2 metal struts that jack the outside of the amplifier real estate. By implementing this system, either of these important parts could be replaced in seconds and the session might continue while either system component could be sent to the technological shop for “element degree repair work”. This benefit was something the broadcasters of the time found to be a major plus as they had thousands of bucks of musicians sitting around for the live new music broadcasts of the day. Any time conserved minimized the expense of the session, as well as contributed to the high quality of the program.

However for TELEFUNKEN GmbH, these field replacement equippings additionally showed to be a sales inhibition outside of the orchestral recording planet as the plastic littles used in these microphones added substantial price to the construction of the microphones.The included cost made them considerably more costly at the time than the Neumann GmbH and also AKG Acoustics GmbH products, hence the non Government had facilities of the amount of time did not embrace these systems as readily as TELEFUNKEN GmbH might have liked. It is believed that less compared to 3700 complete initial ELA M systems were constructed from 1960 to 1965 when TELEFUNKEN GmbH terminated sales of the mic.
Today, prime examples of old ELA M 250 / 251 [both “E” as well as “non E”] mics have actually come to be rare and also strongly sought after jewels, commanding tens of hundreds of bucks on the vintage market. You will certainly find that the TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik recreations exemplify the very best top qualities of the very best examples of these fabled creatures, and also while a lot more costly compared to many modern microphones, they are true to the heritage of their 40 + year old brethren.

Today TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik has actually delivered advancement to this traditional system through the development of the CK-13 cap. While the CK-13 can be fit to any sort of existing ELA M 250 / 251 system it can easily even be discovered in the ELA M 251 T which is offered with your preferred reseller through the “customized store”.