@
RayHeath
and @
monkeyxx
asked me to post about the new Heiserman H47tube... I think high end is probably the right place. Here goes (I posted this on another site, but a little copy paste edit will get me to my coffee quicker....

)
I should mention that I chose the Matte finish, with the HK47 capsule for a bit more of a modern presentation of the classic U47b sound. (More on that later...)
So….some thoughts on the H47tube. I got it late yesterday afternoon. And….it survived UPS!! Woohooo… I'm still new to it, but I'll share some first impressions.
Upon popping the lid on the Pelican case, the evidence to detail was readily apparent - to the point of making it seem like I’d never bought a nice mic before…. It seems that EVERY aspect of the product and it’s presentation has been taken into hyper critical account and optimized to the nth degree. Heiserman is serious about you knowing they are serious about their mics. That was super easy to see. Makes me happy in an everything is disposable 2019 world.
The fit and finish of the microphone is at the top of the heap. The glossy power supply finish is over the top gorgeous. The matching Power Supply / Mic serial numbers are definitely appreciated. The Pelican case is what I would have gladly purchased after the fact for the mic, but the laser cut high density foam makes it even better. The period correct shock mount is fantastic, and so much better than the top of the line shock mounts other manufacturers put out. The Binder / Amphenol / Tuchel (?) connectors show a mega commitment to high-end accuracy and detail. (Those little things cost serious money, and most other cloners cheap out on that aspect.) The little finger cutouts for picking up the mic - again, so well thought out. The extra shock mount bands are appreciated. The Sommer cable is really great, and although I love some of the other options out there for high end tube mic cables, the Sommer is really flexible and easy to coil up.
Overall presentation : A++. Everything just screams “no compromise & attention to detail”. Most of my high end mics are vintage, and most without original cases, but somehow, I don’t think Neumann, Telefunken or AKG ever put this much attention to detail in any of their mics - although I could be wrong. I didn’t buy any of them new…. But there's no doubt that Heiserman is bringing their A game.
But enough of the looks - I suppose you probably want to know how it sounds? Right?
LOL Well, I was the only one in the studio today, and I can’t sing worth a $#@!. But I DID have an overdub to do, so up went the mic. What was I recording?
Um….
Shaker??
Ha! Not exactly a stellar or demanding use for such a high-end behemoth of a mic. Or so I thought. Anyway, it was what it was and it needed recording before I could finish the piece and move on to writing more
exciting TV underscore.
I ran the H47t into a Locomotive / Weight Tank WT72 (V72 clone - love em!) and didn’t give either the pre or mic more than 5 minutes or so to warm up while I spent some time admiring the 47tube and it’s accoutrements.

I was using a large basket Ganza style shaker and a couple of jangly calabash rattles for a big, loose jangly quarter note shaker thing. I’ve recorded this exact combo many times, and my go to mic is usually a KM86 which sounds great - open and natural.
A quick faders up listen to the H47tube combo on input let me know that everything was patched right, and it was working - I figured it would be fine if perhaps not as good as the KM86. I didn’t care - I wanted to use my new mic - not the 86.
I pulled out a random pair of AT headphones that I haven’t used lately, and hit record. The pass went fine, and when I got to the last note, I did my usual tremolo shake, and gradually pulled back and turned away from the mic to effectuate a nice decrescendo. To my amazement, the H47t just reached and GRABBED the shakers and wouldn’t let go. I pulled close to 7+ feet off the mic, and the presence and tone of the shaker just stayed the same. Usually when I do that it either gets wimpy, anemic, too roomy sounding, or just plain "un-natural", but the H47t surprised the heck out of me with it’s
reach. Upon playback the fadeout of the rattle/shaker was so natural and present, it just sounded like a fader pull, not like I was pulling away from the mic. WONDERFUL. Super happy.
Upon further listening to the shaker track, the overall tone was great. Much better than expected actually. This shaker combo can surprisingly be kind of thuddy, or razor sharp with the two calabash rattles jangling away. The H47tube track was natural, it cut just perfectly in the track with no EQ, and never got annoying. Plus, it was BIG! That made it a win over the KM86 I’m afraid…..
But
back to the reach thing. That aspect alone - the reach of the mic - sold me instantly when I heard it. It’s rare for me to hear a modern mic pull that off well - although many of my vintage mics do it extraordinarily well. Many (most?) new mics sound great up front and personal, but upon pulling back, they just don’t have the reach of some of the vintage Neumann’s in my locker. Not so with the H47t - it's got the reach. With such a successful and fun first outing, I’m really looking forward to doing some more extensive testing on a variety of sources in various parts of the studio - close and distant.
I did a quick throwaway drBill vocal with phones on, and as mentioned, I can’t sing very well, but I IMMEDIATELY noticed that the mic sounded more modern, brighter, and had less U47 style proximity than I was hoping for. Bummer. After initial success with the shaker I was immediately disappointed…..
That is until I removed my headphones, came out of record and turned my speakers back on. WHEW!!! Damn. My vocal sounded KILLER!! Well….killer for my overall tone - not my singing. LOL Nothing's gonna help that.
I’ve got to do more listening on those AT phones, but they were really misleading at first listen. They just didn’t have any real body to them compared to the reality of my JBL708P’s. Luckily (or unluckily for me) my voice sounded very present, balanced and just like it usually sounds. Oh well....<Sigh>…but the H47t was flattering for it - not esshy, not overly boomy - just balanced,
with a teeter totter balance between vintage and modern. I’m looking forward to getting some REAL vocalists in to push this thing harder. That's what will really show what this big guy is capable of.
On the “size” / “bottom end” big U47 front, I’m going to pull out my MK47 which D.Deurloo built for me, and put them out in front of the kit and on some vocalists in comparison. That mic is killer. But my gut instinct is that the H47tube is going to hold it’s own just fine…
Oh, and BTW - on the capsule / headbasket front - I texted with Matt from Heiserman last night, and I’ve got a Heiserman M7/HM7 capsule (darker, more vintage from what I can tell) with a
Chrome head basket headed my way next week. It will be great to hear the comparison’s between the two capsules in person. The Matte finish HK47 head basket is really beautiful. But I couldn’t resist getting a Chrome HM7 for my vintage fetish.
I'm looking forward to really living with it and getting to know the mic better, but right out of the gate, I’m super impressed, and glad I made the jump right out of the gate to get one of the first ones.
Oh….BTW, did I mention I got serial # 0002?

Sweetness.
Some pics :