Tier 5

Warm Audio — vintage recreations at sane prices

Founded in 2011 in Austin, Texas, Warm Audio has built a business on careful recreations of legendary studio mics and outboard gear. Their WA-87 looks and sounds remarkably like a Neumann U87. Their WA-47 chases the U47. Their WA-251 chases the ELA M 251. None of them costs anywhere near the originals.

Founded2011

HQAustin, Texas

OwnershipPrivate

ApproachHonest recreations of classics

What they make

U87, U47, C12, ELA M 251 — at a quarter the price

Warm Audio buys original capsules and tubes from the same suppliers (or as close as possible) and copies the original circuit designs faithfully. The result is a mic that, to most ears, lands surprisingly close to a $5,000 vintage piece — for $700 to $1,500.

The famous mics

Microphones worth knowing

WA-87 R2 — the Neumann U87 recreation. ~$700.
WA-47 — the U47 tube recreation. ~$1,300.
WA-47jr — solid-state version of the WA-47, more affordable.
WA-251 — the Telefunken ELA M 251 recreation. ~$1,500.
WA-67 — the Neumann U67 tube recreation.
WA-14 — the AKG C414-style multi-pattern.
WA-44 — the RCA 44BX ribbon recreation.
WA-84 — small-diaphragm pencil condenser, the Neumann KM 84 recreation.

Should you buy one?

The short answer

Get one ifYou want the sound of vintage classics without the vintage price. The WA-87 R2 is the safest blank-check buy in the lineup at $700.

Skip it ifYou’re a working pro charging clients top dollar for a vintage U47. The originals exist for a reason and clients sometimes know.

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