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Neumann KM 56 Stereo Pair 1960s - Nickel - $11,000 (Oklahoma)
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I am letting go of this absolutely gorgeous pair of Neumann KM56, most probably the best-sounding and versatile small-condensor microphone ever made.
They have consecutive serial numbers - which is incredibly rare - and that means they were manufactured and sold as a true stereo pair. Both have their original AC701K tubes (!!), and they both sound just utterly mindboggling.
All selectable patterns work on both microphones. They went through a complete checkup by Peter Drefahl, and he found the backside of one capsule to have a tiny hole which made for a plosive sound and a somewhat different response. That side was consequently reskinned by Peter, and now sounds identical again to the other save for a 1dB output difference between them. Easily corrected via the pre-amp of your choice.
They come with their original cases. The cases have writing and notes on them, and some signs of age, but hey… they’re from the sixties!
They come with their original Neumann shockmounts, in that lovely Neumann anthracite grey colour. Elastic bands are still good, but some of the small nylon buttons are missing. This should be an low-cost and easy fix.
Leo Schaal built a new custom PSU for them this year, and supplied the very high quality cable-set. It’s a dual mono power supply, with very precise voltage output for the AC701K tubes.
I cannot express enough how phenomenal these microphones sound. To me they are up there with the nicest U47’s of this world, and they easily blow away the Km84 and KM184’s. The tubes provide a solid, grounded heft to the lows with gorgeous harmonics, and provide a butterly and silky sweet roll-off in the highs. But it’s in particular how they handle dynamics what stunned me… louder signals (and yes also vocals) just get naturally enhanced and also tempered in such a musical way. They make any artist want to perform better.
Send me a message for precise shipping quotations as these will only be shipped with a full warranty and insurance, at the cost of the buyer.