Peluso Microphone Lab is the brand to look at if you want to buy mics with that glorious vintage sound and high end specs – without spending a fortune.
Peluso:Vintage Microphones for the sound connoisseur
Ok, who does not envy those with a collection of precious vintage microphones? We all know they are great, but there are several disadvantages: Vintage equipment is prone to malfunctions and defects, servicing is not too easy and buying them is quite pricey. If you can find them. Peluso Microphone Lab is a company that offers the sound of all those classic studio microphones. They do not sound „somewhere near“ but give you spot-on the much-adored sound. Highest quality at reasonable prices. And yes, in a certain way they are clones of the classic vintage microphones by Neumann, AKG, Telefunken.
Well, meet Mary and John. Their last name is Peluso, hence the company name. The US company is fairly small, with John Peluso being „Mr. Microphone“, Mary Peluso CEO and Chris Newitt producing. But as it's a small, independent business, you will find Mary and Chris as well soldering, assembling, designing and doing whatever it takes to create Peluso microphones.
John Peluso gained his expertise through extensive service, repair and maintenance of all the vintage microphones. Really digging deep into capsule and electronics construction is probably the best school for a vintage style microphone manufacturer: You learn what make the mics so special (and get to know where their issues are so they can be avoided). John did not stop to do so when he started to build his own microphones in 2002: Until today, he is in contact with those vintage gems.
In the capsule lies the basic character of the sound of a microphone. Peluso Microphone Lab uses in-house-made capsules. They recreate the well-known CK12, M7 et cetera. The transformers used are wound to the specifications of Peluso to meet the original specs. The 22 47 LE even has a vintage Telefunken EF12 steel tube.
Selecting and testing parts, devotedly building by hand, measuring with a frequency resonse systems and of course checking by ear – this is what you get when buying a Peluso microphone.
Most of the microphones Peluso offers are recreations of the classic solid-state and tube condenser mics of Germany and Austria. The numbers and also the shapes tell which legacy microphones John Peluso had in mind – but even more than that: their sound character. You will find microphones honouring the old day's U 47, U 67, U 87, M 49, C12, C414, 251 as well as old SMCs like the KM 84.
Peluso's R 14 is a passive ribbon microphone with figure-of-eight polar pattern. SR 14 is a stereo ribbon mic for MS and the sublime Blumline stereo recording technique. There is also a tube ribbon microphone, the TR 14!
The microphones do not look all too fancy. Peluso's mics do not try to copy the looks of the antique microphones – and don't let you pay extra for the looks. So they are not exactly clones, as the looks do differ.
|
Microphone |
Role Model |
Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2247LE | German M7 Capsule | Vintage Telefunken Steel Tube |
| 2247SE | German M7 Capsule | Glass Tube Variant |
| P-47 SS | German M7 Capsule | FET Variant |
| P49 | German 49 | |
| P67 | German 69 | |
| P87 | German 89 | Sounds vintage |
| 22-251 | Austrian Tube Mic | Edge Terminated Capsule |
| P12 | Classic Tube Mic | Edge Terminated Capsule |
| P414 | Classic EB Mic | Edge Terminated Capsule |
| P280 | Japanese Classic | Very low noise floor |