Warm Audio WA-47 Large-Diaphragm Tube Condenser Microphone

The WA-47 is a large-diaphragm tube condenser microphone featuring nine selectable polar patterns. It is based on the classic “47” microphone, heard on countless hit records over the past 50 years. The WA-47 is designed for professional studios as well as home recording, live, and broadcast applications. It pairs beautifully with vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, acoustic and electric bass, drums, piano, strings, brass, woodwinds, and many other sound sources.

The classic “47” became immensely popular in the 1960s and remains one of the finest vocal microphones ever made. Original units are still highly prized by engineers around the world — but are now extremely rare and prohibitively expensive.

For Warm Audio, it was a major challenge to recreate the WA-47 faithfully, as many of the original components are no longer available. During development, Warm Audio compared the WA-47 with two original vintage 47 microphones and discovered subtle tonal differences between them. These comparison tests served as the foundation for tailoring the WA-47 to capture the best characteristics of both originals.

Once again, Warm Audio has succeeded in bringing a beautifully sounding studio classic to the market at a price that makes this once-unattainable legend accessible to more people than ever before — all while delivering a sound indistinguishable from vintage models.

As with all Warm Audio products, the design focus lies heavily on the use of the highest-quality components, sourced from the best pro audio suppliers around the world. This ensures that the Texas-based manufacturer gets the very best out of each product.

The Capsule

The WA-47 uses a custom-designed recreation of the capsule found in the original 47 microphone — built with the same hole pattern and frequency response. The Warm Audio capsule (model #WA-47-B-80v) is crafted with exceptional precision by an Australian manufacturer, allowing Warm Audio to offer this crucial component of sound reproduction at the highest level of quality and consistency.

The Tube

During development, Warm Audio carefully tested four different tube manufacturers and ultimately fell in love with the JJ 5751 vacuum tube from Slovakia. With its low gain and low noise floor, it captures more of the acoustic detail from the capsule and transformer than higher-gain tubes typically do. Its frequency response and interaction with the circuit design result in an exceptionally smooth and truly vintage character.

The Transformer

The WA-47 employs a TAB-Funkenwerk (AMI) USA transformer featuring a large core and German laminations. This transformer contributes significantly to the silky smooth highs and the thick, warm low end expected from a classic 47-style microphone.

The Cable

One often-overlooked component in tube microphones is the 7-pin cable connecting the mic to its power supply. Through testing the WA-47 alongside other tube microphones, Warm Audio learned just how much the shielding and wire gauge of 7-pin cables affect microphone performance. Partnering with Swiss cable specialist Gotham Audio, Warm Audio equips the WA-47 with the high-end GAC-7 cable, which significantly enhances airiness and stereo image size compared to cheaper cables.

The Capacitors

The WA-47 uses a Wima polystyrene coupling capacitor on the input stage and a Solen capacitor from France on the output stage to drive the TAB-Funkenwerk (AMI) USA transformer.

Features

Custom 47-style capsule – WA-47-B-80v
TAB-Funkenwerk (AMI) USA output transformer
JJ Slovak 5751 vacuum tube
Gotham 3-meter GAC-7, 7-pin tube microphone cable
Wima, Solen, and polystyrene capacitors
9 polar patterns: cardioid, omnidirectional, figure-8 + 6 intermediate positions
Self-noise: 11 dB(A)
Dynamic range: 130 dB(A)
Max SPL: 140 dB SPL (<0.5% THD)
Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Output impedance: 200 Ohms
Rated load impedance: ≥ 2 kOhms
Signal-to-noise ratio: 82 dB(A)
Dimensions: 25.4 cm (L) x 9 cm (D)
Weight: 4.1 kg