KM 76
Primary use:
Type:
Polar patterns:
Common name: Neumann KM 76
Production Status: Discontinued / Vintage
KM is the acronym for “kleinmikrophon” meaning “little microphone”. Georg Neumann GmbH first introduced this type of microphone in 1953 with the KM 53. The KM 76 belongs to the “fet 70” series, the first transistorized microphones family manufactured by Neumann. The KM 76 is the transistorized successors of the KM 66 tube microphone and it has the same shape. Polar patterns can be switched between omnidirectional, cardioid and bidirectional. It employs two cardioid KK 64 capsules installed back to back inside a large head grille sitting on top of the standard 21 mm body. The microphone preamplifier circuit was designed around the newly developed FET (field effect transistor), that had the very high input impedance required for condenser capsule coupling. The microphone is powered according to DIN 45 595 (today known as DIN IEC 268 15) that is a 12 V DC powering via modulation leads, also known as A-B, T- powering or modulation lead powering. The KM 76 is a transformer-less microphone. The KM 76 was manufactured from 1967 to 1976.