TLM 127

Common name: Neumann TLM 127

Production Status: Discontinued / Vintage

The TLM 127 is a large diaphragm microphone manufactured by Georg Neumann GmbH from 2003 until 2008. It belongs to the “fet 100” series. The TLM 127 was an excellent microphone based on today state-of-the-art transformer-less technology with outstanding performance and features, relatively cheap and sold in beautiful wooden box packages (single microphone or stereo sets) including a dedicated shock mount. Unfortunately it wasn’t a sales success and was discontinued shortly after. The microphone design comes from the TLM 103. A new K 127 capsule with dual diaphragm was designed from the single diaphragm K 103. These capsule design derive from the K 67 / K 870 but are engineered for faster transients (impulse) response. The microphone has extremely low self-noise (8 dBA) and high Max SPL to provide a very wide dynamic range (132 dB). The TLM 127 polar pattern control has three positions, two for direct selection (omnidirectional – cardioid) with standard phantom powering, the third, marked “R”, allows the selection of five polar patterns through a dedicated, patented, powering from the N 48 R-2 unit, able to control and power two microphones. This patented technology was developed for the TLM 170 R microphone. The TLM 127 has two more switches to control the high-pass filtering and a 14 dB attenuator that doesn’t expand the dynamic range of the microphone but shifts it upward by 14 dB. The high-pass filter in designed to cut frequencies below 15 Hz (-3 dB) in “LIN” position with a -12 dB/octave slope, while a classic 100 Hz filtering is available in the second position. The microphone frequency response is flat to 3 kHz, in cardioid pattern, showing a increased 3 dB presence at higher frequencies that comes from the capsule design as there is no amplifier equalization. The microphone was available in nickel or dark matt finish and won a TEC Award 2004 and Soundcheck Leser Poll – microphone of the year 2004.