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Bock Audio 47 Tube Condenser Microphone  From Bock

Cardioid-only tube mic that blends the best of a vintage 47 with modern detail and presence.

Bock Audio

What We Think

This is the 47 clone that brings everything we love about modern mics (detail, presence and forwardness) with everything you love about vintage 47s (mid range warmth, smoothness and tame top end).  Looking for the premier vocal mic for your studio, here she is.

David Bock is known from his SoundDeluxe days as an incredible builder of vintage-style mics, as well as his own new microphone design. The 47 (and 507) are exactly that - he has taken his love of the vintage u47 and brought it forward with a modern mic twist. People who have heard this mic kept telling us "you just have to hear it," and we weren't disappointed when ours arrived.

For us, the most noticeable difference between the Bock 47 and a more vintage-inspired 47 was the detail.  Both microphones had that wonderful, thick midrange that really helps vocals "pop" up in a mix. Both microphones had that big proximity effect that can be worked with a great vocalist. But what impressed us the most was how smooth the 47 was; it never went harsh or over the top with color and distortion. For us, this means the Bock 47 can be pushed and pulled to exactly what we want it to be after the fact with EQ.

Overall, this mic is going to be a killer vocal performer for both male and female vocalists, especially if you need more of a one size fits all mic. It does have the typical response you would see from a 47, but the Bock 47 does it with a bit more detail and openness.

$30,000 Mic Shootout : Bock 407 vs. Telefunken 251 E vs. Manley Reference Gold vs. Telefunken u47

In this shootout video, SoundPure Pro Audio Expert, Travis Hall, compares four of our top-tier microphones in this blind shootout. Email us at proaudio(at)soundpure.com to get hi res files or to get the results! For this shootout, we will be comparing the Bock 47, the Manley Reference Gold, the Telefunken u47, and the Telefunken 251 E. All these mics are available for SoundPure’s "Try Before You Buy" program, so if you want to hear how they sound in your studio with your gear, shoot us an email at ProAudi(at)SoundPure.com. If you like what you hear, you can check out all the gear used in this video at SoundPure.com or give us a call anytime at 919.682.5552. Thanks for watching!

Manufacturer's Description from Bock

WHAT IS IT?

Bock Audio is known for its for using modern methods and readily available components to build microphones with a sound akin to the great microphones of the past. The 47 continues in that mode by using the Power Supply and Amplifier from the flagship 507 microphone and combining a custom made k47 type capsule to bring the performance of the original 50's era German tube 47 in an all new Bock 47. The Bock 47 is a "cardioid only" mic, as the original was used nearly exclusively in cardioid. It comes with a remote power supply and professional spider type shock mount and a special custom 20 foot cable between the mic and power supply.

 

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT?

For about half what you'd expect to pay for a vintage original, with replacement parts and "new-old-stock" tubes that are readily available, the 47 enables a range of sounds and tonal characters previously not available through any other means. The Bock 47 embodies all the most important characteristics of the original while offering consistency, reliability and long term serviceability that is a requirement for today.

 

HOW DO I USE IT?

The 47's primary use will likely be male or female lead vocals due to its signature proximity effect. The original 47 had proximity effect behavior that was part of its sound and why it defined "big vocals". With up to +12dB of boost at 100Hz when used at 1 inch working distance, the 47 signature was "the sound" of many great artists such as Frank Sinatra. Led Zeppelin 1 used a 47 on nearly every vocal track. Tuesday Night Music Club and Cheryl Crowe was a classic application of a 47 for vocals. The key application was then and still is close worked vocals, male or female.

Tube 47's were never really flat even at distance (beyond 18 inches) due to its signature head grille sound. Brass instruments were a favorite 47 application (the classic jazz signature of the most famous records from the 1950's) and small ensembles (of nearly any instrumentation) saw the 47 as the "go to" mic. Cello and violin at short distance gain intimacy and acoustic or electric bass will find a perfect warm tone without muffling using the E47C. Individual drums or drum kits will have astounding impact with no overt artificial high end found when using some small diaphragm mics. Solo performers who sing while playing acoustic guitars may be recorded with just this one microphone.

Includes 507 power supply, custom cable between supply and mic, LB Pro Spider suspension and shipping carton.

Bock Audio

About Manufacturer

Inside every Bock microphone is a collection of very high end and unique-to-Bock parts influenced by experience rather than textbooks.  The direct knowledge of the studio of what made two great vintage mics sound different from each other proved invaluable to David in designing Bock Microphones.  All brass hand built hand tensioned capsules with the more robust 6 micron diaphragms, offer transparency without artificial brightness.   Multisectioned Bock design transformers offer a deeper and smoother low end than found in any other production microphone.  Inductor based old school power supplies offer dynamic range for our discrete audio amplifier and longevity for our tubes that is only found in vintage models.  The sum of Bock’s unique parts and David’s design make a big difference in inspiring and capturing a great performance.

Bock manufacturing employs all hand construction techniques with mics all built 5 or 10 at a time using techniques that are impossible to execute in high quantity.    Bock mics are easy to repair and service.  This is why higher volume production microphones that are designed to be manufactured but not repaired cannot compare to Bock hand built mics.  We are very proud of our business model in a world of “more is better” and “one size fits all” mass production.  

Bock Microphones offer the highest level of performance, equal or better to the classics, proving it IS possible to “build it like they used to”.  With Bock Microphones, you own a microphone destined for a lifetime of extraordinary studio use.